Interview: Alexa Vega Talks the Hunters

Doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals and make yourself happy is a struggle many people contend with during their lives. Children are particularly resilient in doing whatever it takes to get what they desire, which is motivationally emphasized in the new family adventure film, ‘The Hunters,’ which was directed by Nisha Ganatra. Alexa Vega, who’s one of the lead actresses in the film, is just as strong in going after what she wants as the characters in the movie.

‘The Hunters’ follows the Flynn brothers-Paxton (Robbie Amell) and Tripp (Keenan Tracey)-as they plunge into a journey to find their parents Carter (Dan Payne) and Jordyn Flynn (Michelle Forbes). Unbeknownst to the brothers, their parents are hunters who protect fairy tale artifacts that are located in highly protected spots around the world.

With the help of the Flynns’ assistant, Dylan (Vega), the brothers soon realize their parents’ true profession. Paxton and Tripp realize their parents’ attempt to protect the magic mirror from ‘Snow White,’ which holds the ability to grant any wish. The group also discovers that their family friend Mason (Victor Garber) has plans of his own to attain the mirror. So the brothers and Dylan must find Carter and Jordyn before the mirror falls into the wrong hands.

Based on Joshua Williamson’s comic book ‘Mirror, Mirror,’ ‘The Hunters’ premiered as a part of Walden Family Theater. The new series of family movies, which air on Friday nights on the Hallmark Channel, fill the void on TV for family entertainment. Walden Family Theater is presented in collaboration with Walmart, Procter & Gamble, award-winning family entertainment producer Walden Media and fast-growing independent studio ARC Entertainment. ‘The Hunters’ is also now available on DVD.

Vega generously took the time recently to talk about shooting ‘The Hunters’ over the phone. Among other things, the actress discussed how being a fan of comic books herself, and the fact that Dylan is such a strong, smart character, convinced her to take on the role; how she formed close working and personal bonds with Amell and Tracey on the set, and even helped cast the ‘Tomorrow People’ actor in the role of Paxton; and how she feels Ganatra is the most kind-hearted, hard-working person she’s ever met, and hopes to work with her again on another film.

Question (Q): You play Dylan Savini in the new adventure film, ‘The Hunters.’ What was it about the character, and the script overall, that convinced you to take on the role?

Alexa Vega (AV): Well, I’m a huge fan of comic books, and the film was based on a comic called ‘Mirror Mirror.’ I had actually read the comic a few years ago. So I was really excited when I heard they were making a film.

Dylan is such a spunky character; she’s very strong and smart. She doesn’t really have a family, and unfortunately is somewhat of an orphan. But she’s taken in by this family of other hunters just like her. That’s when the adventure starts to ensue.

Their job is collect artifacts that we think are just fairytales. But they’re true, just like the mirror in ‘Snow White.’ If the wrong people get a hold of it, it can be the end of the world. So we have to protect each artifact.

Q: Like you mentioned, the film is an adaptation of Joshua Williamson’s comic book, ‘Mirror Mirror,’ and is a modern-day fairytale adventure that’s based on the magical mirror from ‘Snow White.’ How closely did you reference the comic while you were preparing for your role and shooting the film?

AV: Well, what was funny is that Dylan actually has really dark hair, and Paxton has blonde hair, in the comic book. So we kind of switched hairdos (laughs) But for the most part, we stuck to the roles. It’s such a fun read, and I’m so excited to see it come to life.

Q: Live-action adaptations of popular fairy tales have become popular in recent years, with such films as ‘Mirror Mirror,’ ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ and television shows ‘Once Upon a Time’ and ‘Grimm.’ Why do you think audiences are so interested in these adaptations, and are you personally a fan of them?

AV: Well, it’s what you grew up with. You grew up reading these stories, and watching the cartoon versions. It’s fun seeing them come to life as someone a little bit older. They’re stories we heard and are so familiar with and fond of, so it’s exciting to see them portrayed in a very realistic form.

I remember when I first watched ‘Ever After’ with Drew Barrymore, which is basically a ‘Cinderella’ story, I fell in love with the movie. It’s beautiful, and makes Cinderella that more loveable. It almost makes it real, like these fairytales could actually happen, when they come to life in a movie like that.

Q: Robbie Amell and Keenan Tracey play two of the other main stars in ‘The Hunters’-Paxton and Tripp What were your working relationships with Robbie and Keenan like on the set? How did you build your relationships with them both?

AV: Oh, my goodness-we actually started calling ourselves The Arc with Super Alexa, Robbie and Keenan. We were inseparable; we would go everywhere together, and hang out nonstop. We truly were best friends, and we’re still really close now.

I already knew Robbie, because his girlfriend is a close friend of mine. When they asked me to do the film, I was so excited. I told them I knew the perfect person to play Paxton, and I really wanted them to cast this amazing up-and-coming actor, Robbie Amell. I’m so fond of him, and really pushed hard to get him cast as Paxton. Sure enough, they went for it. There could not have been a better Paxton.

Keenan as Tripp is so funny and hilarious, and his timing is great. I can honestly say this is the best experience I’ve ever had filming a movie.

Q: Nisha Ganatra directed ‘The Hunters,’ and is known for helming family-friendly films and television shows, such as ‘Unfabulous’ and ‘Pete’s Christmas.’ What was the process of working with her on the set, since she does have experience in the family genre?

AV: What I always say is, “The core and main feel and vibe of the set always starts from the top.” When you have someone who’s in charge and does it right, you’re going to have a great set.

Nisha is the most kind-hearted, hard-working person; she’s always in great spirits. I think she’s the most hard-working person I’ve ever met. I want to shoot every movie with Nisha; she and I are trying to find so many projects to work on together next.

When I say this is truly the best experience I’ve ever had filming, it really was. Everyone on set got along really well. She never had tension on set. She made it fun and enjoyable and exciting, even on days when we were filming long hours, and it was 5 in the morning and we were all tired. She always had a great attitude about everything, and made us excited about this movie. Having someone like that completely lifts your spirits, particularly on days that can be really tough. She was the perfect leader for this film.

Q: The film is being presented in part by independent studio ARC Entertainment. How does working on a smaller, independent project like ‘The Hunters’ compare and contrast to bigger budget films you have worked on? Do you have a preference of working on independent films over bigger studio films, or vice versa?

AV: Both are very different. With smaller movies, I find that you have more freedom, which is always exciting. While this was a small film, it never felt small. The things they were doing with the budget they had were great-they had some awesome sets and great locations. They never made this movie feel small.

But I think it just depends on what you’re looking for. The blockbusters are always fun to shoot; shooting ‘Spy Kids’ was amazing. Having that type of budget to work with means the sky’s the limit. But small movies have so much heart, and people really put in 110 percent to make them happen. It’s really fun to see people come together and work on a project that probably couldn’t be made otherwise, without people who genuinely cared about the project.

Q: Speaking of the ‘Spy Kids’ franchise, why do you feel it’s important to continue working in these family oriented films as you get older?

AV: Well, I like the family movies because I’m the oldest of six kids-my youngest sibling is only four. I like it because it gives them something to watch that I was a part of. I have very strong core family values. I think I’ll always do family films, no matter how old I get. I love movies about sticking together, and being there for your family.

Also, I love playing for a younger audience. Even though I’m 25 now, I’m still playing 17 and 18-year-olds. I’m going to milk that for as long as I can, because once you get too old to play those roles, you can’t go backwards! (laughs) So I feel no need to jump ahead.

Q: You also stared in the recently-released action crime thriller sequel, ‘Machete Kills,’ which was directed by your ‘Spy Kids’ director, Robert Rodriguez. What was the experience of working on that follow-up, and how did it compare and contrast to making your family-oriented movies?

AV: Well, ‘Spy Kids’ and ‘Machete Kills’ were both fun and great and a wild adventure to make. But obviously with kids is that they’re innocent, and those films have a wonderful message. I think that’s why it’s so important for me to make movies like that; I want to be able to put good messages out there for kids.

Making a movie like ‘Machete Kills’ is fun and quite an adventure, but at the same time, it’s also very sexy. It shows a different side to all the actors who were involved in the film. They’re two completely different movies, but I love both of them. They both challenge me to take on a different role.

While KillJoy in ‘Machete Kills’ and Carmen in ‘Spy Kids’ are both strong characters, they’re completely different. You have to prepare each one in a different way. That’s what’s exciting about being an actress-you never have to play the same thing over and over again. You can change it up as much as you want.

Q: Besides films, you have also starred on such television shows as ‘Ruby & The Rockits’ and ‘The Middle.’ Are you interested in returning to television in the future, and appearing on more series?

AV: Yeah, absolutely! I’m one to say, “Never say never.” I’m big on keep my career colorful and playing all sorts of things. So I’m open to all of it.

Q: Besides acting, would you be interested in trying directing, whether a film or a TV show, in the future?

AV: Absolutely, I love directing and that side of films. It would be amazing to get involved with that.

Q: Are there any particular directors you haven’t worked with yet that you would be interested in collaborating with on a project?

AV: I’m a huge fan, and he’s doing very well, of (‘Gravity’ director) Alfonso CuarÃ?³n. I love him, and think he’s so talented and incredible, and it would be amazing to be able to work with him.

Q: Besides ‘The Hunters,’ do you have any upcoming projects lined up that you can discuss?