One of the most popular kids movies of the early 2000s was Spy Kids…and Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost…and Spy Kids 3: Game Over. I think I made my point. It was this film series that launched the career of Alexa PenaVega (then known as Alexa Vega). She played the tough super-spy Carmen Cortez and this role made her a household name seemingly overnight. Since that time, she has been in several hit movies and was even a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Her latest work, though, has been the most impressive to the Christian community. It consists of a slew of Christian and family-friendly films. These include Do You Believe?, Ms. Matched on the Hallmark Channel, and one of the few Christian horror-thriller movies The Remaining based on the book of Revelation. In an interview with Sonoma Christian Home she stated, “I want to represent God in everything I do.”

Looking at her long IMDB profile, you can see a clear transition in the roles she has taken. Early in her career, there were a lot of family-friendly kid’s movies like Spy Kids and Sleepover. Then her roles became a bit darker in movies like Repo: The Genetic Opera, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Machete Kills. But, in recent years, her films have focused on Christian and Family-Friendly values. Her latest movie being the Hallmark Original Film Destination Wedding. But why the change? It’s because Alexa herself changed. Like many (if not all) of us, her faith life was a journey.

Alexa PenaVega was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in a Christian home. Although she learned Christian values, her family never really went to church.  At the age of sixteen she started to drive herself to church and Bible Study, but it wasn’t something she was fully committed to. She didn’t truly understand it on a deep level. In an interview with Ruth from the blog My Devotional Thoughts, she said, “And it wasn’t until about four years ago that I started diving in, and that’s when I met my husband. And we were both kind of on that journey together. And once you do that, your life completely changes. And I think

the one thing you can tell obviously from a career standpoint are the types of roles I’m willing to take now as opposed to what I was taking then.” She went on to say in her Sonoma Christian Home Interview, “I know Sin City only came out last year, but we shot that three years ago. I would never do a film like that now days. It’s not about trying to make anybody feel bad, but I’m not in that place. I have grown so much in my faith that I don’t want to be represented in that way.”

Her faith has not only grown, it has flourished. After meeting her husband, Big Time Rush star Carlos PenaVega, at Bible Study, the two have transformed their lives. They pray together, host Bible Studies in their home, and are both vocal about in whom they place their faith.

Just last year, Alexa and Carlos welcomed their first child, Ocean King PenaVega. Both parents are still working in Hollywood and actively vlog about their lives.

On a personal note: I grew up with Alexa PenaVega and truly looked up to her as a kid. Her character on Spy Kids was tough and smart and that was the type of person I wanted to be. So I’m very happy to see that even though many years have gone by (let’s not count…I’m not that old) she is still someone I can look up to and respect. She is now a great representative of a Christian in Hollywood, and that’s the type of person I now hope to be.