Sofia Vergara’s latest Netflix release, Griselda, has received a favorable welcome on the streaming platform, despite facing legal issues. Critics have praised the performance of Vergara, who disappears into the role of Griselda Blanco, the notorious Godmother of Cocaine. Vergara opens up about playing the more dramatic Griselda as opposed to her roles in comedy projects. The Hot Pursuit actress revealed that her roles were limited by her accent.
Vergara debuted in television roles in Columbia and later transitioned to roles in American films & TV upon relocating to the U.S. However, it was her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in Modern Family that propelled her to stardom. Forbes reported that in 2016, Vergara was the highest-paid actress on television.
Sofia Vergara Reveals Why Her Acting Roles Are Limited
Sofia Vergara is almost unrecognizable in her portrayal of the crime boss in Netflix’s Griselda. Vergara revealed to the Los Angeles Times that she was in search of characters that would allow her to showcase her dramatic acting skills without her “stupid” accent becoming an issue. She made fun of her accent, stating she couldn’t play a scientist or act in Schindler’s List with the Spanish-influenced accent. The Machete Kills actress told the Los Angeles Times:
“I’m always looking for characters because there’s not much that I can play with this stupid accent. I can’t play a scientist or be in ‘Schindler’s List.’ My acting jobs are kind of limited.”
However, hailing from Barranquilla, Colombia, Vergara believed the infamous Columbian drug lord Griselda was the fitting dramatic role she could play. In addition to acting, she also served as a producer on the series. Vergara knew it was going to be a challenging role and hired an acting coach, Nancy Banks, who earlier worked with Margot Robbie and Jennifer Aniston.
She revealed that she lacked any formal training in acting, while her former husband, Joe Manganiello, was a classically trained actor. Vergara observed the True Blood actor’s preparations and wondered if she could attain that level of acting proficiency. The America’s Got Talent judge shared:
“I had no clue what it meant to have a process. It was tricky because I don’t have any real training as an actor. I was married to Joe [Manganiello], who is a f**king classically trained actor. I would ask things and I would see how he would prepare. I was kind of always like, ‘What do real actors do? Can I do this?’”
Throughout her preparation for the role, Vergara grappled with self-doubt, questioning her ability to play the character truthfully. However, during filming, she discovered that she could play the character authentically by channeling “anger and a lot of things about my upbringing and where I come from and who I am”. Vergara’s brother Julio had several brushes with the law due to his longtime drug addiction.
Sofia Vergara Shut Down A TV Host Who Mocked Her Accent
Despite Sofia Vergara’s self-deprecating humor about her accent, she doesn’t tolerate jabs from others. When appearing on the Spanish talk show, El Hormiguero, host Pablos Motos attempted to mock her English accent. Motos interrupted Vergara when she was discussing her hit sitcom Modern Family and questioned her pronunciation of “Modern Family.”
Vergara was confused by the host’s interruption, but quickly caught on that he was trying to ridicule her accent. She clapped back at Motos, asking, “How many Emmy nominations do you have in the United States, sorry? How many times have they nominated you for a Golden Globe?” Interestingly, Vergara was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes for her supporting actress role in Modern Family from 2010-13.
Sofía Vergara ayer se despertó y decidió coger todo su talento, plantar su coño en el plató de El Hormiguero y hacer lo que a todos nos hubiese gustado hacer: dejar en ridículo a pablo motoreta
simplemente una reina pic.twitter.com/3bTUOvMWWn
— no me llamo vicenta (@kansaita_) January 9, 2024
However, Vergara took it all in fun and shared no bad blood with Motos. While she’s not a crime boss in real life, Vergara is certainly a lady boss, owning the brand called ‘Sofia by Sofia Vergara’. She also owns the beauty brand, Toty.
Griselda is now streaming on Netflix, while all seasons of Modern Family are now available for streaming on Hulu.
