Actress Sofia Vergara recently shared that she had to undergo training to portray a character who uses cocaine in her new Netflix series. The 51-year-old star took on the role of Griselda Blanco, a notorious drug cartel leader, in the six-part series set in Miami.
Vergara discussed the challenges of playing such a complex character during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where she also talked about the prosthetics she had to wear for the role.
The TV presenter admitted, "I don't even recognize myself. How much makeup did you have on?" The actress playfully responded, "I actually do look like that, I just wear a lot of makeup."
She then described the role as one of her most challenging yet. Sofia elaborated, "In all seriousness, it was really tough because I had to wear a wig, fake teeth, and a fake nose. I even had to use plastic from my eye to my hairline to cover my thick eyebrows and achieve the look from that time period."
The transformation didn't stop there, as she also had to change her walk and learn to smoke before filming could begin. She explained, "I had to wear bras to flatten myself a bit to appear less Latina. I also had to develop a specific walk, learn to smoke, and even learn how to do cocaine. It was a complex character for me." The audience burst into laughter, and comedian Kevin Hart rolled his eyes beside her.
She added, "Yeah, I'm Colombian, but we don't use our own supply." She went on to share that she had the idea for the series over 15 years ago. The award-winning actress revealed, "This was an idea I had 15 years ago, based on a real story of a woman who was one of the biggest drug dealers in Colombia."
"She was able to operate for a long time because she was a woman, and no one suspected a woman of being part of this ruthless cartel. She was relentless."
Sofia continued, "I was fascinated by this story because of my accent, which sometimes limits the roles I can play. I had to search for roles that suited me.
"She's a woman, an immigrant, and a tough, ruthless individual. You come to realize that there was much more to her that turned her into a monster."
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