Sofia Vergara has taken a dramatic leap in her latest project, “Griselda,” a Netflix series where she stars and serves as an executive producer. 

The series is a stark contrast to her previous work. Vergara, familiar to audiences as the vibrant Gloria Pritchett, on “Modern Family,” surprised fans with her decision to play a character as intense as Griselda Blanco. 

Blanco, a notorious drug lord and a single mother of four, rose to infamy as a cartel leader, infamous for introducing cocaine to the masses–a fact that intrigued Vergara.

“As a woman, I was fascinated. Like, how did she become even more ruthless, more horrific than any man,” said Vergara.

It’s alleged that Blanco ordered the deaths of hundreds of people, but she first became entangled in the drug trade as a desperate way to support her children. Vergara said that when she thought of Griselda, she wanted her to be like Tony Soprano, from the HBO series, “The Sopranos,”  a character that people didn’t hate, said Vergara, “even though he was a bad guy.” 

Method acting played a significant role in Vergara’s preparation for the role. She admitted to never having smoked before and practiced for months to fit the part.

“And I was like, ‘Oh my god, why now suddenly after 50 years I’m gonna be a smoker?'” she said. 

The role hit home for her as well, having grown up in Colombia during the height of narco-trafficking.

An estimated quarter of a million people were killed during Colombia’s decades-long drug war. Among the casualties was Vergara’s brother Rafael.

“My brother was part of that business. I know what that kind of business can do to a family, to a person, to a country,” she said.

Vergara’s journey from a young model discovered on a beach in Barranquilla, Colombia, to one of the highest-paid actors on television, involved many small roles including a Pepsi commercial she was afraid to do because she was in Catholic school.

Eventually, she would move to Miami with her son Manolo, after a divorce from her high school sweetheart. She would eventually head to Hollywood and land her iconic role in “Modern Family.”

“I always wanted to make money. It was, like, to me it was all about, you know, making money for my son to put him in a great college, to help my family,” she said. 

With “Griselda,” Vergara takes pride in creating a production that showcases Latino talent, including singer Karol G in her first acting role. Despite initial nerves about embodying such a complex character, Vergara’s son Manolo reassured her she was capable of playing the role.

Now, Vergara said she is ready to continue shining after building a decadeslong career.

“You have to work. You have to work more than anyone if you have an accent like me. And, you know, you have to prove yourself more if you’re a minority. It hasn’t been easy, but I mean, it’s been amazing.”

Jonathan Vigliotti

Jonathan Vigliotti is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles. He previously served as a foreign correspondent for the network’s London bureau.