\n\tNetflix will premiere its miniseries Griselda<\/em> starring Sofia Vergara as Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco on Friday (Jan. 25). The series also marks the first time Vergara takes on a more serious role in her 30-plus-year trajectory.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cEverything was challenging for me,\u201d she tells Billboard<\/em>. \u201cMainly the first month because I was trying new things. I had never acted in Spanish or a drama or with prosthetics. The three-hours of hair and makeup were exhausting \u2026 It was a lot of different things. I had to wrap my body so it didn\u2019t look like me. I think more than one scene that was difficult was episode five. It was really hard because Griselda was going all the way down and she\u2019s doing drugs, losing her mind a little bit. We were far away from my house in L.A. We were sleeping in tiny hotels. It was difficult. And the mood that Griselda was in was exhausting for me. She was killing, screaming, crying. It was a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe series \u2014 which captures how Blanco (aka \u201cThe Cocaine Godmother\u201d) created one of the most profitable cartels in Miami in the 1970s \u2014 was co-created by showrunner Eric Newman (Narcos, Narcos: Mexico<\/em>), and directed by Andr\u00e9s Baiz (Narcos<\/em>), who helmed all six episodes. Vergara also serves as executive producer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis is a tragedy and when you\u2019re telling a story about drug trafficking, as we have with Narcos<\/em>, and someone who builds an empire and loses it, it\u2019s important that we don\u2019t glorify it and that you see there\u2019s a comeuppance of justice,\u201d Newman says. \u201cWhat was interesting about this story for us is that she\u2019s that last line of defense for her children, and it made her story for us really about the mother. When you meet her, you\u2019re instantly connected to her, and when you actually watch her build this empire, where the story has to end is where that primary directive of \u2018protect my children\u2019 fails. That, for us, became the character\u2019s journey, and it\u2019s all about the character, which Sofia absolutely nailed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tGriselda<\/em> also features Karol G<\/a> in her acting debut as \u201cCarla,\u201d one of Griselda\u2019s \u201cmules\u201d who transports drugs to the U.S. For the role, the Colombian superstar spent months in acting and body movement classes, and took in-person and virtual lessons that \u201ctotally opened my eyes to a different perspective. They\u2019ve helped my career as an artist and my development onstage,\u201d she previously told Billboard<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWorking with Karol G was amazing,\u201d notes Baiz. \u201cShe was so much fun. She was humble on set and hardworking. Just the energy that she brought to the set and to her character was very authentic. She\u2019s from Medellin, she\u2019s paisa<\/em>, it\u2019s the way she speaks. She\u2019s a performer, so she had it in her. It was wonderful working with her. When she came to the set, everyone was happy. Very professional. It was fantastic. I wish there was more of Karol G in the show, but it\u2019s just a taste.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Karol](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/02-Griselda-netflix-billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024\")