‘Griselda’s Sofia Vergara Makes History As First Latina Nominated For Lead Actress In Limited Series
Sofia Vergara has earned her fifth Emmy Award nomination today for her portrayal of real-life drug queenpin Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries Griselda, the first dramatic role of her career. The recognition makes Colombia-born Vergara the first Latina, born in a Latin country, nominated in the “Lead Actress in a Limited Series” category.
Latin American Anya Taylor-Joy—who won in the category for The Queen’s Gambit—was born in Miami to an Argentine father.
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Vergara’s four prior Emmy nominations (2010-2013) were under the “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” category for her portrayal of Gloria Pritchett in ABC’s Modern Family.
From creators Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Ingrid Escajeda and Carlo Bernard, Griselda chronicles the life of Colombian-born Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. In 1970s-80s Miami, Blanco’s lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helped her expertly navigate between business and family.
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Across 6 episodes, Vergara flexed her dramatic chops in a performance unlike any project she has tackled in the past. She channeled “La Madrina” physically through prosthetics and period costuming, hair and makeup and via her performance of a woman who was tough to rattle and nearly impossible to beat. In her heyday, Griselda stoked fear in some of the scariest men in the game— including Pablo Escobar.
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“There were a million things that I was nervous about, mainly my performance,” Vergara previously told Deadline. “This was my first time acting in Spanish, my first time doing drama and I was nervous if I was going to be able to convince people that it wasn’t just Gloria Pritchett with a plastic nose.”
She added, “It’s a risk to do something like this because you never know. To realize people actually love it, it’s a gift.”
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