Hollywood’s love for superhero films continues with the release of Paramount+’s Secret Headquarters. Momona Tamada stars as Maya, a young girl who discovers the headquarters of the world’s most powerful superhero hidden beneath her friend Charlie’s home. Maya, Charlie, and their friends must defend the headquarters and save the world. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Momona about her brand-new role.
“Maya’s known to be kind of a military brat. She’s used to moving around different bases all the time, so she’s a little bit more closed off I would say,” Momona told HollywoodLife. “She has definitely built a bit of a wall around herself, but I think throughout the movie, we kind of get to see her grow and really open up to these new friends. It’s really cool. She has a little bit of history with some of the characters, so getting to see the whole journey was really fun.”
Momona stars alongside Walker Scobell, Keith L. Williams, Abby James Witherspoon, and Kezii Curtis. The young actress revealed that she and her fellow castmates “clicked really fast. They actually brought us in two weeks early to kind of do team bonding and all that stuff. So we were able to really kind of get comfortable with each other before shooting. I’m really grateful to say that my castmates from Secret Headquarters are definitely some of my best friends.”
Momona and the cast got to do a lot of their own stunts in the action flick. During the film’s press junket, Momona admitted that she accidentally kicked Keith in the face while filming a scene. Keith admitted that his face was “directly by her boot,” and that’s how Momona’s foot ended up in Keith’s face.
Secret Headquarters couldn’t be more different from Momona’s breakout role as Claudia on The Baby-Sitters Club. “They are like polar opposites characters,” Momona admitted. “The audition process and just taking on this new role was a completely different thing for me. It was a bit of a challenge. Claudia’s very easygoing and bright and happy. Maya’s very kind grounded and a lot more relaxed and kind of chill, so that was a totally different dynamic for sure.”
Owen Wilson also stars as Charlie’s dad and the world’s most powerful superhero. Momona told HollywoodLife that it was “incredible” to work with Owen. “He is such a kind person in real life. He’s just a cool guy. He would talk to us and make sure that all of us were comfortable in the scene. Working with someone like that is really inspiring for sure, especially since he’s so experienced in this industry,” she said.
With superhero movies, there’s always talk about a sequel. Momona revealed that she would “absolutely love” to do a second Secret Headquarters movie. “I think it’s definitely up to how the movie does, but I would love to revisit these characters. I love all of the cast, so getting to work together again and being in the same environment together would be such a dream,” she noted.
Fans were shocked back in March 2022 when Netflix canceled its critical darling The Baby-Sitters Club after two seasons. There was an incredibly loud response to the show’s cancellation.
“I think for all of us it was really kind of cool to see the love that people had for the show,” Momona said. “Honestly, it was such a bittersweet thing for us to have to let go of that. I hope we were able to kind of bring some light into some people’s lives. I think the cancellation almost brought people together. I think that was the first time I really realized the impact that The Baby-Sitters Club did make on people. I think it really does suck that we don’t get another look at the characters, but it was really fun while it lasted. I hope it did bring some kind of happiness or comfort to people while they were watching the show.”