How Sofía Vergara Concealed Her Curves for ‘Griselda’ Role

Actress Sofía Vergara, widely recognized for her comedic role in the sitcom *Modern Family*, recently took on a significantly different and more serious role. Earlier this year, the Colombian star portrayed the notorious drug lord Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries *Griselda*.

In an interview with *Variety* on August 14, Vergara shared some insights about the transformative process required to embody such a menacing character. To convincingly portray Blanco, Vergara had to alter or hide nearly every aspect of her physical appearance.

“She was maybe not a Barbie doll, but the real Griselda Blanco had something—she had some kind of sex appeal that I needed to show,” Vergara explained.

The *America’s Got Talent* judge emphasized the importance of ensuring that her body was as covered as possible. “I didn’t want the bouncing that is natural for Latin women to show,” she said. “I would have to wrap myself so that my butt wouldn’t jiggle. I had to wear a really bad bra. I had to cover my arms because I have very skinny arms, and you don’t look threatening when you have this stupid little arm.”

This role was deeply personal for Vergara, who also served as the executive producer for the series. The star’s brother was murdered by a Colombian cartel in 1996. “It destroyed my family,” she revealed. “It destroyed my mom. It changed our lives completely. We didn’t know what was happening, why he had been killed.”

Vergara admitted that while playing Blanco, she was occasionally tempted to humanize the character but had to constantly remind herself of the atrocities people like her brother experienced. “I had to check myself, like, ‘Sofía, this woman just killed hundreds of people and kids,'” she recounted. “It was very difficult not to romanticize her or to make it seem like she was the hero. She’d become a psychopath.”

*Griselda* is currently available for streaming on Netflix.