Sofia Vergara hid her sexy figure to transform into cartel leader Griselda Blanco.
In an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, August 14, the 52-year-old actress opened up about the physical transformation she underwent to play the title character in “Griselda,” the Netflix miniseries about the life of a Colombian drug lord.
The former Modern Family cast member noted that Blanco looked different in real life: “She may not have been a Barbie doll, but there was something about the real Griselda Blanco. There was a certain sexiness that I wanted to show,” Vergara said, adding that she wanted to hide her curves and not “jiggle.”
“I didn’t want to show the jiggling that is typical of Latina women. I had to wrap myself up so my butt wouldn’t jiggle. I had to wear really awful bras,” Vergara said, noting that she also covered other parts of her body.
Netflix
The America’s Got Talent judge continued, “I had to hide my arms because my arms are so skinny. With these ridiculous little arms, I don’t look threatening.”
PEOPLE Puzzler Crossword is here! How fast can you solve it? Play now!
According to the outlet, Vergara spent more than four hours a day in hair and makeup to transform into Blanco, including applying prosthetics, face and body makeup, and a wig.
Vergara also learned several new skills for the role, including smoking, which she learned how to do from director Andrés Baix.
“I had never smoked a cigarette in my life. Andy came to my house a month before filming began and we discussed the script and he taught me how to smoke cigarettes and use cocaine and crack,” she said.
Never miss a story: Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In the same interview, Vergara spoke about the future of Modern Family, telling Variety that she and her ex-husband Ed O’Neill joke about not letting him die before filming the sequel.
“I always joke with him: ‘Ed, please don’t die. It takes time to make a sequel and you’re the oldest of us. You can’t die!'” Vergara said.
In an exclusive interview with People magazine in 2023, Vergara said her transformation into La Jefa wasn’t just physical. “I had to change the way I walked, the way I talked. I didn’t want to look like Gloria Pritchett with a fake nose,” she said of her Modern Family character. “I wanted people to forget who Gloria was. That was the most important thing.”
Ahead of the series’ release, Netflix released some behind-the-scenes footage highlighting Vergara’s performance, with Bays noting that Vergara’s physical transformation was “one of the most challenging parts of the entire show.”
But the actress said the hard work has paid off, telling People magazine in a separate interview: “People who have seen the film now have responded so well and are telling me how much they love it. It’s really exciting to see how people are responding to the film.”
Griselda, which earned Vergara her fifth Primetime Emmy Award nomination, is currently streaming on Netflix.
