A brutal, manipulative drug lord's rise to power and dominion over a city... has never been so damn entertaining.
If you were casting for a ruthless Narcos-esque cocaine-filled drama set in the 70s and 80s of Miami, you would probably pick a safe pair of hands for your kingpin, right?
Probably a familiar face who oozes intimidation and cunning. Maybe Benicio Del Toro or Laz Alonso, or even Javier Bardem. They've all played villains, and have done so convincingly and impressively.
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Chances are you probably wouldn’t have Modern Family’s Sofía Vergara at the top of the list, but that would be a big mistake.
Vergara has cemented herself in the public consciousness as a hilarious, fun-loving actor, most notably for her role as Gloria Pritchett in Modern Family.
And that sweet image is firmly torn asunder as she steps into the shoes of a real-life Queen-pin drug empress in Netflix’s TV mini-series, Griselda.
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The show opens with a haunting quote from famed drug lord Pablo Escobar and it certainly sets the mood for the savage world we are about to witness.
“The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco,” Escobar said.
Vergara certainly lives up to the fearful and ferocious image of Blanco, with director Andrés Baiz singing her praises for her performance.
Speaking to UNILAD, Baiz and creator Eric Newman insisted her performance simply is a ‘must watch’.
“She is superb, amazing. It is like nothing you have ever seen [...] this is an intimate story about a woman in a man’s world," Baiz said.
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“We have her, we also have June Hawkins, played by Juliana Aidén Martinez, on the law enforcement side of the law.
“I love the way that [Griselda] outsmarts the men who are attacking her using more basic tactics like threats, violence and guns, she outsmarts them by using her wits and imagination and her ideas.
“It is different from any other crime show that people have watched before, it is unique and it is a lot fun.”
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Newman had high praise for Vergara and explained how the actor reached out to him to play the role rather than the other way around.
“She reached out to me and, by proxy, Andy because he is my collaborator in Narcos, and said 'I want to do this'.
"From the first meeting I had with her I was convinced she could do it, would do it and I very much wanted to be a part of it," Newman said.
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“Sofia Vergara has achieved a similar level of success [as Griselda], albeit in very different fields."
However, despite Vergara very much stealing the show, Baiz and Newman praised the entire cast and team for bringing the show to life.
And after watching the series in its entirety, I can see where they are coming from.
Griselda is a fascinating show about an expansive and greedy crime boss who takes viewers on a thrilling and murderous rampage through the party scene of Miami.
Griselda is available to stream on Netflix from today (January 25).
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Entertainment
Gerrard Kaonga