You may remember Alexa PenaVega from her early roles in Robert Rodriguez‘s “Spy Kids” films.  She’s come a long way since then. With recent roles in “Machete 2” and the latest “Sin City 2,” plus “Spare Parts” and “23 Blast” down the pipeline, the beautiful and talented actress is becoming a force to be reckoned with. “The Remaining,” her latest project arrives in theaters September 5th.

The action packed thriller is directed by Casey La Scala, the groundbreaking executive producer of “Donnie Darko.”  “The Remaining” tells the story of a group of friends who come together to celebrate a friend’s marriage. The wedding party is sieged by a series of catastrophic events, which turns the celebration into a life-and-death struggle.

In an exclusive interview, Alexa gives HOMBRE readers the behind the scenes story on the making of the film, and discusses her past and future projects.

HOMBRE: What can you tell us about your role in “The Remaining”?
Alexa PenaVega: I play a girl named Skylar in the film, it’s a thriller and really scary. It opens up at my wedding. My character is super happy and has all her friends with her. And at the reception all these characters basically drop dead and she’s trying to figure out why. It’s so interesting because as it goes on she realizes that this is about the Rapture and she is trying to convince everyone of what’s going on but nobody believes her. I just look like this crazy girl. It’s a fun thriller and it’s universal. it works everywhere, in whatever language.

H: How was it filming in North Carolina?
APV: We filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, and I loved it. Everybody was so awesome and it was the perfect setting for what we were going for. And we really made the streets look like they were destroyed. It was perfect because we got to know each other as a cast because we spent so much time together.

H: How long was the shooting schedule?
APV: We only shot for a month and a half, so it was really quick.

H: What can people expect from the film?
APV: I think they can expect to be really scared because it’s going to shake you at your core. But at the same time you really go away learning a lot. You come away asking yourself all kinds of questions; like what would happen to you, how would you react if this was happening. It just gets you thinking a lot. I really like that and that’s what really drew me to the film.

H: Was that the main factor that made you say, ‘Yes, I want to do this’?
APV: Definitely, I grew up in a pretty religious home and when I read the script it was so powerful, so moving. I felt that this is a great movie and this is a way for people to learn a lot. It makes you question who you are, it’s really unique and interesting.

H: What were some of the scary films that growing up had an impact on you?
APV: “Silence of the Lambs.” For me that was the ultimate thriller. It sticks in your head and the guy is so creepy, that was number one.

H: What makes you choose a script?
APV: I like the growth of a character. I feel that it’s important to see where a character starts and where it ends up. For me when I’m reading things I want to be sure that it’s something that is good, as opposed to doing a role that I’ve done fifty times. I like doing different things and changing it up.

H: Reading your film biography it’s hard to believe that you’ve been at this almost 20 years now. How does it feel like to be a veteran in your twenties?
APV: I love it. It cracks me up. Sometimes I get silly people saying, ‘You lost your childhood,’ and it always makes me laugh. Growing up I got to do the coolest things that little kids were never able to do. If you think that’s losing my childhood you need a brain check. That’s the coolest thing ever.

H: Especially the Spy Kids movies!
APV: Oh My God, it was the coolest experience. What kid wouldn’t want to do that.

H: And you’ve worked with Robert Rodriguez numerous times, how is it to work with him?
APV: Awesome. You know, he uses the same crew over and over and I’ve know them for years. With Robert is like working with my family every day.

H: That takes us into another film you have opening up, “Sin City 2;” what can you tell us about that film and your character there?
APV: We shot that film right around the same time we filmed “Machete 2” so I haven’t seen it yet. I know nothing about it. I play a character named Gilda, she is just a jaded girl who works at a bar in Sin City. It’s pretty awesome.

H: How is it working on that type of film, with so many special effect elements to it?
APV: You know that’s like making “Spy Kids 3,” because we have a green screen all the time.

H: Going back to “The Remaining,” why should audiences see the film?
APV: I like it because it’s a universal film. Whether you like scary movies, whether you like thrillers, it kind of hits home for everybody and it tells a great story. It hits your core and you walk away asking yourself really important life questions.

H: What are the next projects you have coming up?
APV: There’s a film I shot with my husband (actor/ musician Carlos PenaVega), George Lopez, Jaime Lee Curtis and Marissa Tomei called “Spare Parts” and that’s coming out next year. And then another film called “23 Blast,” I’m very excited for that.

H: How was it working with your husband?
APV: I love it. He’s so talented. We have such a great time on set that if I could I’d work with my husband on everything! But I think people would get sick of us.

H: With such a successful career, what advice can you offer someone who wants to get into the industry?
APV: I would say patience is the most important thing. If this is something you really want to do, you have to have patience. And never stop learning. While you’re waiting to get a job, keep learning.

H: Growing up, who did you admire?
APV: Meryl Streep she’s such a legend. And you like her so much because she dives into her role, she just doesn’t go halfway. She’s definitely phenomenal. So it would be her and Gary Oldman.

H: You’ve done so many things, what is a role that you’d like to play?
AV: Two things: one is an action hero, that’d be so cool. And two, I want to do a role that I can really dive into, that’s the opposite of me. Maybe a character that’s conniving, and creepy and just falling apart. I just like those characters that have so much depth to them and they’ve been through so much and their journey.

H: Do you have any interest in doing something behind the camera?
AV: O yeah, Carlos (PenaVega) and I we talk about projects all the time and we have a couple of things in development. I wrote a comic book called “Suicide Lane,” and we’re in the middle of developing that into a show. I love to do all sorts of things. I love writing.