Sofía Vergara is on a press run to promote her lead role in the new Netflix series “Griselda,” and the Colombian actress got into a seemingly friendly exchange with Kelly Clarkson during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Jan. 25.
“Griselda” is about Griselda Blanco, a Colombian woman known as “The Cocaine Godmother” who became a Miami drug lord during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. Blanco is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least 200 people and three husbands, and Vergara stars as Blanco in the Netflix series.
The former “Modern Family” star was floored after the talk show host noted that Vergara’s prosthetics seemed “slight,” referring to her drastic facial transformation into Blanco.
“This is incredible. You look — I feel like they only changed your nose or something,” said Clarkson, prompting Vergara to reply, “What? Are you crazy?”
The 51-year-old told Clarkson to “shut up” and added that she spent a long time transforming into Blanco. The former “American Idol” star tried to explain that it seemed like Vergara only had prosthetics on her nose.
“Whatever they did, it looks slight,” which prompted Vergara to reply, “No Kelly! It took hours… Don’t be jealous. It was a wig. Shut up.”
“They did a lot to me,” she continued. “It was teeth. It was wig. It was nose. It was plastic from here to here.” She went on to note that she was glad that Clarkson noticed that her makeup looked natural and real. Vergara added that she had to learn how to walk differently and how to smoke to play the dramatic role, which was a far cry from her work on the sitcom “Modern Family.”
Sofía Vergara sheds her ‘Modern Family’ image in the Netflix series ‘Griselda,’ where she takes on the role of Griselda Blanco, a notorious drug smuggler in the 1970s and 1980s who is credited with establishing trafficking routes between the US and Colombia pic.twitter.com/fCAD5Urn7X
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) January 25, 2024
During the Miami movie premiere on Jan. 23, Vergara told People magazine that it was challenging to play a cartel leader.
“It was a lot of work, it was a lot of preparation,” she said. “I had to really investigate what it meant to be a woman in that era. A mother, a Colombian woman… that turned into this monster. So, it was a really difficult task for me to understand it. We are both Colombian, we are both immigrants, we are both mothers, we are both women. So, I did relate to her a lot.”
Vergara and Netflix also are reportedly being sued by Blanco’s family over “Griselda.” The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Blanco’s son, Michael Blanco, who wants artistic recognition and compensation for the film. Vergara also executive-produced the series.
“Griselda” is available now.
