Eugenio Derbez Interview: Why Radical Was His Most Challenging Movie Yet

I was lucky enough to screen Christopher Zalla’s Radical prior to Sundance to prepare for this interview. While watching it, it was abundantly clear that Zalla, Eugenio Derbez, and the rest of the team made something special. Sure enough, Radical not only received a rave response out of its premiere screening in Park City, but it also went on to win the Festival Favorite Award. Inspired by the true story covered in producer Joshua Davis’s Wired article, Radical tells the tale of Sergio Juarez, a teacher in Matamoros, Mexico who’s had enough of the traditional education system. He opts to take a job teaching sixth grade at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary, a school with some of the worst-performing students in Mexico. How does Sergio plan to change that? By ditching the required curriculum and doing everything in his power to spark curiosity and discover what they want to learn. While in Park City celebrating the film’s big debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Zalla, Davis, producer Ben Odell, D