Sofia Vergara talks about her transformation to play ‘threatening’ Miami drug lord
Sofia Vergara will likely never forget what it took to play ruthless cartel leader Griselda Blanco in “Griselda.”
That’s because the actress had to undergo a complete transformation to look worlds away from her beloved character Gloria on “Modern Family.”
Vergara revisited the experience of shooting the Netflix miniseries, which included spending four hours plus in the makeup chair daily, in a new article for Variety.
One of the challenges in channeling Blanco, who ruled the streets of Miami in the Cocaine Cowboys era, were the obvious physical differences. The madrina (godmother) was stockier, heavier, stronger.
“I had to cover my arms, because I have very skinny arms,” said Vergara, who was nominated for an Emmy for the part. “You don’t look threatening when you have this stupid little arm.”
The 52-year-old “America’s Got Talent” judge also had to tone down her picture-perfect facial features by donning a prosthetic nose and fake buck teeth.
But the fellow Colombian said she believes the queenpin — who was assassinated in 2012 in Medellin, where she was deported after nearly two decades behind bars in the U.S. — was attractive in her own way.
“She was maybe not a Barbie doll, but the real Griselda Blanco had something,” Vergara told the outlet. “She had some kind of sex appeal that I needed to show.”
As for the Emmy nominee’s famous curves? Those were literally kept under wraps.
“I didn’t want the bouncing that is natural for Latin women to show,” Vergara said. “I would have to wrap myself so that my butt wouldn’t jiggle. I had to wear a really bad bra.”
