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Sofia Vergara Sued by Griselda Blanco’s Family Over Netflix Show

Blanco’s children say their family’s name and image were used without their consent.
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Griselda. Sofia Vergara as Griselda in episode 101 of Griselda. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Many Netflix subscribers are anticipating watching Modern Family standout Sofia Vergara in the upcoming series, Griselda. The series focuses on Griselda Blanco Of course, one of the world’s most prominent drug lords. The show is due for release on Jan. 25 on the streamer. But if Blanco’s family has it their way, it’ll never see the light of day. TMZ reports the Colombian queen-pin’s children filed an injunction to try to prevent the series from being released. Vergara is named in the suit, as well as Netflix. They claim the show is an unauthorized use of their family’s image and likeness. Blanco’s children are executives over her estate. 

In the suit, Blanco’s son Michael claims he’d been doing interviews for years now in hopes of telling his and his mother’s story. According to him, the interviews date back to 2009 and ended in 2022. The interviewees reportedly are interested in developing a film or television project, as well as a book, and planned on shopping it around to producers, and that even Netflix was interested. Michael claims he learned the Vergara-led series but the family won’t benefit financially from it.  As a result, he says Netflix ripped off their family story without their knowledge or consent. 

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Vergara is known primarily for her role as the sexy, younger wife of Jay Pritchett in the 11-season run of ABC’s Modern Family, Gloria Pritchett. Her on-screen character has a similar fashion taste as she does. Fans are impressed with her transformation in the forthcoming Netflix series. “I needed to disappear,” Vergara told E! News in an interview. “It was in Miami in the ’70s and the ’80s. Getting the look correct was very important to me.”

Director Andrés Baiz said the transformation took lots of work. “Her physical transformation, that was one of the toughest aspects of the whole show,” Baiz told E!. “What we decided was that she has to be different than Sofía, but we shouldn’t imitate Griselda Blanco.” Vergara’s hair and makeup prep took hours daily, and included five wigs for multiple different timelines as well as prosthetic eyebrows, a fake nose, and false yellowed teeth (Blanco was a chain smoker.) Vergara even changes her posture to resemble Blanco as she ages throughout the series.