Sleeping Over with Alexa Vega

We've all done it, BFF's hanging out for the night at a pal's house hoping for a sneak out or a visit from some hot guys. Or, if you're a guy, you've probably crashed a sleepover or planned to meet the girls at some point in the evening. For Spy Kids cutie Alexa Vega, (15 going on 16), her movie Sleepover involves a scavenger hunt with a prize that should allow her and her BFF's to rule their school!

Alexa is happy to move out of her young teens and loves the theme of gurl power and self-confidence that her film represents. The young actress is looking  pretty hot these days, her long brown curly locks fall over a perfectly made-up face that seems to have always been smiling through her television actress days ("Evening Shade", "E.R.", "Chicago Hope") and her "everybody's daughter" phase (Ghosts of Mississippi, Deep End of the Ocean) to arrive at the teen action queen part of her career as Carmen, the feisty daughter of spies in the Spy Kids films (Vega did most of her own stunts).

The teen actress would like to continue acting but add in dancing, singing, writing and directing. Check out the opinions of this teen dynamo whose own first sleepover was a disaster.

TeenHollywood: When was your first sleepover, how old were you and what exciting things happened to you?

Alexa: I was turning 11 and it was the worst sleepover ever. It was with bunch of girls and I'll never have a sleepover again with a bunch of girls.  They were so girly. I was out of the loop I guess because I set up tents in the backyard. I made it like a camp-out. We ended up getting accidentally locked out of the house and some of the girls had to go pee so they had to go in the bushes. It was so bad. They were girly girls who would never do this and I'm like 'Okay, if you have to, you have to'.

TeenHollywood: Ever had a sleepover since then?

Alexa: Oh yeah, but it's with my guy friends and it's supervised. I've known these guys since I was 4.

TeenHollywood: When we talked with you on set earlier in the year you told us that you the girl cast had their own sleepover.

Alexa: Yeah. It's a sleepover for the girls of Sleepover. I had that  so the girls and I could bond a little bit more, so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable on set. The first couple of weeks of shooting are really a little intimidating, especially when you don't know anybody, so that's why I was like, 'Let's do a sleepover from the start, and that way we can all bond.' And the next day we went to Universal Studios and we rode rides and it was a lot of fun.

TeenHollywood: We see the popular girls in the movie and the not-so-popular set. Which do you identify with?

Alexa: In real life, I wasn't a loser in school, but I wasn't popular either; I was right in between and I think that's where I wanted to be anyway.  But I think in the film lots of girls can relate to how these girls act. It's really sad. Instead of the eighth grade, which Julie (her character) went through, it all happened for me in the ninth grade, my freshman year. It was brutal. The girls really are mean in high school, because they make fun of you and there are always those cliques, and the preppy girls who are just not fun and not nice. But you just kind of deal with it. That's what's going on in Jr. high and high school.

TeenHollywood: Your character in the end finally realizes she can start believing in herself and that's what all girls need to know.

Alexa: Exactly and I love that that's the moral of the film. I love films that have good messages in the end and I always want to teach kids something.

TeenHollywood: In real life, when did you start believing in yourself?

Alexa: I've always been pretty confident in everything. I think when I went to Freshman year in high school, I was kind of intimidated and I didn't know how to act. As soon as I left and decided to do home schooling, that's when I was sure of myself. I was like `You know what, most of those kids were immature' and I realized being myself was better. I'm in 11th grade and I'm still home schooled.

TeenHollywood: How do you think your childhood has differed from others?

Alexa: I grew up in a very adult environment so I learned adult things a lot faster.  I was a 6 year-old who was more mature than some 15 year-olds. Luckily I did pick up on that. You end up being as good as the people around you so if you grow up around adults, you pick up on their habits whereas if you grow up around kids, it depends upon the kids you're hanging out with, so my mom wants good people influencing me.

TeenHollywood: What are your worst and fave subjects in school?

Alexa: My favorite subject is math and my worst subject is – I'm going to ask my teacher (she yells over to Mr. Pat who is in the room) 'What do you think my worst subject is?' (laughs). He says boys.

TeenHollywood: What are the drawbacks of being a child star?

Alexa:  I think that some people take the press too seriously when they don't need to. I think it's hard. They hear all these people saying you're too fat or you're too skinny and they feel they have to change. I think you need to be very happy with yourself and luckily I have a very good family who tells me that.

TeenHollywood: Do you have friends outside show business?

Alexa: Almost all my friends are not actors. They don't care what I do, they really don't. I'm just Alexa to them. I want normal, regular friends. Some other actors take it all too seriously.

TeenHollywood: You were featured in "Vanity Fair" as one of today's hottest teen celebs. Some actors would get big egos. What keeps that in check for you?

Alexa:  My sisters and my mom. I have the greatest family anybody could ever have and I'm so thankful for that. I have 4 sisters who if I ever get out of line, would kick by butt. There's 22 year old Margaux, 14 year-old Krizia and 10 year-old sister Makenzie who just finished shooting 3 films and a younger sister Greylin who's 3. And my mom is Gina.

TeenHollywood: There are a lot of Hispanic entertainers hitting it big lately. Do you think that your roots have an influence on your career?

Alexa: I think so. I'm half Columbian; my dad was Columbian and my mom is from Florida. I want to be able to reach out to everybody. There are so many Latinas in California alone – I think it's 51% Hispanic. Doing Spy Kids, I played a Hispanic girl and it gives me more range. I can do things in Spanish and things in English.

TeenHollywood: Do you have any Hispanic role models?

Alexa: Well, I love Shakira – she performs so great. And even though this one lady is a diva, I think she's really done well – J. Lo. She's a great performer – she acts, sings, produces, dances...she's really come a long way. I just wouldn't have the attitude.

TeenHollywood: You speak fluent Spanish?

Alexa: Yes ma'am.  When I was younger, I learned Spanish and English at the same time. They were both basically my first language. Now I need to brush up on my Spanish again. It's a big advantage because I'm able to do interviews in Spanish and because there's so many people who speak Spanish here in California you kind of need to know just for walking around Los Angeles.

TeenHollywood: In Sleepover, you do a ton of physical things. Did you get hurt on the film?

Alexa: Oh no. When I was skateboarding, I got cuts and scrapes on my feet because I was skateboarding barefoot but that's OK. I was tough. They kind of taught me on Spy Kids to be tough. I learned the ropes doing that movie.

TeenHollywood: What do you do to kick back?

Alexa: I go surfing. I love surfing. When I'm not working or in school, I love surfing. I go paintballing. I love camping, fishing...I'm more an outdoors type of girl. I do consider myself a tomboy.

TeenHollywood: Okay, spill it. What was your most embarrassing moment?

Alexa: (pausing) There's one that was so embarrassing that I don't want anyone to know about it. I'll tell you a different story (ah poo we say).  I was in a London airport, traveling with my teacher, my mom and sisters. We went on one of the moving walkways that went up and then down a steep decline and then a flat surface for quite a ways. I was wearing these shoes with wheels on them. I start flying down this moving walkway then swerved because my backpack that was slung on one arm, it flipped and pulled me down. You just see me tumbling down. I wanted to cry so bad; I did get teary-eyed but I didn't cry. When I got up, I had a giant gash on my hip and on my hand. And your hands are really thick so it's hard to cut them. It hurt so bad.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.