Making it as a child star comes with a lot of pressure and unforeseen pitfalls, and for many, this leads to them departing the industry once they are older. Some stars stay and carve out amazing careers, but this is not always the case.
During the 2000s, Alexa PenaVega rose to prominence as a child star, and she has done some great work in her career. The actress eventually made the decision to move away from Hollywood entirely, something few were expecting.
Let's learn why the former Spy Kids star decided to leave her Hollywood digs behind.
Alex PenaVega Was A Child Star
If you were a kid growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, then you most definitely saw Alexa PenaVega up in film and television projects. She got her start in the business when she was just a kid, and eventually, she blossomed into a highly successful actress.
On the big screen, earlier hits like Little Giants and Twister got the ball rolling, but she really hit her stride in 2001 when she played Carmen Cortez in the first Spy Kids movie. That hit started a franchise, and helped her become a star.
Following that first Spy Kids movie, the actress would go on to appear in movies like Repo! The Genetic Opera, Mother's Day, Machete Kills, and Sin City: A Dame to Fill For.
On TV, she's found plenty of work, which included a number of television movies. Combined with her big screen credits, it's easy to see how much success she's had.
Even though things had largely gone well for the actress, things changed over time, and she dealt with more than people knew.
Things Changed Over Time
Hollywood is a rough place, and no matter how much success you have, there are always things going on that the fans don't see. While PenaVega has had success since her younger days, she's dealt with a lot more, including an eating disorder.
It got to a point when the actress knew she had to seek help.
"And I was so afraid of anybody finding out. I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t try to go get help. I was afraid that people would find out, and I just didn’t want anyone to look at me differently… I wanted people to see me, not my disorder. That fear kept me in this prison for a long time. But God pulled me out of it… One morning, I woke up, and I just knew it was time. And once I started talking about it with others, I felt like those chains holding me back were finally beginning to break,' she told Fox News.
The actress kept plugging away in Hollywood, and eventually, she married and had children. These major changes also came with a major movie from Los Angeles out to Hawaii.
Why She Left Hollywood
So, why did the actress and her husband, Carlos, decide to move away from Hollywood. Turns out, it was a combination of factors, including their children, and their religion.
"We both met each other at this foundation-building point in our lives where we were both really hungry to grow in our faith. And that’s how our relationship started. And it was amazing because our entire relationship was based on bible studies, church and our faith," her husband said in an interview.
This was a major reason why the duo opted to raise their children out in beautiful Hawaii.
Another reason for the move was the struggles that Carlos was facing in the business.
"Carlos was really struggling with the industry. Every audition he went on, it would get down between him and one other guy and the other guy would always get it. The rejection was just becoming too much for him. This went on for a full year" PenaVega said,
She then talked about how she knew raising kids in Los Angeles wasn't a great fit for what they wanted in life.
"But we also knew that we didn’t want to raise our kids in Los Angeles. I felt this tug in my heart. I felt it was God going, "You guys need to get out of here. It’s time." I didn’t want to move. I knew it was the right decision, but it wasn’t something that I was so excited about," PenaVega added.
The actress still works today, but she makes sure to keep her distance from Hollywood, choosing to stay closer to her husband and kids in Hawaii.
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