CAST AND CHARACTERS

Interview: Makenzie Vega

Makenzie Vega brings irresistible charm to the character of Sarah's youngest daughter, Paige. Poised at the edge of puberty, Paige approaches life with a wide-eyed honesty and stills holds onto the magic of believing her mother is the center of the universe.

Makenzie Vega as Paige

"Paige is kind of spunky and thinks she's an adult," says Vega. "I wanted to do this movie because this character suits me. In one of the scenes she's spitting out words that are bigger than she is,like that's something that makes her more intelligent. When we all meet Carter, he takes Lucy to the movies and I want to tag along, and because I think I'm an adult, I think it's my date but it's not!""Meg Ryan is not like any of those soccer moms, she's more laid-back. She's a caring mom but she's not on top of every single one of our moves. We had a pretty close relationship," adds Vega.

Having three sisters in real life, Vega established a very natural rapport with Stewart. "It's really easy with Kristen and we play off each other. Sometimes it's hard for me to get loud in a scene, it's a little embarrassing for me but Kristen would help me by getting louder so I would too."

For Kasdan, it was critical to find the right pairing of energy, looks and talent when it came to casting the roles of Lucy and Paige.

"Kristen has her own special kind of charisma that's more completely natural and directly connected to adolescence. Being an actual teenage girl, she has an authentic kind of self-consciousness that creates raw energy and power. She is somewhere between being a kid and being a young woman and you can see her reconciling those two opposing forces in herself at every moment of her performance.

"Makenzie, on the other hand, is truly just a kid, not self-conscious at all, completely uninhibited. She has a kind of light, a glow that is irrepressible."

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THE LOOK AND LOCATION
Production Designer Sandy Cochrane and Costume Designer Trish Keating were brought on as key collaborators for ensuring Kasdan's vision was translated onto the screen.