Alexa PenaVega on Healing from Grief, Says ‘I've Never Experienced God on This Level’
Actress Alexa PenaVega says she has experienced God like never before as she's walked through a season of grief following the loss of her baby earlier this year. PenaVega and her husband Carlos, the parents of three young children, suffered a heartbreaking loss when a baby girl named Indy was stillborn. PenaVega says the couple's "whole foundation" during their marriage has been "in our faith and growing together." Even so, she says, she has felt a peace in recent months unlike anything before.
"We have a community that we have never experienced before, truly," she told Crosswalk Headlines, referencing Christian friends.
"God has given us the most incredible community to walk through this season with us and just kind of lift us up. I've never experienced God on this level. It's incredible."
Married in 2014, PenaVega and her husband began their romance by "going to church every Sunday and then going to Bible study every Thursday." Their faith, she said, has grown during their marriage.
"We're learning more and more," she said of her faith.
Their latest movie is the Great American Family rom-com Get Him Back for Christmas, which follows the story of a singer (portrayed by PenaVega) who tries to win back her boyfriend by writing him a song. To do that, she partners with a high school friend who also is a talented songwriter (portrayed by Carlos PenaVega). It debuts Dec. 14 at 8 Eastern.
It's the first release from the couple's new production company, Good for You Entertainment, which has a goal of making more family-centric content.
"We created this project from the ground up with our team, and to see it really come to light has just been wild. For some people, they're like, 'Oh, that's a cute Great American Family movie. But for us, we're like, 'This is everything,'" she said, laughing. "So there's so much riding on it doing well. There's just been a lot of prayer and just a lot of excitement around this project."
PenaVega and her husband want to reshape the way the public perceives wholesome content, she said.
"We're faith-filled people," she said. "...Our frustration with whether it's the Christian genre or the more wholesome genre has been the movies have just not really looked good personally or have been the best to watch. Usually, you have to kind of compromise your values to go watch a good film. And we were tired of that.
"We were like, 'Dang, the enemy's fine with us making all these bad Christian movies.' But to make a good Christian movie, you come against every obstacle out there, which we did. We faced a lot of obstacles making this movie. So, while this is not a movie about faith, we just say we're Kingdom-hearted people just making wholesome films. And wholesome doesn't mean cheesy. We want to change the way people look at that. This is a good movie."
WATCH: Get Him Back for Christmas | Trailer | Starring Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega
Photo Credit: ©Great American Family
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Paul Archuleta/Contributor
Originally published December 11, 2024.
