Sharkboy and Lavagirl are back!
Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, We Can Be Heroes is a stand-alone sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. The film centers on the Heroics’ children who must team up to save them when aliens invade Earth and kidnap them.
Watch the trailer below:
In a roundtable interview, we had the chance to speak with two of the talented and adorable cast members YaYa Gosselin and Vivien Blair. The two share the fun and challenging part of playing their characters, what it was like working with Director Robert Rodriguez, and more. Read the full interview below:
Can you share with us the moment you found out that you got the role?
YaYa Gosselin: When I found out that I got the role, I was incredibly excited and happy. I was crying happy tears the entire night and then I was also a little bit nervous because I was the lead in a Robert Rodriguez film — a kids Robert Rodriguez film, and that’s a pretty big deal. But he really made sure that the environment in the workplace was really comfortable for all of us.
Vivien Blair: Well, I already had a really good night. I’ve gotten my Taekwondo belt and I was really excited. I came home and my parents said “Vivi, you booked We Can Be Heroes,” and I was so excited. We watched Sharkboy and Lavagirl again, we ate ice cream and popcorn and had a big party. It was a really fun night.
YaYa, how was it like playing the leader in the group?
Yaya Gosselin: Being a leader comes with quite a bit of responsibility and a lot of confidence and I think that I’m not the most confident person. And so I think what was probably the toughest about playing this character was really having to step into this role of leadership that I wasn’t used to and really tried to become the leader of not only the heroics but the leader of all the cast in real life and that was definitely a difficult task but I think that I achieved it.
YaYa, if you could pick any power for Missy to have, what would it be and why?
YaYa Gosselin: I think it’d be to heal people because right now that’s what we need most in the world, especially with everything going on. And I think that if I could heal people and if I could heal this virus that’s happening. I think that maybe, just maybe, the world would go back to normal.
What’s the most fun and most challenging part of your role and the scene to do in the film?
YaYa Gosselin: Mine would probably be the scenes where I cry because those are always the toughest. The hardest was the one with Abuelita, because it took quite a while because we were filming outside in the sun. So the sun would go behind the cloud or there’d be a bus or there’d be a car, or one of us would mess up a line and so there was just constantly these places where we had to start over and it really taught me that you have to be ready for this kind of stuff to happen and keep the tears rolling throughout the entire thing.
Vivien Blair: I think the hardest scene to film would probably be the one where we’re spitting lemonade. It didn’t come out in the final cut but we had to do something like a stop-motion. And then the fun part would probably be the stunts — all the stunts were so cool.
Vivien, you play Guppy. Are you ready to be the favorite character who steals every scene in the movie?
Vivien Blair: Yeah, I am ready. I’ve done it before with Bird Box and I’m just super excited to have a new movie coming out. I remember that was very exciting for Bird Box and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
What do you think makes a good superhero movie?
YaYa Gosselin: I think that what makes a good superhero movie is definitely the cast, but also showing people hope that things are gonna be okay. And this year has been pretty rough so I think that’s the main thing and I think also what’s really important is for people to feel empowered and think that they can be the hero of their own story. I always loved the feeling of walking out of a movie theater and being so empowered by a movie. I really really hope that people feel that way with this movie.
Vivien Blair: I agree completely!
What was it like having Robert Rodriguez as a director?
YaYa Gosselin: It was incredible working with him. Robert is such an incredible person and an incredible director. Working with him, I learned a lot from stunts to CGI to green screen. And it was just really great because not only was he an incredible leader and director and mentor, but he was also just so fun to be around. He made the experience much more fun.
You got to work with so many amazing cast members. Who was the most fun on set?
YaYa Gosselin: I think all of us really brought a lot of fun, and Robert was obviously so fun. But in particular, I feel like Isaiah always brought a lot of fun to the scenes. Even in the classroom because there was so much fun stuff — there was like a candy bar and a rock climbing wall, and he was just a lot of fun to be around. After shooting we would always go and run around the classroom and had a lot of fun there.
Vivien Blair: I totally agree. Isaiah [Russell-Bailey], Hala [Finley], me, and Yaya were all best friends in Texas. And Andrew Diaz. He is hilarious! He plays Facemaker and he’s just hilarious throughout the whole movie.
If you could play a different character from the film, who would you choose and why?
YaYa Gosselin: Oh, I know this one. My character would be Miss Granada because I feel like she is one of the best characters in the movie. She just brings so much sass and royalness and regalness about her. And so I would like to play her.
Vivien Blair: I completely agree. But if I were to play anyone, it would be Acapella because she has such a cool singing power, and I of course love to sing. So I feel like that would be amazing.
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We Can Be Heroes premieres on Netflix on December 25, 2020. Stream it here.
