How Sofia Vergara Prepared to Play Griselda Blanco
From Gloria to Griselda
Top 10 Things Griselda Got Factually Right and Wrong
For over a decade, audiences grew to love Colombian actress Sofía Vergara as the fun and fiery Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC’s “Modern Family.” In 2020, the year the show came to an end, she joined “America's Got Talent” as a judge. Over the years, the actress added entrepreneur to her resume, juggling several business ventures in the fashion, furniture, and fragrance industries, among others. However, Vergara had something of a passion project she’d been wanting to make about the famous and feared drug queenpin Griselda Blanco. Like a lot of people, especially fans of true crime, Sofía Vergara learned more about Blanco from 2006’s “Cocaine Cowboys.” And although she didn’t necessarily fully relate to the late queen pin, she recognized their similarities, notably that they were both from Colombia and immigrated to the United States. Both women were also young mothers. Interestingly, Vergara named her son Manolo after a character from “Scarface.” Blanco, meanwhile, got her fourth and only surviving son’s name, Michael Corleone, from a movie she was a huge fan of – “The Godfather.” Vergara knew this was a role she could take on. Next came convincing creatives and executives that she was ready to make the leap from comedy to drama. In 2015, she got in touch with “Narcos” and “Narcos: Mexico” executive producer/showrunner Eric Newman and along with series director Andrés Baiz, they teamed up to bring Blanco to screen. In addition to leading the series, Vergara also held the title of executive producer.
Embodying “the Godmother”
Sofía Vergara had already done extensive research, but learning the facts was just the first step in her preparation to actually become Griselda Blanco. Physicality is always essential when it comes to stepping into a character, especially one so different from the actor, and Blanco was relatively unknown in the mainstream. Since she was so lowkey, there were few visual references for Vergara to study. But she wanted to be as authentic as possible and committed to crafting a different body language for the character. She even came up with mannerisms and ticks for Blanco, like how she fiddles with her ring when she’s anxious. But one choice left Vergara with a back injury during production. Becoming Blanco also meant the actress needed to emulate her behavior, which included smoking cigarettes, something Vergara didn’t previously know how to do. Obviously, we’re talking about fake substances here but even just learning how to hold a cigarette was important. Throughout the series, she’s rarely without one in her hand or mouth which isn’t surprising given the time periods in which the story unfolds.
Transforming Sofía
Sofía Vergara is well-known for her stunning looks, which were frequently mentioned in “Modern Family.” But she didn’t want people to see her or her past work when watching “Griselda,” and needed to inhabit her new character. So when it came to playing Blanco, she needed a total physical transformation that went beyond hair and makeup. The masterful team behind the scenes, headed by Angela Nogaro and Dennis Parker, altered her look using multiple prosthetics on her nose and eyebrows. Particular attention went to Vergara’s distinct brows, which were covered with more silicone prosthetics. Makeup artist Todd McIntosh then gave her thinner faux ones to reflect the beauty trends of the late 1970s. Vergara’s teeth also needed to look less perfect, and more like those of a heavy smoker. She was fitted with a top plate of fake ones that appeared discolored. And since having a bottom plate affected her speech, her lower teeth were yellowed to match. In the show, Vergara played Blanco through many years, capturing everything from her early days making a name for herself in the ‘70s, to her serving jail time in the ‘80s. McIntosh made sure to reflect the character’s growth, and/or descent, with darker shades of lipstick and eye makeup. As the miniseries ends with her imprisoned when older, a prosthetic was added to the actress’ neck to match the age she was playing. Vergara also wore different wigs throughout the series. Making sure she looked like a stylish but average woman of the time, hairstylist Kelly Kline removed some of the glamour and volume. When it came to wardrobe, Vergara found another way to change her physical appearance was by compressing her natural body shape using special figure hugging undergarments like Spanx. She and the rest of the cast were also decked out in vintage duds by costume designers Sarah Evelyn Bram and Safowa Bright-Asare. To complete the application of prosthetics, makeup, hair, and wardrobe, Vergara reportedly sat through a roughly 3-hour long process, not to mention the lengthy time it took to remove it all. It was all worth it in the end though, because she completely disappeared into the role. What did you think of Sofía Vergara’s transformation? Let us know in the comments below.
