Alexa PenaVega (“Spy Kids”) chatted about her new Great American Family holiday movie, “Get Him Back for Christmas,” which will premiere on Saturday, December 14th. She stars opposite her husband, Carlos Pena Vega (“Big Time Rush”).
Synopsis of the holiday film
In “Get Him Back for Christmas,” up-and-coming singer songwriter Bella Harlan (Alexa PenaVega) comes home for Christmas and enlists her high-school songwriting partner Jack Grayton (Carlos PenaVega) to craft a song to win back her rockstar boyfriend by Christmas.
As the two reunite for the first time in a decade, they embark on a Christmas journey down memory lane, and soon realize true love may be closer than they thought.
The heart of the movie centers on Jack’s role with The Salvation Army, and Bella soon finds herself inspired by his devotion and passion to a life of doing the most good.
Alexa on ‘Get Him Back for Christmas’
“I am really happy with it,” she exclaimed. “We are so proud of it, and we worked really hard. This movie was a first for our production company.”
“This all came from us working with the Salvation Army last year, we were volunteering after the fires in Lahaina, and we were both ringing the bell outside, and Carlos said, ‘we really need to make a movie about this,’ and that was where it all started,” she explained.
“This was the first time that we actually were able to create the vision that we had in our minds, and that was really, really special,” she acknowledged.
“The entire process — from the ground up — from creating the characters to going through the script, prepping, then shooting and then editing. Carlos edited most of the film, and it was wild,” she noted.
“The fact that it was one year ago, and here we are, the movie is about to come out, and that’s pretty wild,” she added.
Alexa on playing Bella
Alexa was drawn to her character, Bella, for several reason. “What I liked about playing Bella is that she had to pick career or love,” she said.
“I didn’t have to give up either in my life, and we wanted to make sure that Bella experienced the same thing. She could have a great career and a great love life as long as she found the right balance,” she explained.
Working with Carlos PenaVega
On working with her husband Carlos PenaVega on this rom-com, Alexa stated, “You know how much I love my husband. This is film No. 11 for us. It is so great; we both elevate each other. We have so much fun on set with each other, and it’s so easy. We just have fun!”
Working with Ermelinda Manos
Alexa complimented fashion and costume designer Ermelinda Manos. “I love her! She did such a good job… she was fantastic! Everybody loves her and she is beautiful. Ermelinda is such a gorgeous woman. We were blessed to have her,” Alexa exclaimed.
Alexa praises the whole cast and crew
“Everybody in this movie (cast and crew) did such a good job from top to bottom. They really gave it their all. They gave us their passion, which allowed us to make a quality movie,” she added.
2025 — A big year for both Alexa and Carlos
“I think 2025 will be the year for both Carlos and I really breaking out,” she foreshadowed.
“We are stepping forward and really pursuing our passions. These days, it is a unique, special and a massive blessing to create the vision that we have in our heads,” she explained.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Stepping Out… where God is calling us.”
Alexa on living with loss
Unfortunately, back in April of 2024, Alexa and Carlos experienced the stillbirth of their fourth child, Indy Rex PenaVega, which they revealed in a heartbreaking social media post that was able to touch people worldwide on an emotional and spiritual level.
“That was the wild thing. We were full term, and I was in the middle of delivery, and everything was normal. When our baby came out, she just never took a breath. That was a wild experience and very unexpected,” she recalled.
“Nobody saw it coming, since the baby had been healthy the entire time throughout the pregnancy,” she said. “To have that experience was difficult but we really learned a lot as a family,” she reflected
“Our daughter literally changed the world without taking a breath and that’s a massive, crazy thing to experience as a mom because it’s heartbreaking and painful but there was purpose in her life already, and I am seeing how much she is changing the world,” she explained.
“When you experience loss and deep grieving, you start thinking of heaven every single day. You start living life very differently; you have more grace for people, and you see more beauty in life. You start counting your blessings and live a more heavenly-bound life because it’s a fresh perspective,” she elaborated.
While this loss was so personal to them, their moving story was able to help countless other people, especially those that experienced similar losses, pain, and grief in their lives.
Success
Regarding her definition of success, Alexa said, “Peace and happiness sum up overall success. If you can have both of these, then you have succeeded.”
“When it comes to work, success means making projects that we are passionate about,” she added.
Closing thoughts on the film
For fans and viewers, Alexa remarked, “This movie will make you smile all the way through. It is faster paced than most of the Christmas movies that we’ve had out there, and I feel it’s just an elevated Christmas movie.”
“It will take you back to the old-school Christmas movies we had when we were kids, and that was our goal,” she concluded.
To learn more about Alexa PenaVega, follow her on Instagram.
