20 Crazy Facts About “Spy Kids” You Didn’t Notice In The Movie
In 2001, Latino kids across the globe were met with a rare treasure never to be seen. A Latino spy family featuring two kids with top secret espionage badges on the big screen. The heroic movie “Spy Kids” launched a mega movie franchise as well as the imaginations of Latino kids.
Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, “Spy Kids” was an epic espionage movie packed full of wonderment, surprise, gadgets oh yeah and Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino and new faces Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara.
Check out these 20 hings you never knew about your favorite movie from 2001!
1. Robert Rodriguez, the director, used ideas from his childhood for his characters.
Rodriguez had drawn a picture of men with thumbs for heads, arms, and legs as a child. The thumb people made an appearance as the clumsy robots known as the Thums Thumbs.
2. Rodriguez’s family made appearances in special ways.
As an homage to his family members, Rodriguez named the characters of Gregorio, Carmen, and Juni after them.
3. George Clooney wore pajama pants during his appearance
Robert Rodriguez was the director behind the movie and had worked with Clooney before. He showed up as a one-man crew and shot the Clooney scene himself. The scene was shot from the waist up since Clooney was still wearing his pijama.
4. Selena Gomez made her debut in the franchise.
The “Wolves” singer made her film debut as “Waterpark Girl” In the 3rd movie.
5. Gregorio Cortez was named after a thief.
In real life, Gregorio Cortez is the name of a famous Texan thief from the early 90s.
6. IRL, Carla Gugino was too young to be an adult mom to her kids in the movie.
In reality, Gugino is only 17 years older than Alexa PenaVega, who plays her oldest child Carmen.
7. Carla almost didn’t accept the role because of her age.
At 29 years old during the time of filming, Carla felt she was too young to have kids that were 10 and 12 years old. But Rodriguez convinced her by sharing that his own mother had had him and all of his siblings by the time she was thirty.
8. Production was super speedy.
The movie was shot over a period of 10 weeks.
9. It held box office for almost as long.
The movie stayed at number 1 for three straight whole weeks in the United States bod office charts.
10. Carla Gugino wasn’t even supposed to be here.
Kelly Preston had been offered the role of Ingrid Cortez, but when she gave birth, Carla was offered the role.
11. Which means the movie didn’t dodge blackface.
Kelly Preston is white and Carla Gugino is Italian AKA not Latina.
12. Angie Harmon almost got the role of Ingrid.
Harmon is also not Latina. She’s Greek and German/Irish. Makes you think someone was determined to cast a white mother eh? Like where was Salma Hayek?? OR, a Brown casting director?
13. The kids helped pick Gugino as Ingrid.
Rodriguez wanted to make sure the mother looked like the kids and Gugino’s dye job.
14. That’s not San Diablo.
In the notorious arriel shot that’s not San Diablo it’s a view of Santiago de Chile!
15. Rodriguez edited the movie in a “garage.”
Rodriguez’s garage is really an elaborate editing studio in his home.
16. Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega own this film
They’re the only actors to appear in all four films of the franchise.
17. Carmen has such a Latina tame.
According to the credits and a scene where she uses it as a password Carmen Elizabeth Juanita Costa-Brava Cortez.
18. The location has a fun oxymoron.
San Diablo is a Spanish oxymoron meaning Holy Devil or Sainted Devil.
19. The initials of the Organization of Super Spies is copy pasted.
The Organization of Super Spies or O.S.S. has the exact same initials as the Office of Strategic Services,. That’s the version of the WWII-era C.I.A.
20. Rodriguez has a trademark and a thing for knives.
Rodriguez’s film’s featuring Danny Trejo usually have his characters named after a knife. In Spy Kids he plays Isador “Machete” Cortez.
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