“Spy Kids” is a delightful spy fantasy film where the children discover their parents’ day jobs are definitely not dull and boring. As you will learn in our interview with Carla Gugino (who plays the Mom in the movie), “Spy Kids” was one of the first family films to portray the parents as cool while empowering the kids to discover their own independence and strengths.
The film has an emphasis on family while underscoring the importance of cultural heritage. For a new generation, “Spy Kids” became a contrast to the movies of the 80s and 90s where adults were often made to look clueless, aloof and disconnected.
Created and directed by Robert Rodriguez, “Spy Kids” has become a film and television franchise each bringing an all-ages James Bond-style of enjoyment. “Spy Kids” stars Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa PenaVega, Daryl Sabara, Alan Cummings, Tony Shalhoub, Danny Trejo, and Cheech Marin as the funny and charming uncle.
Join us for a free screening of “Spy Kids” on Thursday, June 24, 2025 as part of the “Summer Movies on the Lawn” series honoring films on the National Film Registry. More details can be found here.
“Spy Kids” was added to the National Film Registry in 2024, and it was then that we spoke with Carla Gugino about the making of the movie and some of her favorite moments on the set. We found Carla to be as lovely in-person as she is on the big screen, and we hope you do, too.
Interview with Carla Gugino
and the making of “Spy Kids”
On behalf of the Librarian of Congress, we welcome you and the rest of the “Spy Kids” team to the National Film Registry.
Thank you so much! I’m very, very honored.
You once mentioned that “Spy Kids” was a formative part of your career and you had a fond spot in your heart for the film. Tell us how you first came to this project.
This is really a beautiful Hollywood story. I was far too young for the role. I was 27 at the time, and the character is supposed to have been a spy for a number of years and has two kids who are somewhere around 9 and 11. For my age, it seemed completely impossible. So, I wasn’t on any of the casting lists.
I had done a movie for Hallmark called “Season for Miracles,” which was a Christmas movie. There was a young boy in it, Evan Sabara, and we had a wonderful time. His mother and brother, Daryl Sabara, were on set a lot. It was around then that I got a call from Mary Vernieu, a casting director. She said that Robert Rodriguez wanted to meet for “Spy Kids.”
They had already been shooting for two weeks with Antonio Banderas. I had done a movie that David Frankel directed with Sarah Jessica Parker and a bunch of wonderful people, called “Miami Rhapsody,” including Antonio Banderas. So, I thought maybe Antonio suggested me, but I didn’t know. I was just about to take this very, very intensive Spanish class because I really wanted to learn Spanish, and it was something you couldn’t cancel or change. It was a big, big chunk of money at that time to do this.
Anyway, they said, “Robert wants to speak with you about this role.” We’ve been shooting for two weeks, someone else was cast, they couldn’t do it, and now he’s scrambling to find a mother for his kids, so to speak.” That was the term that they used.
I got on the phone with him, and he said that he was sitting in his trailer when Daryl and Evan handed him a VHS tape of “Season for Miracles.” The boys said, “this is who we want to be the mom.” Robert watched it and thought I was too young. He watched the whole movie and saw the Q&A at the end. He then said that he thought I was a bit wiser than my years.
So, we ended up having a meeting and it went well. I have to tell you; Robert is very focused and moves very quickly. It’s one of the reasons he’s an amazing filmmaker. He’s very, very focused on where he is, and then on to the next thing.
He said, “You have to fly on the redeye to New York. We’ll do a small test and then we’ll decide. If you get the job, you’re flying straight from there to Austin, Texas, to start shooting in two days.” So, I had to cancel my Spanish lessons, forfeit it, but it was worth the chance.
You didn’t have much time to prepare!
As I was getting on the plane, there was a woman who came up to me and said, “are you Carla Gugino?”
I was surprised because, although I’d been acting for over ten years, I was still fairly unknown. Surprised, I said, “Yes, who are you?” She said, “Oh, I’m the costume designer. I’m here to set you.” It was then that I realized that I might just get this job.
It must have been intimidating showing up when shooting had already started.
I went in and Robert showed me the sizzle reels. It’s the most fantastic thing because usually about a third of the way into filming, he’ll do a sizzle reel for the entire cast and crew, and everybody gets to sit down, watch it and feel what they’re a part of making. It’s really empowering. It builds such a great film community, and everybody works even harder and is so passionate.
So, he showed me the sizzle reel he had put together. By this point I felt like I really like this guy, and I want to help him make his movie, but I’m worried that I’m too young for this.
He said, “I’m thinking she’s you. My mom’s had a lot of kids, and I think if we do this right, no one will question it.” And that’s the way it came about.
I did go straight to Austin. We dyed my hair red on the first day because Daryl had already been cast. We thought I would be the redhead to match his hair. Antonio was not going to be a redhead.
Why do you think the film has such a lasting impact?
I’ve met many people in that movie that have been lifelong friends. Antonio, obviously, Daryl and Alexa (PenaVega), but also Alan Cumming and Ermahn Ospina, who is the head of makeup and hair design. Ermahn has been my makeup artist, on and off, for this film and many years afterwards. We had such an extraordinary experience.
I think it has had such a lasting impact because it was the first movie, the first family movie, that the kids were the heroes, and the parents were also cool. There was a sort of trope before with dorky parents or the uptight parents, and the kids were sort of at the mercy of the parents.
These cool parents also have a passionate relationship with each other and for their family. Then the kids come into their own power. It was truly the environment and the dream that Robert (Rodriguez) and Elizabeth (Avellán) had when they created the story.
It felt like we were making a tiny independent movie in the wilds of Austin, Texas. I think it’s the mature, driven, personal stories that when they’re done well, can become the most universal.
Tell us a little bit about this shoot. How long were you there and how did that work out?
Well, I did the first three Spy Kids (movies). So, it was a beautiful kind of continuous process, not all at the same time, but the first film was probably for 5 or 6 weeks.
Antonio and I had such a beautiful time together, and the kids were fantastic. It really was a very creative, very peaceful, and very focused environment. Robert played guitar on set which also created a beautiful environment.
We shot on the soundstages at Troublemaker Studios, which has now become more of an official studio for Robert Rodriguez. It was like 105 degrees in Austin while we were shooting, and Antonio and I are in costume black leather tights. So, they brought in those big snake-like silver air conditioners, and we would get inside the vents and lie down between takes. It was the only thing that saved us.
Weather aside, it sounds like a great acting experience.
I think one of my favorite things about acting is serving someone’s vision. I really, really love being an interpreter, and I would like to think that I’m able to take what’s on the page and elevate it further. I really love that aspect of it, and it’s one of the reasons that I haven’t written or directed. I’ve been asked to before, and maybe someday there will be a story that I feel like only I can tell.
It’s just such a beautiful thing when a filmmaker has such a strong vision and creates an environment. I think one of the most important qualities of a great director is that they can create an environment in which creativity can happen.
That sounds easy, but it really isn’t, because there are times that you walk onto a set and know that you’re going to have to work really hard to create a creative space because it’s not there. Or you walk onto a set and you’re working with someone who knows what we’re doing, who’s looking at the big picture and allows for all of these beautiful discoveries. Robert is definitely one of those people. And it was definitely one of those experiences.
There was so much love on that movie, it was so genuine and with very, very talented people. I think that is one of the things that translates about that film and Robert as a director.
Tell us about a scene that you really love. Your favorite scene in the movie.
I think I have a soft spot for that entire wedding sequence. I love that it’s a well-done montage. A little movie within a movie. For me, that was super fun. It was also interesting because technology and the green screen felt quite new at that time.
A fun little fact in our wedding scene, Richard Linklater and Mike Judge were two of our groomsmen, which was super, super cool.
Was there the plan or hope that this would turn into a franchise?
I’m sure Robert, because of the way that his mind works, knew he had more story to tell. I have no doubt that “Island of Lost Dreams” was percolating in there. Whether he mentioned it or alluded to a sequel, I don’t remember. I think there was much less focus on a franchise and more focus on how the movie was going to be received.
You mentioned “Spy Kids” was one of the first movies where the parents were cool. They weren’t just there to eat up space and tell bad dad jokes, and as a result, the film really hasn’t aged.
It still feels like something you go to the movies and see.
It’s generational. I know young adults who grew up watching it when it first came out, and now their little kids come up to me and say, “I want my mom to be exactly like you” or “Why is my mom not like you?” I tell them, “You’ve got a great mom and I’m playing a role.”
It makes me think when I was a kid. I love my mother, so this has nothing to do with her, but I think it’s funny that kids get into watching different things, and all of a sudden those characters are dream parents. Mine was always Goldie Hawn. So, when it happens to me, I take it as a great compliment.
You mentioned that doing the Christmas film got you into “Spy Kids.” Did any other interesting roles provide a step for you?
I had done “Spin City,” which was successful on television. I had done a Brian De Palma movie with Nicolas Cage called “Snake Eyes,” and the movie “Judas Kiss,” with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, but “Spy Kids” hit in a very specific way that made my career.
If the role is great, I’m interested in doing it, and especially if I want to collaborate with the people involved, like “Night at the Museum” and “The Haunting of Hill House.”
The National Film Registry has now inducted “Spy Kids” and deemed it worthy of preservation. Is this another Carla Gugino moment?
Yes, it is and I’m very, very appreciative. When I set out at a very young age, for better or worse, I wanted to be a transformational actor. I still don’t want to be recognized for just for one thing. I want to be able to disappear into characters and have people believe me in that role.
I’ve felt that I’ve done that. I went from playing the mother in “Spy Kids” to playing the lesbian parole officer in “Lucille.” That couldn’t be more polar opposite. I’ve done that throughout my career. I’ve done family movies, horror movies, and plays on Broadway, but what’s nice about the age that I’m at now is that I’m recognized for my body of work, thankfully, and I hope to continue to build on that.
The views expressed in this interview belong to Carla Gugino and may not necessarily reflect those of the Library of Congress.
This interview was conducted in November 2024 for the Library of Congress and prepared by Stacie Seifrit-Griffin. “Spy Kids” (2001) was added to the National Film Registry in 2024. To learn more about the National Film Registry, visit www.loc.gov/film.
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