Sofía Vergara’s Griselda Transformation Took Three Hours to Complete

NETFLIX LOVES TO make a miniseries or movie that recreates real events, especially if they can attach a notable name to the show. Inventing Anna, Nyad, Dahmer, Narcos, When They See Us and many, many more make up a sizable part of the streaming service’s catalog. The newest addition stars Sofía Vergara as the lead in Griselda.

The miniseries is a fictionalized recounting of the story of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord most active in the 1970s and ’80s. Griselda follows Blanco’s rise to power, her downfall, and her demise. The six-episode series has earned high praise from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, with Vergara getting particular acclaim for her performance.

One of the obstacles to recreating the lives of real people for the screen is authenticity. Locations have to feel realistic, the clothes all the actors wear, the way they talk—all of it. And for the lead of the show, there’s often particular scrutiny into how they look. It’s a touch choice to make minor changes (like dying someone’s hair or having them wear a wig) or go for a full transformation with movie magic help from prosthetics and other makeup tools.

While it’s easy to see Sofía Vergara is playing Griselda (as most actors tend to have a pretty unforgettable look), it’s clear she doesn’t appear exactly as she usually does to match Griselda Blanco’s face. For viewers without much knowledge of what goes into makeup, it may not feel like a difficult job, but here’s what actually went into Sofia Vergara’s transformation into the infamous drug lord.