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Sofía Vergara became one of the highest-paid actresses on television, thanks to her role in the sitcomModern Family. Vergara channeled her one major characteristic into the role that worked well with the audience. Gloria Delgado-Pritchett also spoke English with a Colombian accent like Vergara. Interestingly, Vergara planned to lose her accent before her career-changing role since it became difficult for her to land roles.
Vergara debuted in television roles in Colombia and later transitioned to roles in American films & TV upon relocating to the U.S. She was recently nominated for an Emmy for her role as Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco in the Netflix series,Griselda.
Why Did Sofía Vergara Try To Lose Her Accent Before HerModern FamilySuccess?
Sofía Vergarafound it really challenging to find acting roles at the beginning of her career due to her accent. She and her family moved to the U.S. in the ’90s after her brother was fatally shot in Colombia. However, she found success inModern Family, but not before she tried to change her accent to get roles.
Vergara appeared alongside herModern Familycast at PaleyFest LA 2015 and took some questions from fans. One fan asked her in Spanish if she had ever tried to change her accent. Vergara admitted that she did try to change her accent and worked with someone for months. She added that the training was pretty expensive. Vergara shared at thePaleyFest LA:
I did at the beginning. I was like, ‘I don’t understand how Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz can’t fix their accents. I’m gonna do it.’ I hired someone and I worked for months, and I spent a lot of money because it’s very expensive. They charge you by the hour.
She spent three hours for three days a week, trying to changeher Latina heritageunsuccessfully. She shared that she then became conscious of her accent during auditions. She added that her son was very hard on her accent. However, she couldn’t keep up and decided to be herself during auditions.
“Please, just borrow my blouse”: Sofia Vergara Had the Perfect Solution to Save Modern Family Co-Star from Heinous Accusation Brewed by Haters to Save Face in Public
While promoting her showGriseldain January, Vergara told theLA Timesthat she was always in search of characters that she could“play with this stupid accent.”She shared that her“acting jobs are kind of limited”, adding that she couldn’t be inSchindler’s Listwith her accent. She further told the outlet thatshe was frustrated by the other Latina actresseswho could speak English without an accent. She shared:
Eva Longoria doesn’t have an accent. Jennifer Lopez doesn’t have an accent. Jessica Alba doesn’t have an accent. Is it frustrating? Of course. In the beginning, more than now. And the frustration was towards me. How come I can’t f**king get this right? I’ve been here for 30 years. How dumb can I be? I have to fight in English, act in English. It’s exhausting.
Vergara found herfitting dramatic role in the Netflix series. In addition to acting, she also served as a producer on the series. Vergara knew it was going to be a challenging role and hired an acting coach, Nancy Banks, who earlier worked withMargot Robbieand Jennifer Aniston.
Sofía Vergara Was Ridiculed For Her Accent Multiple Times But She Handled Them Graciously
When appearing on the Spanish talk show, El Hormiguero, host Pablos Motos attempted to mock Sofía Vergara’s English accent. Motos interrupted Vergara when she was discussing her hit sitcomModern Familyand questioned her pronunciation of“Modern Family.”She clapped back at Motos, asking (via X):
How many Emmy nominations do you have in the United States, sorry? How many times have they nominated you for a Golden Globe?
Interestingly, Vergara was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes for her supporting actress role inModern Familyfrom 2010-13.
“Since high school, the boys have all wanted to be with me”: Modern Family Star Sofía Vergara Playing to Her ‘Strengths’ is Much Different Than What Sydney Sweeney Felt Growing Up
During another instance,Ellen DeGeneresmade fun of her accent, sharing,“You’ve been on the show for 10 years, and your accent has gotten worse.”Vergara replied that she made a commitment to be a“very thick Latin-spoken woman”onModern Family.
The show is currently available to watch on Hulu and Peacock.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
