Sofia Vergara Looks Unrecognizable Playing Infamous Cocaine Cartel Leader Griselda Blanco In New Netflix Series

Sofia Vergara’s portrayal as infamous Colombian cartel boss Griselda Blanco in Netflix’s “Griselda” is absolutely shocking, showing the star in a completely new light.

Far away from her usual “antes muerta que sencilla,” super-glam appearance, Vergara looks like a different person altogether, and fans are taking notice. One user on Twitter congratulated the Barranquilla-born star, writing, “I didn’t realize that was Sofia Vergara! What an incredible transformation & I’m very excited to see her slay,” while another user said, “wow, I can barely recognize her.”

Apart from just looking different, the 49-year-old actress is set to depict a gritty, serious role — a far cry from her iconic comedic timing in “Modern Family.” While Vergara’s changes for the role are turning heads, we’re just as excited about the series itself.

The six-part series is set to delve into the life of “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco, who as the head of a supersized drug cartel, became one of the most dangerous, notorious women in Colombian history.

Also known as the “Black Widow,” Blanco is often likened to Pablo Escobar himself, making cold-blooded decisions to protect her family — and her cartel and money. She soon became one of the world’s richest cartel bosses throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and would stop at nothing to make sure she always came out on top — no matter how cruel or gruesome her actions were.

As Vergara said in a statement, ​​“Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion-dollar empire.” Yes, billion-dollar. The actress also described how Blanco rose to prominence “years before many of the most notorious male kingpins we know so much about.” Ironically, we often hear about Escobar or “El Chapo,” but this new series promises to give a deeper look into how a woman did it much before them.

Sofia Vergara is also signed up as executive producer of the series along with Luis Balaguer at Latin World Entertainment, and she has reportedly been developing the idea for the last eight years. The Latino-helmed production also brings on Colombian film director Andrés Baiz, which will hopefully assure the series is as authentic as possible to the facts. 

This article has been updated for clarity.