The Horror of Dolores Roach is a modern black comedy horror take on the classic story of Sweeney Todd, bringing to the screen a twisted love story of obsession, revenge, and cannibalism.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following interview was conducted by Justina Bonilla with Justina Machado weeks before the Screen Actor’s Guild voted to strike.

Produced by Blumhouse Television for Amazon Studio Prime The Horror of Dolores Roach follows Dolores Roach (played by Justina Machado), a woman wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years, who’s trying to readjust to her old, but now-gentrified Washington Heights neighborhood as a masseuse, under an empanada shop. Just when everything seems to be going in a good direction for Dolores, a single moment throws her life into bloody chaos, with her freedom dependent on the new mystery meat empanadas.

Machado is a veteran television actress best known for her roles in the popular television series Six Feet Under, Queen of the South, and One Day at a Time. She has also appeared in films from the popular horror franchises The Purge (The Purge: Anarchy) and Final Destination (Final Destination 2). Machado share with us what interested her in playing Dolores, to the need for Latino representation on-screen, to her favorite type of empanada.

Bonilla: What is your favorite horror movie?

Machado: Oh my god, I have many favorite horror movies. But I think my favorite, favorite is the first Nightmare on Elm Street. That’s really a hard one to watch too and I’m a horror fan. I don’t get really scared. But that one freaks me out a lot.

As an actor, what appealed to you about Dolores as a character?

I just really loved everything about her. I loved how the show was so out there, and the character was so free. There were no boundaries. Also, these kinds of roles barely ever go to women. It’s always kind of a white man. So, it was just really interesting and exciting to be that person, that out there. A serial killer slash relatable woman.

What was the most enjoyable part about playing Dolores?

It’s enjoyable now watching all the hard work. The shows from Dolores’ perspective. She’s in every scene from beginning to end. I was on that set from beginning to end.  It was just really working and trying to develop this character and getting her correct. We also had to do it in a short amount of time. So, I think the joy is now watching it and excited for all the hard work that we did.

With Dolores being a masseuse, did you have to take any masseuse lessons for this role?

I did. When we got to pre-production. They hired a massage therapist to teach me. I had some sessions before we started shooting. It was incredibly helpful.

You got to work with executive producer Gloria Calderón Kellett, who was your executive producer for One Day at a Time. What was it like working with her again?

Fantastic! She’s a woman who’s always taking care of everyone. She’s incredibly thoughtful. She’s brilliant. She’s compassionate. She’s empathetic. She’s a rarity in this business. And having her on your side is always a plus.

This program featured an array of amazing directors, including Eduardo Sánchez. What was it like working with these different directors from various backgrounds?

It was great. That’s the one thing about television that’s interesting because no one ever directs the same. When you watch a television series, all episodes are directed by different directors. That’s because there’s just too many of them. So you always have an array of directors. It was really interesting. They were great. They were coming into a tight schedule and a lot of work. Every single one of them were just prepared and phenomenal.

With Latino lead horror TV and streaming programs, like The Last of Us and Wednesday, becoming extremely popular, do you think this will give a lot more opportunities to Latinos as leads on TV?

I don’t think there’s enough Latinos on TV shows. You mentioned The Last of Us and Wednesday. But really, can we think of others? I think we’re still very underrepresented. Hopefully, this leads to more of us out there. More of us telling stories that don’t necessarily have to do with our Latinidad. It’s just the fact that we happen to be artists, we have this part, and there happens to be a Latino in the role. I don’t think that there’s this wave of it happening. I think that much more needs to happen. And hopefully, with Wednesday, The Last of Us, Scream, and this show, hopefully, all of these things will usher in a whole lot more representation.

And most importantly, what’s your favorite type of empanada?

Chicken and cheese. My mother makes an incredible chicken and cheese empanada that I grew up eating. That’s my absolute favorite.

The Horror of Dolores Roach is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.