Exclusive: Alexa Vega Talks Machete Kills and More!
Steve Barton
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Rarely has a woman looked so unbelievably hot in a movie than Alexa Vega does in Machete Kills. The outfits she wears throughout the film are practically non-existent, and something comparable to them isn’t found easily…
But if you’re a fan of Robert Rodriguez, you probably won’t have to look much further than the girls of Sin City. Vega initially wanted to don fishnets and a revolver in that film, but instead she appears as the fiery hooker KillJoy in Machete Kills. Don’t worry, though; you might just be seeing her in A Dame To Kill For if she gets her way – and she probably will.
DC: I know this has been kind of taxing with all the press, but at least you’re at the end of the roller coaster since the movie’s about to come out.
AV: It’s so awesome though; I’m really excited. It kind of doesn’t get old talking about this movie. It’s so different than anything I’ve done before. So the excitement is still there.
DC: You were in Austin, right? I was just there for Fantastic Fest but didn’t get a chance to talk to you. You must have had a blast at the premiere. That audience is great to see the film with.
AV: Heck yeah, and I’ve always loved Dread Central; you guys have been really good to me.
DC: We’re fond of you as well. You know, at Fantastic Fest they showed a secret screening of The Green Inferno, Eli Roth’s new one. Daryl Sabara [Spy Kids] practically shows his penis almost getting bit by a tarantula, and you’re wearing next to nothing in Machete Kills. Is this a way for both of you to say you aren’t kids anymore?
AV: Like brother, like sister! We’ve been trying to kind of make that transition for a while now, and it’s funny that it’s kind of happening at the same time.
DC: Had you been looking to do something more risque for a while?
AV: More like slowly trying to change people’s image of me, and it just so happened that this character came up – and I had to work hard for it. It wasn’t something that Robert [Rodriguez] really wanted me to play. When you see me grow up in front of your eyes, it’s kind of tough to change that Spy Kid image. But I was very fortunate to have people that were supportive even if it took awhile to convince them. It’s tough; you don’t want to alienate your audience or offend anyone.
DC: Even though you don’t have a starring role in the movie, I have a feeling that a lot of guys are going to remember you in that outfit. Did you feel comfortable on set? Are you ready for that kind of attention? Is this about as edgy as you wanna go, you think?
AV: I’ve always kept it really neutral… even in this movie I did called Repo! The Genetic Opera, it’s such a dark world but my character was still the lightest character in this dark world. So I’ve always kind of played the lighter characters. You know, so something like this is certainly different. It’s not the only thing I want to do. I definitely want to keep my career colorful; I want to keep people guessing. I don’t want to only play that, like, crazy, chap-wearing, gun-carrying girl; but it’s still fun changing it up. But it certainly was different taking on the role of KillJoy and I had to have a confidence that I’ve never really had before and I had to be very comfortable and just own it. It was a little scary at first, but I knew that if I showed any kind of hesitation that Robert would have sent me packing. He would have sent me home and said, ‘You’re not ready to do this.’ So, more than anything it was me proving myself.
DC: You mentioned Repo!. How often are you still approached about the Genetic Opera? That film definitely still has it’s fans. Would you do another musical?
AV: It really depends on the musical, but as far as Repo! goes, I would come back for a Repo! sequel in a heartbeat. We’ve all wanted Repo! to happen again. It was such a fun group of people and everyone worked so hard. It was such a different film for me and the fans have never been more invested in anything I’ve done. Repo! just has the most incredible and loyal fans around. It’s like Rocky Horror Picture Show; it’s been pretty amazing.
DC: Maybe we’ll see you in Sin City 2. I know originally you were kind of gunning to appear in the first one and you ended up getting in Machete Kills, but maybe we’ll see you in A Dame To Kill For.
AV: You know what? I hope so. Fingers crossed all around.
DC: What’s funny is that Danny [Trejo] was your uncle in Spy Kids and now you’re trying to kill him in Machete Kills. That has to be a lot more fun, I imagine, even though you guys must still feel like family.
AV: It’s so funny. I mean, it’s not like one is more fun than the other. We’ve all grown up together, so as long as we get to work all together like a family, we’re happy. But it is kind of funny because he is Uncle Machete in Spy Kids and just Machete in this movie, which is interesting. It makes you wonder if KillJoy is actually Carmen Cortez undercover.
DC: Right, I like that. Can you compare the experience of working at Troublemaker Studios with Robert to studio films and other directors? I think you were only eleven on Spy Kids. Did you think that all directors were like this and that this is how every movie was made?
AV: No, I was very fortunate. I started when I was four. I’ve worked with a bunch of different directors but I remember walking into the audition for Spy Kids and Mary Vernieu, our casting director, said, ‘This is Robert, the director.’ And I said, ‘You’re not the director! You’re too young and cool.’ He was wearing a bandana and a really cool watch and he started laughing. We had a whole conversation about how he wasn’t what I knew directors as, and still to this day, he will never be like any other director. He’s not necessarily the rule follower. He likes to start his own trends. His movies are so stylized in that Rodriguez way. Very different.
DC: With the El Rey television network that Robert now is a part of, have you guys talked at all about you doing something for El Rey? Would you be into a television series like that that Robert is involved with?
AV: We have a few little tricks up our sleeve.
DC: Cool. Is that all you can say?
AV: It’s all she can say; I’m sorry!
DC: With you and Sofia [Vergara] and Vanessa Hudgens and the whole group of Desdemona’s women, there’s kind of a throwback to films like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. But Russ Meyer… I think those films felt a little more exploitative and the women in Robert’s movie seem to be a little more empowered.
AV: Absolutely. All of Robert’s women, down to the characters that are supposed to be the weakest ones, are still so confident and fighters. I think that’s a testament to how Robert grew up. He grew up with a bunch of sisters, and I think they would kill him if he ever showed a weak woman in one of his films.
DC: That sounds like my Mom. Being around Robert and knowing Troublemaker Studios so well, do you eventually want to direct yourself? Is that something you’ve thought about?
AV: Absolutely. Robert has been my biggest supporter and has truly pushed me along to do things that I never even thought I was capable of. He keeps telling me that I have to direct. He said I have to, so I guess that means I have to.
DC: I’m assuming we’ll be seeing more of you, well, given your outfit in this I’m not sure that’s possible, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing you in Machete Kills In Space?
AV: I sure hope so. I would love to get back together with this group. They’re crazy and I love it. It’s a wild wide and we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Machete Kills is directed by Robert Rodriguez (Machete, Sin City, Spy Kids franchise) from a screenplay by Kyle Ward based on a story by Marcel Rodriguez and Robert Rodriguez. The film stars Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Carlos Estevez/Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding, Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror, and Mel Gibson.
Synopsis:
In Machete Kills, Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent Machete, who is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet.
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