Sofia Vergara is ready for her close-up. The Colombian icon will be surprising fans with an incredible performance, taking on the dramatic role of Griselda Blanco, the violent drug lord from the 80s, who was known to have control of the drug trade from Colombia to Miami at the time, building a criminal empire in the process.

The story of Griselda precedes the infamous Pablo Escobar, and Sofia took on the challenge to portray the criminal figure, a different role to what she is used to, as rising to fame for her comedic timing and bubbly personality. Eric Newman, creator and executive producer of the series, revealed that “she had to push herself to the limit.”

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During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Newman detailed some of the “pressure” Sofia faced, as she prepared to get into the head of Griselda. “This was a chance to reinvent herself and step out of her comfort zone, which was very brave of her,“ he said.

Newman, who was also the creator and director of ‘Narcos,’ explained that Sofia “knew she had to dive in completely into this role and feel insecure and afraid, but she knew that all she had was her work, that she had to push herself to the limit.”

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He continued to share with the publication; “I think that she really understood what it was like. She’s got a son and she came to this country as a young mother with not much of a plan.” Sofia also had to face other types of challenges for the first time, “So for example, she had to learn how to smoke. Sofía had never smoked in her life,” Newman said.

“What Sofía brings to the role is, you just like her,” Newman revealed to EW. “You’re like, ‘I like this person and I hope good things happen to her.’ And then she’s doing really bad things… terrible things, to the point where you are wondering if you really want her to get away with this anymore.”

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