In Netflix’s Griselda, Sofía Vergara embodies the Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. Recently, the Modern Family star reflected on the complicated role, with which she strongly resonates. However, she acknowledged the emotional anguish that comes with playing such a twisted character.
Growing up during the heyday of the cocaine trade in Colombia, Vergara was exposed firsthand to some of the devastating fallout from such a business, even losing one brother to murder by cartel goons in the early 1990s. Reflecting on her brother’s case, as reported by Deadline, she explained how people could be misguided by circumstances and necessity, and how poor decisions don’t always define a person as inherently bad.
Vergara was struck by Blanco’s complexity. This was a woman often called the “Cocaine Godmother”—an infamous drug lord who was also a doting mother, fleeing Colombia for America to live the good life, albeit without a good conscience.
She said, “I’m like, ‘Who is this woman?’ When I started investigating, I realized that most of her actions were carried out in the United States. I’m like, ‘I know this character.’”
Vergara added, “When I saw Griselda—not that I killed husbands or anything like that—I knew who she was. I have many similarities in a way; I’m an immigrant, a mother, a strong person. But not everybody does horrific things.”
Vergara admired how Blanco rose to power in the male-dominated criminal world, describing it as both impressive and unsettling. However, she remains mindful of the moral implications of celebrating a figure like this.
Reflecting on the warm reception of her limited series, she revealed, “I wanted to play her so that people would kind of root for her, even though you know you shouldn’t.”
“She was a monster,” Sofía Vergara admitted, highlighting the duality of portraying a character who both fascinates and horrifies at the same time.
Griselda is available for streaming on Netflix.
