Behind Sofia Vergara's Emmy nomination for Griselda lies a heartbreaking story that ruined her family forever

Sofia Vergara's role in Griselda has certainly taken the world by surprise. For years, she focused on becoming a well-known comedic actress, only to switch gears and deliver an Emmy-nominated performance that will surely be remembered by her fans. While her performance in the series is almost mesmerizing, it's important to remember that it is entirely based on a true story.

Based on the life of Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco, who was one of the most feared people in the business, one can imagine that it would have been no easy task for Vergara to play someone like her.

In an interview, the actress admitted that the role was a particular challenge for her, as there was also a personal component involved.

Sofia Vergara's past with the cartel

One can imagine that Griselda Blanco, one of the most successful drug lords of all time, has done some very horrible things to earn her reputation. While actors often play characters who have done such things, the experience of playing the drug trafficker was a little different for Sofia Vergara for one reason.

During an interview with diversitythe actress confessed that she had a personal connection to the Colombian cartel, as her brother Rafael was murdered by them. She revealed that her family was quite wealthy, which made them a target of kidnappings. For this reason, her family often had bodyguards for protection.

We come from a successful family and he knew he was a target for kidnapping. He always had bodyguards. Then one day he went out alone and was shot. I was devastated.

However, when her brother went out without his bodyguards, he was shot by a Colombian cartel during an attempted kidnapping. What makes her story all the more tragic is the fact that the case has not been solved to this day.

How did Sofia Vergara’s family cope with this?

In the interview, Sofia Vergara continued to talk about how the loss of her brother affected her and her family. She confessed that it was one of the darkest moments in her family, as she did not know what had happened and why Rafael was taken from them so suddenly. So much so that the actress mentioned that it completely destroyed her family.

Specifically, when speaking about how much her mother's untimely death had affected her, she mentioned that she was barely around anymore. Of course, it was hard for her to experience such a tragic loss as her own son, and the actress was worried about her family's well-being.

It destroyed my family. It destroyed my mother. It changed our lives completely. We didn't know what had happened, why he had been killed.

What made the whole situation even worse was the fact that when all this happened, Vergara was in America. Not wanting to be away with her family, she moved in with them. She had to take responsibility for everyone in her family while grieving the loss herself. It's safe to say that the whole situation left a lasting mark on her and her family.

Griselda is available to stream on Netflix.