Sofia Vergara’s transformative role in Griselda makes her look nearly unrecognizable in the new series from the creators of Narcos. Since the six-part miniseries was released on Netflix on January 25, 2024, it has become one of the most popular original series on the streaming platform. Considering the critical success of Netflix’s original Narcos series, which chronicled the life and politics of Pablo Escobar and the infamous Medellín cartel during the 1980s, Griselda naturally draws a lot of hype and comparisons to the celebrated Narcos.
While Griselda worked for the Medellín cartel and certainly knew Pablo Escobar in real life, the new Netflix series avoids overlapping their narratives in order to focus more intently on the true story of Griselda Blanco. Griselda marks Sofia Vergara’s first return to television since Modern Family ended with its 250th episode in 2020. The 4-time Emmy-nominated actress delivers one of the best performances of her career in Griselda, especially considering the amount of makeup that went into her character.
Is Pablo Escobar In The Griselda Blanco Show? Opening Quote & Connection Explained
The new Netflix series Griselda has many similar timelines and thematic overlaps with the world of Pablo Escobar and the acclaimed series Narcos.
Sofía Vergara’s Griselda Prosthetics & Makeup Explained
It’s no surprise that the makeup team behind Griselda had the challenging task of transforming the alluring Sofia Vergara into a ruthless killer and Colombian drug lord. Vergara explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show that the makeup process was “a lot” and required “hours” in the makeup chair every day before filming (via Today). In order to capture the full essence of Griselda, Vergara wore a wig, used fake teeth, and had prosthetics applied to her face.
Vergara notably still looks different than Griselda in the Netflix series and has a different body type than the real-life queenpin. According to Eric Newman, one of the creators of Griselda, “We didn’t want her to look like Griselda, particularly at the expense of performance, because what ends up happening in a lot of those prosthetic shows is the nose does the acting.” In this way, focusing too much on Griselda’s look in the series would have limited Vergara’s abilities as an actor at the expense of a more realistic aesthetic.
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The Sofía Vergara-led Netflix series Griselda shares many thematic similarities with the celebrated Narcos but still makes sure to tell its own story.
How Long It Took Sofía Vergara To Turn Into Griselda Blanco
Vergara notes that the transformation process into becoming Griselda took “an hour and a half” in the makeup chair each day. The Griselda makeup department, which was made up of a total of 9 artists, applied thin prosthetic eyebrows over Vergara’s natural ones, as well as a wider prosthetic nose and fake yellowed teeth that demonstrated the real-life Griselda’s smoking habit. Vergara’s hair is also made much thinner in Griselda in order to make her appear less attractive than she naturally is. This helped capture the intimidating demeanor of the notorious queenpin Griselda Blanco.
Source: Today
Griselda
Griselda is a Netflix mini-series inspired by the savvy and ambitious Colombian businesswoman Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspected savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business, leading her to become widely known as the “Godmother.”
- Release Date
- January 25, 2024
- Cast
- Alberto Ammann , Paulina Davila , Alberto Guerra , Martin Rodriguez , Sofia Vergara , Diego Trujillo , Juliana Aidén Martinez , Christian Tappan , Gabriel Sloyer , Vanessa Ferlito , José Zúñiga
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Doug Miro , Eric Newman , Carlo Bernard , Ingrid Escajeda
- Writers
- Ingrid Escajeda , Doug Miro , Cassie Pappas
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Directors
- Andrés Baiz
- Showrunner
- Ingrid Escajeda
