Netflix's true crime series Griselda promises a new side of SofiaVergara. ATXFestival
producer Ingrid Escajeda discussed her role as showrunner of upcoming Netflix seriesco-showrunner Maggie Cohn, and moderator Emily Moss Wilson.
Escajeda discussed getting to bring a fresh perspective to Griselda Blanco’s story and re-examining the popular narratives about Blanco which were formed primarily by male writers in the 70s and 80s. She explained the series will lean into the complexity of Blanco’s story as a mother and abuse survivor who grew up surrounded by Colombia’s civil war La Violencia .
Escajeda said Vergara’s comedic sensibilities actually served her well in this project, and remarked how Vergara’s inherent likability made it easier to convey the humanity in a complicated character like Blanco. That’s not to say that Vergara shied away from the darkness of Blanco’s life. “It’s a Sofía Vergara you’ve never seen.”