ACTRESS Sofia Vergara has tackled her most dramatic role yet in the new Netflix show, Griselda, and her performance is set to open doors for more serious parts, her co-star believes.
Sofia, 51, transforms her look to play the infamous Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history and became known as “The Godmother.”
The Netflix miniseries sees the actress deliver one coup de theatre after another, and Martin Rodriguez was shocked to see how well she adapted to the role.
Martin plays her right-hand man and enforcer Rivi, based on Rivi Ayala, who is also the only person from within Griselda’s inner circle that is still alive today and in prison.
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Los Angeles-based Martin, 45, opened up about filming the highly-anticipated series, and what it was like to be on set with Vergara.
“She’s an amazing actress. I was impressed. Her performance was incredible. I have absolutely no doubt this will open doors for her and lead to more serious roles,” he shared.
“It was the first time I had worked with her and I had this idea that she was a comedy actress, I see her making jokes all the time.
“She has a great personality, she’s a joker, very fun and very sweet and, but then she can switch to a real, dramatic situation, so instantaneously, it was amazing to see. How a person can just switch in a second, is crazy.”
“There was a synergy that came with working with Sofia, the strength, and precision she possesses, so nothing in the dramatic scenes was needed besides just being present and connected with her and with the situation, that was it,” Martin continued.
“She was very open to connecting with the actors outside the set, you know, she was interested to know your life, where you’re living, she was very sweet, everyone was, it was like a family.”
CHARISMATIC ROLE
Sofia, best known for playing Gloria Pritchett in Modern Family, admitted to the LA Times, “I’m always looking for characters because there’s not much that I can play with this stupid accent. I can’t play a scientist or be in ‘Schindler’s List.’ My acting jobs are kind of limited.”
As for Martin’s character on the show, it is billed as “charismatic, sexy, and full of intrigue,” and he revealed he auditioned for several different roles before producers decided to cast him as Rivi instead.
The hitman, in real life, cut a deal with the state attorney’s office in Miami-Dade County to testify against his former boss, Griselda.
But in a shocking turn of events, the charming convict ended up having X-rated phone conversations with secretaries working at the prosecutor’s office.
It resulted in a political scandal that rendered his testimony inadmissible and helped knock Griselda’s murder charges down to the second degree.
Talking about filming the show, Martin said, ‘It was a long and intense process. The characters in the project were very well-defined and there was a clear intention of how producers were going to tell this story.
“Rivi is based on a real person. He was very close to Griselda Blanco. And when he meets her, he’s completely fascinated by her … he’s willing to do anything for her.
“This is something very different about her that attracts him and touches him very deeply.”
“The relationship between the two of them is platonic but they become very close,” he added.
Griselda was released from prison in 2004 and deported to Colombia, but she was fatally shot in 2012.
CREATIVE LICENSE
The series is set in Miami during the ’70s and ’80s cocaine boom.
The creative team used archive news articles, and interviews from the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys featuring Rivi, along with transcripts and depositions.
Although it’s based on true events in history, the producers used creative license to tell the story of Griselda.
Martin said he enjoyed the “mystery” that surrounded his character and how his behavior could often be unpredictable, but he was also a feminist who respected women.
“I think he was a guy who was tired of the world where men exercise violence to become powerful,” he said.
“This feeling of resentment may have made him feel ready to contribute to Griselda’s work. Because I think he was a gangster, but deconstructed, you know.
“The process of filming this was fantastic, and the energy of the ’70s and ’80s, the styling and attitude.
“Although we had to create an internal experience to the caliber of this character, I think the very nature of the character demanded a certain eccentricity and that translated into his image, his wardrobe.”
Martin, who was born in Argentina and raised in Spain, said he had a blast shooting the show in Los Angeles two years ago, and he’s glad after the writer’s strike it finally made it to streaming.
“I was a little nervous to watch myself back you know, but it’s how you learn,” he admitted.
“I’m glad the early reviews have been great and we can finally show all of our hard work.”
Griselda, which was also executive-produced by Sofia, is streaming on Netflix now.
