Sofia Vergara's emotional bond with the character of 'Griselda' in her Emmy-nominated role.

Sofia Vergara, an Emmy nominee for her role in "Griselda," has a painful connection to the character she portrays, Griselda Blanco, a real-life Colombian drug lord. She will compete against Jodie Foster, Naomi Watts, Brie Larson, and Juno Temple in the lead actress in a limited series category at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

In an interview with Variety prior to the ceremony, Vergara disclosed how her brother, Rafael, was murdered by a Colombian cartel in 1996 during a failed kidnapping attempt.

"It destroyed my family," Vergara said.

"He was killed, and it destroyed my mom. Our lives were completely changed as we didn't know what was happening or why."

In her hometown of Barraquilla, Colombia, Vergara has publicly discussed her brother's untimely death, which remains unsolved.

"In an interview, Vergara stated that his family was successful, and he knew he was a potential target for kidnapping. He always had bodyguards, but one day, he went out alone and was shot dead. This left Vergara devastated."

Vergara, while speaking with Variety, remembered that she was residing in the U.S. when the tragedy happened. A year prior to the tragedy, she had relocated from Colombia to Miami where she was raising her son, Manolo, now 32, and working as a host for Univision.

Following Rafael's death, Vergara persuaded her mother, sister, and younger brother Julio to relocate to Miami and reside with her.

"In 2011, she told Parade that her mother was like a zombie. She wanted to be with them, so she got a big house and they all lived together. She is grateful to be in this country."

"It changed our lives completely. We didn’t know what was happening, why he had been killed."  — Sofia Vergara

Vergara confessed in her interview with Variety that it was a challenging period for her as she had to accept accountability for her entire family.

The actress was fascinated by Blanco after watching a docuseries about Miami drug kingpins in 2006, which later motivated her to portray him.

Vergara revealed to Variety that she struggled to imagine "this Colombian mother of four being one of the most ruthless drug traffickers in history." Despite being attracted to portray Blanco, she felt it was too risky to tell the story while the drug lord was still alive.

In 2012, at the age of 69, Blanco was fatally shot while exiting a butcher store in Medellin.

In 2015, Vergara watched the first episode of the Netflix series "Narcos" and was inspired to create a project about Blanco. She contacted "Narcos" showrunner Eric Newman to discuss the possibility.

In 2021, Netflix greenlit "Griselda" after years of development, with Vergara set to star and produce.

The actress expressed her excitement about her passion project's progress but also expressed concern about portraying a character unlike any she had previously played.

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, portrayed by Sofia Vergara, gained notoriety for her role on the ABC sitcom "Modern Family," earning four Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nods during the show's run from 2009 to 2020. Additionally, Vergara has appeared in several films, including "New Year's Eve," "Machete Kills," and "Hot Pursuit."

Vergara admitted that she had never acted in a drama or toplined a show before "Griselda," and she confessed to Variety that she needed help with her acting skills.

"Jennifer Aniston was a comedic actress who excelled in dramas, she remembered."

Despite seeking guidance from Aniston's acting coach, Banks, Vergara struggled to perfect the dramatic acting abilities required for the role of Blanco.

The actress remembered that she had never acted in a crying scene and was unsure of how to convincingly fake tears on set.

"Vergara remembered Nancy's words, "If you want to cry, you just have to think of something," and how she had a lot of horrible things to think about."

Vergara, despite learning how to cry on screen, admitted that she still struggled with negative thoughts after filming ended. She shared with Variety that she became anxious after she found it hard to sleep during the first three weeks of shooting.

Nancy told me, "You're killing, screaming, crying - everything - during the day. But when you go home, your body doesn't know that you weren't really doing those things and feeling those emotions."

She continued, "I had to start taking Xanax at night to calm down. I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't know. That's why actors go crazy! How do they do that for years?"

Vergara struggled with memorizing her character's dialogue, particularly the lengthy monologues.

"Nowadays, my lines are more challenging," she remarked about her current role on "Modern Family." "It feels like I'm delivering monologues."

""I'm going through pre-menopause and can't remember where my glasses are. Now I have to learn all these monologues," Vergara joked."

Vergara had to deal with the physical aspects of becoming her character in addition to learning new acting skills. It took three hours every day to achieve Blanco's appearance, which involved applying prosthetics, a wig, facial, and body makeup.

Vergara revealed to Variety that she felt it necessary to conceal her well-known figure in order to accurately portray Blanco, but she didn't want her character to lack sexual allure entirely.

Vergara stated that she was not a Barbie doll, but Griselda Blanco had something that she needed to show, which was a kind of sex appeal.

She continued, "I didn't want my natural Latin bounce to show, so I had to wear a tight-fitting outfit to keep my butt from jiggling. I had to wear a really uncomfortable bra, and I had to cover my arms because I have very thin arms, which made me look less threatening."

Baiz taught Vergara other skills she needed for the role.

"I had never smoked in my life. Andy would visit my house every month before we started. We would discuss the script, and he would instruct me on how to smoke and do cocaine and crack," she recounted.

Vergara revealed to Variety that she aimed to depict Blanco as "the villain you can't help but sympathize with."

Vergara stated that she wanted viewers to feel some sympathy for Blanco, despite the tragic loss of her brother at the hands of a cartel. However, she admitted that she found herself empathizing too much with her character.

"Vergara stated that she struggled not to romanticize or portray Sofía as a hero after she killed hundreds of people and children. Instead, she realized that Sofía had become a psychopath."

After "Griselda" premiered in January, Vergara's performance was met with critical acclaim, which was a result of her dedication to her role.

In July, the actress expressed her gratitude and shared a heartfelt message on Instagram after receiving her Emmy Award nomination, recalling "Griselda's" long journey to the screen.

"Griselda was my first dramatic role, and it took us 15 years to bring her to life. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who was a part of this series. I could have never done this without my director Andres Baiz, my costar @el_guerra, @ericnewmanofficial, and the full creative team, my partner and producer @luisbalaguer1, @tedsarandos, @belabaj, and their team at @Netflix, and all of the amazing cast and crew."

I never imagined that after 'Modern Family,' I would be a part of something as special as 'Griselda,' she said.

"Thank you to the television academy for this incredible honor."