While playing Modern Family‘s beloved character Gloria, Sofia Vergara has been building her own business empire and sharpening her skills to play her dream role. And if you’re surprised, then she thinks that’s on you. 

Sofía Vergara didn’t want people to see a speck of Gloria Pritchett in her latest series. Heck, she didn’t want them to see even Sofía Vergara!  

She wanted them to see only Griselda, one of the most powerful drug lords in Colombian history. Basically, Sofía wanted to disappear from view: not easy for someone who has such striking beauty and a vibrant personality to match. But if the reviews of the Netflix miniseries Griselda are anything to go by, then she pulled it off – and made it look easy. Sofía’s proven, once again, that she’s so much more than what’s on the surface. And she knows it.  

Coming from the Caribbean  

Sofía grew up along the Caribbean Sea in the port city of Barranquilla, Colombia, with four siblings and her parents, a cattle rancher and a housewife. By 17, she had made up her mind to study dentistry. But one day in 1989, while tanning on the local beach, she was approached by a photographer who encouraged her to pursue modelling. Her first gig? A leading role in a Pepsi ad that beamed across Latin America. 

Modelling and acting offers came in hot and fast after this. Nevertheless, she signed up to study at the University of Colombia – but the seed had already been planted. The next few years of her life were a rollercoaster: she married her high-school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez when she was 18, started runway modelling and switched from dentistry to acting. In 1992, when she was 20, she welcomed her first son with Joe, Manolo. A year later, the two divorced.  

But that didn’t slow her down. Sofía co-founded Latin World Entertainment in 1994 and it’s still one of the USA’s largest Hispanic talent management firms. She also hosted a popular local travel show. Sofía got the idea for the company after struggling to find managers who worked with Hispanic TV talent, not just musicians. Decades later, they still represent her.  

Just as Sofía’s career took off, her world was shaken to its core. In 1996, her older brother Rafael was killed during a botched kidnapping. She only recently alluded that her brother was “caught up in the drug business” and that this led to his death. Her family, shattered and terrified, emigrated to Miami in 1998.   

Sofía got down to business immediately. She remained involved in Latin World Entertainment, hosted a Spanish game show and took on small acting roles. To make extra cash, she put together cover girl calendars of herself. “In the ’90s, I was making money. But it wasn’t mansion money,” she said in an interview with Kevin Hart. “I always wanted more. I always wanted to create something for me, for my son, for my family. You know, I went from [being in] Colombia and living with a lot of problems, to the United States where I wanted to take care of all of them. I wanted to make money… I started making calendars. The only thing that I could sell was really myself. I realised I was the product.”  

She first realised the impact her appearance had on others in high school. “The boys have all wanted to be with me. Not that it made me feel any better, but you realise that they treat you differently,” she told Spanish newspaper El País. “From a very young age, I’ve known my strengths and I’ve played to them. But if you only see my boobs, then that’s your problem.”  

Living in America  

As life settled in Miami, Sofía was thrown another curveball: during a routine check-up, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was just 28 years old with an eight-year-old son. Radiation and surgery followed, and she has been cancer-free ever since.  

Just two years after this health scare, Sofía landed her first movie role in the comedy Big Trouble. She then played supporting roles in other movies, but her big break came in 2009 when she landed a role in the hit series Modern Family. The series followed the misadventures of an extended family. Sofía played Gloria, the confident, expressive and much younger Colombian wife of the family patriarch, Jay Pritchett.  

During the 11 years of the show’s run, Sofía was named Forbes’ highest paid actress for seven years. But it’s not all just show business, she’s quick to point out. She remains involved in talent management and has numerous businesses in fashion, beauty and branding. “I do feel sometimes that women have that thing that they’re scared to negotiate. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and what you deserve,” she told Variety, “Because somebody is going to make that money, and somebody is going to take that money, and it needs to be you. That has worked for me, always.” After 11 award-winning seasons, it’s hard to imagine a world without the character Gloria. Nevertheless, the writers of Modern Family were often criticised for perpetuating stereotypes of Latin American women.  

“I always laughed about it because if Gloria was stereotypical, then that’s just what I am,” she says. “I created Gloria as a mixture of my mom and my aunt and the women that I grew up with in Colombia — they were loud, they were super intense, they were super colourful, super crazy, minding everybody’s business, super passionate and loving. If Gloria was a stereotypical woman, then what a magnificent stereotype. What was wrong with being Gloria?”  

Opening doors  

But while she was playing Gloria, there was another Colombian woman that Sofía just couldn’t forget: Griselda Blanco. For 12 years, Sofía slowly worked away at bringing the infamous queenpin’s story to life in a series that explores Griselda’s story, mind and legacy. Now, Sofía is not only the producer of the series, but she also plays the lead role.   

“It fascinated me that one of the reasons Griselda was able to get away with so much was because she was a woman, and they actually never thought a woman was capable of doing all the horrific things that she did,” she explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Her story is not even known in Colombia. When I was growing up in the 70s, we knew that business. My brother was part of that business and was killed in the 90s. I felt I knew this character, and I thought I could do it. Some actors, if they’re going to play a doctor they have to sit in a hospital for a while. I didn’t have to do anything [for this role] because I lived there, unfortunately. So, I thought I can play her and hopefully people like it.” 

The actress admits to being worried when she agreed to play the role. “I wanted Gloria Pritchett and Sofía to disappear. I didn’t want people to think: ‘Why does Gloria think that, with a rubber nose, she can dupe us into thinking she’s a dramatic actress?’ I was worried the whole time that they would see Gloria Pritchett in Griselda,” she explains.  

But there was some trace of Sofía: her sharp humour. “What I could take from being in a comedy for so long, and apply it to Griselda, is that I believe that life is always funny,” she shares. “In real life, there are comedic moments even when we’re in pain, suffering or in trouble. I sometimes brought that little bit of lightness that I think comes naturally to me.”  

Today, Sofía owes her staying power to grit. “My giant boobs and my body opened doors for me; they were my passport to the world when I was 20 years old, when I started as a model, but today I’m 51 years old and I’m still here,” she tells El País. “I am not afraid of [taking a] risk. I work harder than anyone. I have the personality. I have always been aware of what was outside, and I have not been afraid. There are women who are prettier, younger, who have bigger breasts and a better body than me, but I’m still around because I have demonstrated that I can stay. I don’t do brain surgery, it’s just entertainment, and the worst that can happen to me is that they can say I look ugly or that this jackass doesn’t know how to act. I can take it.” 

Words by: Christi Nortier
Photographs: Pexels