- Sofia Vergara says her acting jobs are limited because of her "stupid accent."
- "I can't play a scientist or be in 'Schindler's List,'" Vergara told the LA Times.
Sofia Vergara says her acting jobs are limited because of the way she speaks.
Vergara, best known for playing Gloria Pritchett in "Modern Family," spoke to the LA Times about the difficulties she faced in the industry and preparing for her role in the Netflix series "Griselda."
"I'm always looking for characters because there's not much that I can play with this stupid accent," she told the LA Times. "I can't play a scientist or be in 'Schindler's List.' My acting jobs are kind of limited."
However, it looks like the 51-year-old actor's accent may have worked to her advantage when it comes to her latest part, a portrayal of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. Vergara plays the title character in "Griselda," a Netflix series released on Thursday.
"I'm not a killer, but I am a mother; I am Colombian," Vergara said.
Even though she had read up on Blanco for years before the project began, she was still worried she couldn't shed her "Modern Family" image.
The night before the filming of "Griselda" commenced, Vergara says she was filled with self-doubt and wasn't confident she could pull the role off convincingly.
"'Just because I put on a rubber nose, they're not going to know that Gloria Pritchett is talking?' They're going to say, 'Who does she think she is?'" Vergara said, recounting the thoughts she had.
Thankfully, her son reassured her and gave her the encouragement she needed, she added: "Manolo said to me: 'You can do this. You have it in you.'"
Despite that, Vergara says she was often frustrated with herself for not being able to get rid of her accent.
"Eva Longoria doesn't have an accent. Jennifer Lopez doesn't have an accent. Jessica Alba doesn't have an accent," she added. "How come I can't f— get this right? I've been here for 30 years. How dumb can I be?"
Earlier this month, during an interview on Spanish talk show "El Hormiguero," Vergara called out host Pablo Motos for mocking the way she pronounced the name of the show "Modern Family" in English.
"I say it wrong? Oh, because you speak better English than me?" Vergara said in Spanish. "How many Emmy nominations do you have in the United States, sorry?"