SOFIA Vergara has admitted she struggled to sleep while filming for her Netflix show Griselda – and hinted the exhausting project could have contributed to her divorce.
The actress, 51, took on the challenging role of “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco for several months beginning in January 2022, while she was still married to Joe Manganiello.
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Although she filmed in Los Angeles, Sofia says she barely slept in her own bed, instead staying in motels near the set, and found it difficult to relax after long days being in character.
Joe, 47, filed for divorce the following year and listed their separation date as July 2, 2023.
Although Sofia told Spanish media they separated because he wanted children, she has revealed they may have also struggled because of her acting role.
During a Netflix FYSEE event last Sunday, A Conversation With Sofia Vergara, in Los Angeles, said spoke openly about her first big drama role and the toll it took on her.
“It was amazing, but I did [think] at the beginning that something bad was happening to me,” she admitted.
“I was used to Modern Family. Gloria Pritchett. We would be on set laughing. I knew all those lines, they were just like inside of me already after 11 seasons.
“And comedy, you go home happy, you spend your day happy. This is another thing.
“I think that’s why some actors become, you know, [crazy] because your body doesn’t know that you’re killing someone, screaming all day long, you’re cutting someone’s head or doing cocaine.
“I would go home and then I’m like, and now what?”
The discussion host asked her, “Were your friends and family like, ‘Are you okay?’ Did they see the difference?”
“Well, I wasn’t around much people because I was working. I was like in every single scene, so I would go home… but now that I think about it, I got a divorce,” she quipped, as the audience erupted in laughter.
“But I didn’t know [something was wrong]. I was like, what is happening to me?” she added.
“Your body doesn’t know that you’re not really feeling all those things of anxiety and fear and whatever and so I had to start taking like a little something to fall asleep.”
“Something legal of course,” she continued, as the studio audience laughed again.
I was like, what is happening to me?”
Sofia Vergara
Sofia also explained how she was on set for up to 16 hours a day wearing prosthetics and barely ever made it home after filming.
“I wanted to give it my 100 percent,” she said.
“I thought at the beginning, I want to shoot in Los Angeles because I want to sleep every night in my house because I know that it’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be long days.
“I mean, we would start Fridays late and we would finish, I would get home at 7, 8 in the morning.
MOVING ON
“[But] even though I was living in LA, I was in Pomona in some little motel… in Long Beach, like 50 percent of the time I didn’t even sleep in my house and I was shooting here in Los Angeles. The distances and the turnaround, it was crazy.”
Sofia, who also regrets juggling America’s Got Talent with her drama project, has been dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman since October 2023.
The actress finalized her divorce from the Magic Mike star on April 4, 2024, and he has also moved on with girlfriend Caitlin O’Connor.
Sofia, who has a son Manolo, 32, from her first marriage to childhood sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, revealed the main reason behind their split from Joe in a candid interview with El Pais.
“Well, I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years,” she told the outlet in January.
“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby.
“I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore. I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother,” Sofia explained.
“So, if love comes along, he [whatever new partner] has to come with [his own] children. I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things.
“When my son becomes a dad, let him bring the baby to me for a while and then I’ll give it back to him and go on with my life; that’s what I have to do.”
Top Picks from Sofia Vergara’s Walmart Collection
Sofia Vergara’s collection for Walmart is full of affordable but flattering pieces, from shapewear essentials to on-trend denim and outerwear.
Here are our picks of the collection:
*If you click on a link in this article, we may earn affiliate revenue.
- Sofia by Sofia Vergara Women’s and Plus Sandra One Piece Swimsuit, $36 – buy here
- Sofia Jeans Women’s Super High Rise Luxe Cargo Pants, $24.50 – buy here
- Sofia Active Women’s Super Soft Twist Back Top, $20 – buy here
- Sofia Jeans by Sofia Vergara Women’s Dress and Cardi Set, $17.78 – buy here
- Sofia Active by Sofia Vergara Women’s High Waist Studio Fit and Flare Pants, $19.99 – buy here
- Sofia Jeans Women’s Stretch Satin Double Breasted Blazer, $39 – buy here
- Sofia Jeans Women’s and Women’s Plus Slip Dress, $19 – buy here
Shop Sofia Vergara’s full collection for Walmart here.
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