Posted in: Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Rosario, The Avenue

Rosario Dir Felipe Vargas & Star Emeraude Toubia on Body Horror Film

Director Felipe Vargas and star Eeraude Toubia spoke to Bleeding Cool about their latest Mucho Mas/The Avenue body horror film, Rosario.

Rosario director Felipe Vargas and star Emeraude Toubia couldn't be more polar opposites when it comes to their horror backgrounds. Vargas was an avid fan of the genre, and Toubia never thought twice about getting involved, given existing fears, but the two decided to buckle down. Vargas, who's largely only directed shorts, decided to make his directorial feature debut, and the Shadowhunters star, who spent her 15-year career avoiding them, decided to take the plunge and make her genre debut. Rosario follows Wall Street stockbroker Rosario Fuentes (Toubia), who returns to her grandmother's apartment after her sudden death. While sorting through her grandmother's belongings, Rosario uncovers a horrifying secret—a hidden chamber filled with occult artifacts tied to dark generational rituals. As supernatural occurrences plague her, Rosario must confront her family's buried secrets and face the truth about the sacrifices and choices they made. Vargas and Toubia spoke to Bleeding Cool about Alan Trezza's script, representation, casting, and their most memorable scenes.

Rosario Director Felipe Vargas and Star Emeraude Toubia on Their Twist Body Horror Journey

Bleeding Cool: What was intriguing about 'Rosario' and what stood out about Alan's script?

Vargas: Alan's script was fantastic. Alan Trezza is our writer. He's done a lot of classic horror comedy, like 'We Summon the Darkness' (2019), 'Burying the Ex' (2014), and when I read his script, it was everything I wanted to do in a film and more. It was the body horror, comedy, and it also had so much heart. It touched on something that felt so personal to me, the multi-generational family, the sacrifices family makes, and the facade you put on to get ahead and get away. All of that was in 'Rosario.'

Emeraude?

Toubia: I've never done horror before, so I wanted to dive in. It was a challenge; I wanted to see what it was like. I'm really scared of horror films, because I can't sleep at night. I know I'm such a baby, but I wanted to do something that would help me grow as an actor. It was mostly me the entire film, and I wanted to dive and explore, and let it all go. Having a Latina lead, a Latino crew, director, and producer was also important to show up for our community and start paving the way for more opportunities like this.

Felipe, how did the rest of the casting come together with David [Dastmalchian], José [Zúñiga], Diana [Lein], and Paul [Ben-Victor]?

Vargas: We worked with some real pros and legends on this movie, so it was an honor to bring them on. Emeraude was the first actress we cast, of course. She was perfect for this role. As she said, she had never seen a horror movie, but she had this humor, boldness, and amazing presence on screen, which was Rosario. She was Rosario. Around her, this cast coalesced; we had Paul Ben-Victor, this incredible actor. If you don't recognize the name, you've seen him in about a hundred movies and TV shows.
David Dismalchian played 'Dungeons and Dragons' with one of the producers, so that was the way in. They had met each other through that, and a week or two in Colombia, he was game for it. We brought on a beautiful cast. The hardest role to cast was the monster, which was played by Diana Lein, and not only the emotional, motherly element, but this creature was so elaborate, the movement, and the limbs jutting and contorting, all of that was such a deep dive. She just killed it.

Emeraude, what were the big challenges of a film like this? You mentioned this was your first horror, but what did you do in this that you wouldn't normally do as an actor?

Toubia: My favorite costar, which was a worm, was being able to maneuver myself, holding it, and pulling it out of my ear. I never thought I would ever have a worm as my co-star, and that was the most frightening thing. I still have nightmares of those worms creeping up my leg. [Vargas laughs].

Felipe, what were your biggest challenges during production? Was there a particular sequence that stood out to you?

Vargas: Everything with the monster was a challenge in that the physicality it required and the amount of elaborate makeup it took to get [Diana] ready was something else. One of my favorite scenes to pull off, no spoilers, but there's a vomit scene where there are worms within the vomit and a very complex tubing and blood system that are ripping through walls and beds. That was a fun and challenging scene to shoot.

Mucho Mas Releasing and The Avenue's Rosario is currently in theaters.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!