Sofía Vergara’s latest project with Netflix transforms her into the real-life Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, also known as the Cocaine Godmother. The ambitious cartel head ran her own business at an early age and later built her own drug trafficking empire in the United States.
Blanco played a major role in the drug trade from the 1970s to the early 2000s, and she would find herself associated with the Medellin Cartel in producing and distributing bulks of cocaine, which explains how she amassed millions of dollars within her lifetime.
Who Is Griselda Blanco?
Griselda Blanco’s recorded value as per Celebrity Net Worth is $2 billion, one of the richest criminals in the world. She was born in Cartagena, Colombia and was married three times. Blanco was often called the Black Widow as she was responsible for the deaths of her three husbands, as well as about 200 to 2,000 innocent people and delinquents.
The notorious crime boss worked closely with drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and her lucrative business reportedly brought her $80 million per month. After running a successful drug empire for a decade, she was caught in 1985 and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment. She was released in 2004.
Blanco was assassinated in September 2012 while shopping with her pregnant daughter-in-law. The murderer shot her point blank twice in the head but left the other girl unharmed.
At the time of her death, the police seized four of Blanco’s properties that were valued at $118 million. It was reported that she might have owned more assets, including a $32 million apartment. In total, her recorded owned property worth was approximately $500 million.
Even if you combine Tom Cruise’s $600 million, Dwayne Johnson’s $800 million, and Sylvester Stallone’s $400 million, three of the biggest actors and businessmen in Hollywood, their accumulated money is just a pinch in Griselda Blanco’s account, especially during the peak of her power.
Sofía Vergara Becomes The Cocaine Godmother In A New Netflix Series
Sofía Vergara is proud of her performance in Netflix’s Griselda, though the Modern Family actress admits to CBS News that she finds similarities between the role she is portraying and her own self.
“There were many similarities with her that I felt that I connected. I lived in Colombia during the 1970’s, ‘80s, and ‘90s when the narco traffic was crazy. My brother died in that era. He was killed because he was part of that business. So, I kind of like had a lot of things, you know, I don’t want to say I had things in common, but I have to.”
Having a real-life experience came in handy for the Colombian star, but she also faced difficulties while filming that were beyond explanation. As she worked on her character, she also understood why Griselda Blanco became the monster that she was.
“Sometimes they’re choking you, sometimes they’re hitting you or screaming at you, or you’re doing all these horrible things to someone. I was also like in almost in every scene. So, it was a lot, it was a lot of stress and a lot of work that I had to do behind the scenes. And I think by episode five, I totally became a monster, and Griselda did too.”
All six episodes of Griselda are now streaming on Netflix.
