Sofia Vergara's epic transformation into drug lord Griselda Blanco explained

29 January 2024 , 15:18

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Sofia is winning praise for her portrayal of the crime boss

Sofia Vergara was forced to spend hours in the make-up chair as she was transformed into a notorious Colombian drug lord for a new Netflix series.

The Modern Family star, 51, is the standout star in Griselda, which focuses on the rise and fall of one of the most violent women in history, Griselda Blanco. The mother-of-four was dubbed the Cocaine Godmother, and reportedly raked in more than $80 million every month as she oversaw the deadly drug wars on the streets of Miami in the 1970s.

The six-part series, directed by Andrés Baiz, will look at how Griselda rose to the top of a vicious drug cartel while juggling life as a single mother, and built a criminal empire that culminated in her assassination in Colombia in 2012. Sofia is winning praise for her portrayal of the infamous Colombian drug lord - who was called the Black Widow after having three of her husbands executed - but it was no easy job transforming into Griselda.

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Sofia wanted to move far away from her Modern Family character for the gritty drama

One of the show’s co-creators Eric Newman said it was "trial and error" finding the perfect hair and make-up to enable Sofia to turn into Griselda, and she had to undergo a massive physical transformation to become far removed from her glamorous Modern Family character. "Getting the look correct was very important to me because I needed to disappear," she told Business Insider. "I wanted no one to think of me or my last role as Gloria Pritchett."

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Makeup artist Todd McIntosh said it was simply down to "taking her absolutely exotic face and turning it into an average face", which led to Sofia having to wear a prosthetic nose, covering her eyebrows, and giving her yellowing uneven teeth, as Griselda was a heavy smoker. Sofia, who has never smoked, said she was required to spend three hours in the make-up chair each day, and her hair makeover was just as complicated.

The stunning star had prosthetics, false teeth and a wig to complete her transformation

Hairstylist Kelly Kline admitted there were some "false starts" with getting Griselda’s hair right, as Sofia was "too beautiful". Instead, they opted for a much flatter wig, as big hair only accentuated the gorgeous star’s beauty. "So every hairstyle is flatter and smaller than it really should be to make her look more real as opposed to just Sofía with a wig," she explained.

Director Andrés revealed it was important Sofia felt confident in the hair and make-up, as Griselda was fearless and exuded charm, but it was a fine line between just right and over-the-top. "She wanted to feel like a different person, but not to the point in which the prosthetics or makeup took over her performance," he explained.

Griselda is streaming now on Netflix

Emma Wilson