Sofía Vergara stars as the “Cocaine Godmother”.
The cast of Griselda, a new drama inspired by the life of “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most powerful cartels in history, is headed up by Sofía Vergara, best known for her comedy work on Modern Family.
She stars alongside a wealth of talent, some of whom you’ll recognise, others who are relative newcomers, who play various real-life figures from Blanco’s life.
Netflix notes that Griselda is a “fictionalised” version of events, imagining how the so-called Godmother held a tight grip on her illegal trade through a “lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm”.
Vergara has touched upon her transformation into Blanco in a recent press conference, revealing: “I was nervous about it because I sometimes watch movies and it distracts me a lot to see [prosthetics], so I wanted her to look human and I wanted to be able to act with all those things that I had on.”
Read more:
- Sofia Vergara explains challenging transformation into Griselda Blanco
- Sofia Vergara transforms into Griselda in first trailer for Netflix drama
For more information about who’s playing who alongside Griselda, and where you’ve seen them before, read on.
Griselda cast
- Sofía Vergara as Griselda Blanco
- Juliana Aidén Martinez as June Hawkins
- Alberto Guerra as Dario
- Vanessa Ferlito as Carmen
- Christian Tappan as Arturo Mesa
- Camilo Jimenez Varon as Rafa Salazar
- Diego Trujillo as German Panesso
- Martin Rodriguez as Jorge “Rivi” Ayala-Rivera
- Orlando Pineda as Dixon
- Jose Velazquez as Uber
- Martin Fajardo as Ozzy
- Maximiliano Hernández as Papo Mejia
- Gabriel Sloyer plays Raul Diaz
- Paulina Dávila plays Isabel
- Karol G as Carla
- Alberto Ammann as Alberto Bravo
- Fredy Yate as Chucho Castro
- Julieth Restrepo as Marta Ochoa
- José Zúñiga as Amilcar
- Christian Gnecco Quintero as Fabio Ochoa
- Aurora Cossio as Estella
Sofía Vergara as Griselda Blanco
Who is Griselda Blanco? Known as the “Cocaine Godmother” and the “Black Widow”, Griselda was a female drug lord who “created one of the most powerful cartels in history”. She was the “brains behind her husband Alberto’s drug trafficking operation in Medellín and New York”, per the show’s notes, before fleeing to Florida with her three sons, where she built her own empire and became a global name.
“Most of the people know of Griselda as the ruthless, violent drug lord that she was,” said Vergara. “So we were very careful not to glorify her in the series.
“But we also wanted to take time to uncover the deeper story of Griselda, how beyond all odds, a poor uneducated woman from Colombia managed to create a massive, multi-billion dollar empire in a male-dominated industry, in a country that was not her own, through tactics that she devised that were both ingenious and cruel.”
Where have I seen Sofía Vergara before? She’s best known for US sitcom Modern Family. Vergara is also a judge on America’s Got Talent.
Juliana Aidén Martinez as June Hawkins
Who is June Hawkins? A Miami PD intelligence analyst who works in an all-male squad, many of whom “frequently sideline” her. “June struggles to convince her colleagues that a woman could be the savvy leader of a dangerous drug cartel,” says Netflix. She’s also a single mum, and one of the only people who speaks Spanish on the force, which comes in handy.
Where have I seen Juliana Aidén Martinez before? This is her biggest role to date. Martinez has played minor parts in crime thriller The Blacklist and procedural drama Prodigal Son.
Alberto Guerra as Dario
Who is Dario? Griselda’s third husband. He travels to Miami with his former boss Fernando, who is searching for Griselda after she shot and killed Alberto, his brother. But eventually, Dario and Griselda become romantically involved, and they have a child of their own.
Where have I seen Alberto Guerra before? You might recognise him from crime drama El Señor de los Cielos (The Lord of the Skies) and telenovela Ladrón de corazones.
Vanessa Ferlito as Carmen
Who is Carmen? Griselda’s friend, who lets her stay when she first arrives in Miami. Carmen runs her own travel agent and initially wants nothing to do with Griselda when she finds out she’s still wrapped up in the drug trade.
Where have I seen Vanessa Ferlito before? You might have watched her in NCIS: New Orleans, CSI: New York, action thriller 24 and drama Graceland. Ferlito also appeared in two episodes of The Sopranos.
Christian Tappan as Arturo Mesa
Who is Arturo Mesa? Griselda and her second husband Alberto’s accountant in Medellín. “He’s easily convinced to play a key role in bringing her new business to fruition, and comes over to Miami to help Griselda source product and make important connections with key players,” say the show’s notes.
Where have I seen Christian Tappan before? You might know him from Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord and telenovelas La fiscal de hierro and La Reina del Sur. He’s also appeared in US crime drama Snowfall.
Camilo Jimenez Varon as Rafa Salazar
Who is Rafa Salazar? He works for the Ochoa family, the largest cocaine suppliers in Colombia.
Where have I seen Camilo Jimenez Varon before? His CV includes historical drama The Queen and the Conqueror, Colombian crime thriller Frontera Verde and telenovela Paraíso Travel.
Diego Trujillo as German Panesso
Who is German Panesso? A drug trafficker who joins forces with Griselda. After a rocky start, they become quite the team.
Where have I seen Diego Trujillo before? He’s best known for telenovelas Cuando vivas conmigo, ¿Donde carajos está Umaña? and La Pola. He also played the equivalent of Walter Blanco in the Colombian remake of Breaking Bad, Metástasis.
Martin Rodriguez as Jorge “Rivi” Ayala-Rivera
Who is Rivi? Initially, he’s a lieutenant for her rival Amilcar, but he’s impressed by Griselda and eventually becomes her “invaluable right-hand man”.
Where have I seen Martin Rodriguez before? His credits include Uruguayan-Argentine drama Zanahoria (Detrás de la verdad) and Uruguayan film El cuarto de Leo.
Orlando Pineda as Dixon
Who is Dixon? Griselda’s eldest son. He “will do anything for his mother” and has a fiery temper.
Where have I seen Orlando Pineda before? He had a minor role in Narcos: Mexico.
Jose Velazquez as Uber
Who is Uber? Griselda’s middle son, who “shares his mother’s cunning and wit”.
Where have I seen Jose Velazquez before? He recently appeared in Snap original series Action Royale.
Martin Fajardo as Ozzy
Who is Ozzy? The youngest of her three sons – until her fourth child Michael Corleone Blanco arrives. She “spoils Ozzy the most”.
Where have I seen Martin Fajardo before? You might have watched him in telenovela Betty en NY.
Maximiliano Hernández plays Papo Mejia
Who is Papo Mejia? A drug trafficker who despises Griselda and seeks to undermine her at every opportunity.
Where have I seen Maximiliano Hernández before? His credits include crime drama Mr Mercedes, action-drama The Last Ship and Prime Video‘s Hand of God.
Gabriel Sloyer plays Raul Diaz
Who is Raul Diaz? A Miami PD homicide detective who heads up CENTAC, a drug enforcement administration, which he invites June to join after noting her investigative aptitude.
Where have I seen Gabriel Sloyer before? You might know him from Netflix’s Christmas With You. He’s also had minor roles in Netflix’s Inventing Anna and Narcos.
Paulina Dávila plays Isabel
Who is Isabel? A close friend of Griselda’s who travels to Miami from Colombia with a group of sex workers to help her get her drug enterprise started.
Where have I seen Paulina Dávila before? You might know her from Colombia series Vengaza and El Comandante. She’s also appeared in Mexican thriller Ella Camina Sola and comedy-drama Ana.
Karol G as Carla
Who is Carla? A friend of Griselda’s who smuggles cocaine into Miami from Medellín with a number of other sex workers.
Where have I seen Karol G (Carolina Giraldo Navarro) before? As well as acting, she’s an award-winning reggaeton and Latin trap artist.
Alberto Ammann as Alberto Bravo
Who is Alberto Bravo? Griselda’s second husband. He runs a drug trafficking operation in Medellín and New York, but Griselda is described as “the brains”.
Where have I seen Alberto Ammann before? You might know him from Netflix’s Narcos and Spanish prison film Cell 211 (Celda 211).
Additional cast includes:
- Fredy Yate (Escobar) as Chucho Castro – Griselda’s enforcer. He’s working in a diner when he first meets her.
- Julieth Restrepo (Escobar) as Marta Ochoa – Rafa’s partner and the sister of the infamous Ochoa brothers.
- José Zúñiga (Madam Secretary) as Amilcar – a major drug boss based in Miami and one of Griselda’s rivals.
- Christian Gnecco Quintero (La Hora Marcada) as Fabio Ochoa – a Colombian drug lord who officials say co-founded the Medellín drug cartel with his brothers, one of the richest cartels in history.
- Aurora Cossio (La Selección) as Estella – one of the women who comes to Miami from Colombia to work for Griselda.
- Carter MacIntyre (Bosch) as Al Singleton – a detective who works alongside June. In real life, the pair get married.
Griselda is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 25th January 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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