Sofia Vergara Says ‘Everyone’ in ‘Griselda’ Series is Latino, ‘The Best Actors’

Sofia Vergara, 51, is taking the reins of every aspect of her life (yes, that just might include her divorce from Joe Manganiello), Vergara is feeling as fierce as ever before. Her new, “biggest risk”? Taking on the role of “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco:

She sat down with Vogue México y Latinoamérica to talk about her rebirth as an actress, producer, and all-around jefa.

Interestingly, Vergara told the outlet that she “had never acted in a drama or acted in Spanish.” In fact, she was much more used to sort of playing herself in her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in “Modern Family.” Playing Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco was a far cry from Gloria — so much so, that Vergara felt “scared.”

“I was very scared that people would say, ‘Ay, what is Glorida Pritchett doing with a glued-on nose?” Vergara recalled. “I wanted to make sure there was nothing of Gloria or myself in [Blanco], because there was actually a lot of me in Gloria Pritchett.”

However, Vergara still asks herself how she had the guts to play the Cartagena-born “Black Widow.” She explained, “The truth is, now I sit down and say: ‘My God. How did I do that? How did I dare to [play her]?'”

And while the “Modern Family” powerhouse is just as excited for her new beauty line Toty and her management firm Latin World Entertainment, “Griselda” is taking center stage in her life right now.

“[Blanco] wasn’t just a drug lord; she was also a mother, a wife, and a monster, all in one.”

The actress “always dreamed” of producing a series with an all-Latino cast

The 51-year-old actress explained to Vogue México y Latinoamérica that she always dreamed of bringing an all-Latino cast together. Of course, producing “Griselda” gave her the perfect opportunity.

“I always dreamed of producing and being able to bring all of who I consider to be the best actors in Latin America,” Vergara described. “We mixed chicanos, Cubans, Venezuelans, Argentines, and of course, Colombians.”

While Vergara’s stunning portrayal of Griselda Blanco may earn her some awards show nods, the show’s cast is her proudest accomplishment. “All of the people in the series are from Latin America. I really wanted to be able to do a project like this.”

Cast members we’re already dying to see on the upcoming Netflix show? “Narcos: Mexico” actor Alberto Guerra, “The Blacklist” actress Juliana Aidén Martinez, and yes…our very own “Bichota,” Karol G.

Could we be more excited for the show’s January 25th release? No, actually:

As Karol G told Vogue México back in February 2022, “I’m in acting classes for body expression and the lessons have helped both my acting in the series and the work I do constantly.”

In fact, for the “Provenza” singer, acting in the series fulfills a “dream” of hers, too. “It is a personal dream to see myself in several artistic scopes so in the future I can say: ‘I enjoyed my life, my career, I did everything I could and everything I couldn’t do, too.’”

Vergara said Griselda Blanco was a woman with “many layers”

The “Modern Family” star described how taking on the role of Griselda Blanco was a years-long journey.

“I found out about the existence of [Blanco] many years ago,” Vergara remembered. “She called my attention because she was a woman with many layers.”

However Blanco was still alive back then, and Vergara did not think it was “appropriate to show the story of a woman who was able to leave prison after all the bad things she did.” However, the “Cocaine Godmother” was assassinated in Medellín in 2012. Shortly after, Vergara began putting together a project about the late drug lord’s life.

Crazily enough, “Griselda” is a project 10 years in the making. Vergara decided to take on two roles: that of producer, and playing the title character.

The best part of the project, though? For Vergara, being able to speak in Spanish: “It was delicious,” she noted.

“We made the series in both Spanish and English so it could feel real,” she explained. “In situations where there are only Latinos, we speak in Spanish. If there is someone from the United States, we speak in English.”

“I wanted it to feel very real,” Vergara added.

One controversial topic mentioned in the interview was that of producing yet another narco-series set in Vergara’s native Colombia. As once-mayor of Medellin, Sergio Fajardo, once wrote in The New York Times, “The case of ‘Narcos’ hurts us, because representing Medellin through Escobar and his insane violence again is reopening a wound that hasn’t completely healed.”

However, Vergara seems to have a different perspective. “I grew up in Colombia during the era of drug trafficking. It was a very difficult time. Unfortunately, it is part of the history of my country.”

“We are who we are because of what we have lived,” she explained. “Colombians are fighters, who survive, so it is part of our history. That’s why I wasn’t scared to take on the topic.”

She also said that the “intention” of the series isn’t to “show drug trafficking” — it is more about “portraying the woman within a horrible business and how it transformed her.”

As one X user recently wrote about the series, “Sign me up.”

Watch “Griselda” on Netflix January 25, 2024.