Spy Kids star Carla Gugino looks back on one major problem she had with her role in the film franchise. She played the kids' mother, Ingrid Cortez, alongside Antonio Banderas as their father.

Gugino told People that she felt too young to be the mother of two preteen children when filming Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids movie, which was released back in 2001. "," she said.

She was given some wise advice by Antonio Banderas, with the seasoned action star telling her not to worry about her concerns too much. "" Banderas' words of wisdom worked, and the Spy Kids franchise went on to gross over $550 million worldwide.

Reflecting on the legacy of Spy Kids, Gugino said that it is "one of those timeless movies, which I really appreciate; it's taken on its own life." She was part of the first three films, which focused on Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) as they learn the truth about their parents' lives as spies and go on a mission to rescue them from danger.

In 2011, the series got an overhaul, with a fourth movie starring Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Jessica Alba and Joel McHale as the central family, with Carmen and Juni Cortez now being former Spy Kids. More recently, a re-imagining of the franchise, Spy Kids: Armageddon, debuted on Netflix in 2023.

Two decades after the Spy Kids franchise began, Gugino shared that she's still in contact with her co-stars from the movies. "Antonio [Banderas], Alan Cumming, who is a dear, dear friend, Tony Shaloub," Gugino said, naming who she keeps in touch with. "It's such an amazing group of actors. I also was just in Austin, Texas for some film awards, and I saw Robert Rodriguez, and he's just a total gem."

After her role in Spy Kids, Gugino gained further recognition in Hollywood for her starring roles in Rodriguez's crime anthology film Sin City and Night at the Museum opposite Ben Stiller. More recently, she starred in the rom-com horror film Lisa Frankenstein as Janet, Lisa's stepmother. Her latest film, The Friend, with Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, hit theaters on March 28.

Gugino's Spy Kids films are now streaming on Max.

Source: People