What do you enjoy about making the "Spy Kids" films?

What I love about this idea is that it isn't based on any cartoon character we already know or on any literature we already know. It's all coming from the mind of a person, and so it's fresh and new. That's what we can offer to kids today. I can tell you my children enjoy it very much. If other families feel the same, then we're fine, we're doing a good thing.

How did you know to link up with Robert Rodriguez and work with him so much?

That's the secret - we were both nobodies when we found each other 12 years ago. And I found this person who was full of ideas, full of dreams, very pragmatic, the capacity to make things happen - a very courageous man with no fears and a very personal style. If you see "Spy Kids" and if you see "Desperado", you will find one thing in common - it's his way of telling a story which is different.

Let's face it, this movie is for Daryl [Sabara] and Alexa [Vega]. They are the stars of this movie. I didn't go to Austin, Texas, thinking that I am going to receive an Academy Award or that I am doing Shakespeare! It was fun, it was just a way to have some quality time with my dear friend Robert Rodriguez - and I am looking for a limited glory out of it!

Did you think "Spy Kids" would be so successful?

I didn't expect this so much. It's pretty surreal. It's a little bit gothic. It's not a typical kids' movie. It's kind of a different way to tell a story, a different way to understand fantasies. We didn't think it would connect so well with audiences, so we consider this sequel almost like an award given to us by kids.