Director Joel Vargas and first-time actress Destiny Checo join the Morning Show on HOT 97’s Mornings with Mero. To talk about their Sundance award-winning film Mad Bills to Pay (also known as Destiny: Dile Que No Soy Malo in Spanish).
In this interview, Joel breaks down how growing up in the Bronx inspired the story, what it was like writing the script during lockdown, and how the film captures an authentic slice of New York City summer life. Destiny shares her journey from finding the casting call on Backstage (thinking it was a scam!) to delivering a powerful performance as a teenage mother — drawing from her own mom’s real-life experiences.
They also discuss:
🎬 Premiering at Sundance and winning the Ensemble Cast Award
🎥 Shooting 27 hours of footage and co-editing the film
🌆 Bringing authentic Bronx/Dominican culture to the big screen
🌟 Why representation of Afro-Latinos and plus-size Latinas on screen matters
🎭 The open-ended ending and what it says about teen parenthood
Mad Bills to Pay is in theaters now. Go have the full theatrical experience.
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