Sofia Vergara Says Griselda Blanco Was ‘Not A Hero’ And Did Not ‘Glorify Her’ In New Series

Netflix’s new “Griselda” trailer just dropped, and as expected, it’s a wild ride through the late “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco’s life. Sofia Vergara, 51, is transformed as infamous Colombian drug lord Blanco, traversing through Medellín to Miami to execute her deadly drug operations. In the trailer, Blanco speaks to a group of women— including Karol G, 32, as the queenpin’s friend, Carla— and tells them, “This is the country of dreams.”

Amid portrayals of drug deals, suitcases full of cash, Blanco’s children waiting for her at home, and yes, tragic murders, the Black Widow yells: “After all that I have been through, I’m not going to give it away for nothing.”

“Quieres ver cuán p*tos lejos llego?” Vergara-as-Blanco asks. The answer? Very far:

The fiery, deliciously-dramatic new trailer just made us very pumped for the show’s January 25 release. And while the trailer’s wads of cash, silky 80s outfits, and title cards like “Innovator” could indicate that the show glamorizes Blanco’s life— executive producer and star Vergara fiercely pushes back on that.

As Vergara explains, the series is not about glorifying Blanco in the slightest. “As much as Griselda broke down barriers, she’s definitely not a hero and she should not be idolized.”

Vergara says that executive producing “Griselda” was a “challenge,” and was “careful not to glorify” Blanco

In a conversation with Netflix, Vergara shed light on her experience transforming into Griselda Blanco, the Colombian cocaine drug lord who built a Miami drug empire in the 1970s and 80s.

Vergara, who produced “Griselda,” spent 10 years researching Blanco’s life and gearing up for the project. “This was a very long process for me,” Vergara recalled. “I was on a plane one time, and I read in a magazine something about this Colombian woman, which, even though I grew up in Colombia in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I never heard of her.”

“As a Latin woman, and someone who sounds like me, there aren’t many projects that are perfect for me,” she added. “I thought that this was a role that I could play.”

Today, Vergara calls working on “Griselda” a “challenge” for her, due to Blanco being such a “complex character” in history. And while Blanco waas surely complex, Vergara clarifies: “She’s not a hero.”

“Many of the things [Blanco] did were very terrible,” the actress said, while admitting it is a “nuanced” topic. “As a cartel leader and a fearless business woman in Miami in the ‘70s, and of course, as a
woman, as a mother. That was not a very usual mix.”

Even more unusual? As Vergara describes, the fact that Blanco was “one of the only women in history to have gone as far as she did.” Moreover, the drug queenpin “did whatever it took to protect her family,” coming home from cocaine trafficking operations to prepare lunch for her children.

“We’ve never seen a drug lord organize a shipment of cocaine from Colombia, and then go home to take care of her three kids,” Vergara described. “Imagine, like, Tony Montana packing a lunch box.”

And while Blanco’s story becoming a cartel leader is undoubtedly interesting, Vergara steered clear from glamorizing her life. “Most of the people know of Griselda as the ruthless, violent drug lord that she was,” the “Modern Family” actress explained. “So we were very careful not to glorify her in the series.”

While not glorifying Blanco, the showrunners wanted to unveil the Black Widow’s complexities as a mother and drug lord.

“We also wanted to take time to uncover the deeper story of Griselda,” Vergara explained. “How beyond all odds, a poor uneducated woman from Colombia managed to create a massive, multi-billion dollar empire in a male-dominated industry, in a country that was not her own.”

“What I loved about the project was getting to explore Griselda’s origin story, the making of a monster,” she added. “During Griselda’s time, the idea of a woman being at the head of a cartel… was just crazy.”

“Her mixture of femininity and the worst parts of masculinity are compelling to anyone. It’s like a horrible crash on a freeway; we all turn to look.”

“Griselda” will be Vergara’s most notable role in Spanish, as well as Karol G’s acting debut

Incredibly enough, Barranquilla, Colombia-born Vergara hasn’t acted too much in Spanish in the past. Known primarily for her role in “Modern Family” as the iconic Gloria Delgado, plus English-speaking blockbusters like “Chef” and “Hot Pursuit,” the actress explained: “I had never really acted in Spanish before, or done anything that wasn’t comedy.”

Calling shooting “Griselda” a “roller coaster ride,” she admitted, “When you go into something new, you have a lot of more insecurities. So I was stressed the whole time.” Still, she also called the experience a “fun challenge.”

Another first for Vergara? Being on set with tons of other “Latin American actors and a Latin director.” As she shared with Netflix, “I had never really done that before.”

“I’ve never been able to act like that in Spanish with actors from Latin America that I have always admired,” the 51-year-old actress shared. “It was really special for me to be on a set with my people.” In fact, as Vergara explained, joining Latino talent together was one of her main motives behind creating “Griselda.”

“We don’t get the chance to have many roles that are very interesting,” she explained. “So I always dreamed of producing something that would bring all the actors together to shoot a series as big
as this.”

“This project put me in a wonderful position to showcase Latin talents in front of the screen and behind the scenes,” Vergara added. As in Colombian director Andrés Baiz, Cuban co-star Alberto Guerra, Vergara’s own cousin and show guest star Paulina Dávila, and of course, La Bichota herself, Karol G.

In fact, the new “Griselda” trailer finally gives us a look into Karol G’s role in the series. Playing Blanco’s friend and confidante Carla, we can’t get over the sneak peek:

Her hair! The acting! The whole vibe is top-tier:

Overall, Vergara hopes that her portrayal shows the “tragic, terrifying” nature of Blanco’s life, and how a woman rose to the pinnacle of the drug wars. Still, the actress asserts, “[Blanco’s] victims’ lives will forever be changed”— and the showrunners didn’t shy away from that.

“We were honest about her impact and the terrible things that happened as a result of her actions,” Vergara said. “Omitting them would have done a disservice to the story of the victims.” She added, “The series does not excuse away Griselda’s life choices.”

Watch “Griselda” on Netflix on January 25.