Spy Kid's Carla Gugino says she was "10 years too young" to play the mum

20 July 2021, 14:53

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By Sam Prance

"I think it hurt me a little because people did think I was older than I was for a period of time."

Carla Gugino has revealed that she believes she was "at least 10 years too young" to play the mum in the Spy Kids movies. She's also explained how it's "physically totally impossible" that she was playing the mother of two children aged 9 and 11.

Anyone who grew up in the '00s knows that cinema peaked with the Spy Kids franchise. The films tell the story of a family of spies and they're as entertaining now as they were when they first came out 20 years ago. Not to mention, they were cast perfectly. No one could play the Cortez family better than Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino.

However, what you may not realise is how young Carla Gugino was when she played Ingrid Cortez in the original film.

How old was Carla Gugino in Spy Kids?

Carla Gugino says she was "10 years too young" to play the mum in Spy Kids. Picture: MIRAMAX / TORRES, RICO, MIRAMAX / TORRES, RICO

Speaking to Variety in 2021 about the role in honour of the 20th anniversary, Carla explained: "What’s particularly strange about the Spy Kids of it all is I was so young when I did it. I was at least ten years too young for the role because I was supposed to have been a spy for ten years, then had two children who were now 10 and 12. I was 28 years old."

In comparison, Antonio Banderas was 40 years old when he played the father, Gregorio Cortez, in the first movie, so there was a 12 year age gap between them. If their characters were these ages in the actual film, Gregorio would have been 28 and Ingrid would have been 16 when they had their first child, Carmen.

Carla continued: "But Robert [Rodriguez, the director' kind of said, ‘My mom had ten kids and if we play this right, no one will ever question it.’ I think it only hurt me a little because people did think I was older than I was for a period of time."

Carla went on to say: "But I would never have given up that experience. It was such an extraordinary time. It was just this little tiny movie we made alone in Austin and it became a phenomenon that continues."

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In a recent 2024 interview with BuzzFeed, Carla spoke further about her belief she was too young to play Ingrid.

"It is so funny because I was 27. It was a really beautiful kind of double-edged sword because I love that movie so much. And the whole experience was incredible, and the movies continue," she said.

"I love Ingrid Cortez. But it was funny because I was 10 years, at least, too young for the role because I was a spy for 10 years and then somehow had children who were like 9 and 11," she added with a laugh. "So it was physically totally impossible."

Explaining how director Robert Rodriguez planned to get around the age issue, Carla went on: "We were talking about it, and I had auditioned for him and he said, 'I think if we do our job right, no one will ever question it.'"

"And it’s so funny like you said, nobody did. Antonio Banderas and I had worked together on a movie called Miami Rhapsody that David Frankel directed, so we also had a little bit of a history, which was really nice to come into it that way."

Spy Kids' Carla Gugino says she was at least 10 years too young to play Ingrid. Picture: Alamy

As to whether there will ever be a fifth Spy Kids movie, Carla told Variety: "You know, I think Robert has moved on. I actually just saw him recently and we always want to collaborate. I think he did four of them and that was sort of right."