Sofía Vergara gushed about being surrounded by loved ones at the premiere of her Netflix miniseries, “Griselda,” on Tuesday night after her split from Joe Manganiello.
“Everybody that is in Miami that matters to me is here,” the Colombian actress, 51, said as she stood alongside producer Eric Newman at the Fillmore theater.
“This has been a great night for me.”
Vergara — who is known for her sense of humor — then quipped that she had something “super important” to add, stating that “Griselda” is “a lot better than ‘Narcos,'” which Newman, 53, also produced.
The audience burst into laughter before the “Modern Family” alum went on to thank everyone who “supported” her and “believed that Gloria Pritchett was able to play Griselda Blanco.”
Vergara has made a name for herself in comedy over the years and often ranks as the highest-paid actress in television, but “Griselda” pushed her out of her comfort zone as she embarked on her first leading dramatic role.
Pvnew spoke to the series’ director, Andrés Baiz, who shared how he was able to help Vergara tap into her emotions for the character of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco.
“During the process of pre-production, I used to go to her house and we went over the scenes, over the character and asked ourselves questions and also talked about ourselves,” the filmmaker explained.
“Sofia told me many stories about her upbringing, harsh stories, tragic stories about her life, and I said, ‘Sofia, use that. Use that in certain moments of the process, of the shooting, when you have to do a very dramatic scene, something that is hurting. Don’t shy away from that. Connect with those memories.'”
Baiz, 49, confirmed that one of the dark memories from Vergara’s past that helped her connect with her character was the death of her brother, Rafael Vergara, who was killed in an attempted kidnapping in 1998.
“I think it’s very important for an actor to not shy away from those emotions from their past, and that’s what makes a great performance,” he concluded.
Baiz also praised Reggaeton artist Karol G, who makes her acting debut in the crime drama.
“She brought an energy and authenticity to the character that was impressive, very professional, and she was a lot of fun on set,” the director said of the “Tusa” singer. “We actually wrote more for her because she was doing so good.”
Sofía was seen posing with Karol, 32, and the rest of her castmates at the event while wearing a stunning, strapless gold gown.
The “America’s Got Talent” judge did not bring a date, but she was joined by her longtime BFF Chi Bui and niece Claudia Vergara.
Manganiello, 47, filed for divorce from Sofía in July 2023 after seven years of marriage.
Prior to that, the couple was often seen walking red carpets together at award shows and premieres.
However, Sofía recently confirmed during her “Griselda” press tour that she and Manganiello called it quits because he wanted to have kids and she didn’t want to be an “old mom.” (She already has a 32-year-old son, Manolo, with her high school sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez.)
It appears they have both moved on, though. The “Magic Mike” star has been dating actress Caitlin O’Connor — who is 13 years his junior — since the fall.
Sofía, for her part, has been spotted on many date nights with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman. However, it does not appear that the doctor was in attendance at Tuesday’s event.
“Griselda” begins streaming Thursday on Netflix.
