Sofia Vergara reflects on her portrayal of 'Griselda' amid Blanco family's lawsuit against her

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sofia Vergara opened up about her daring departure from her usual roles as she steps into the shoes of Griselda Blanco, the infamous Colombian drug lord in the upcoming Netflix series 'Griselda.'

The six-episode series set to premiere on January 25 delves into the life of Blanco who was known as the 'Cocaine Godmother.'

She created one of history's most profitable drug cartels in the 1970s and 1980s while she orchestrated the trafficking of cocaine through Miami.

Sofia Vergara says she was 'blown away' after she learned about Griselda Blanco

Speaking to ET, Vergara reflected on her portrayal as Griselda Blanco as she said, "I am Colombian. I am a mother. I'm an immigrant. I was fascinated, because I grew up in Colombia in this era, and I never heard about a woman that was a head of a cartel."

"There were girlfriends, there were wives, but not this woman that was competing, and getting to the level of these men. I was blown away," she continued.

"We didn't want to romanticize her or make her a hero, because she wasn't. But no matter what anyone says, this was a very interesting character," she added.

Griselda Blanco's family sues Sofia Vergara and Netflix ahead of series premiere

The adult children of Blanco who acts as representatives of her estate filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Vergara who is also the executive producer of the series.

The lawsuit aims to block the release of 'Griselda' alleging the unauthorized use of their family's image and likeness.

Blanco's son Michael alleged that Netflix expressed interest in the project to develop his mother's life stories into production but did not want to utilize any details or consultations from the interviews he has been providing since 2009.

As per court documents, Michael claimed they did not provide him any proper compensation despite relying on his anecdotes and materials.

The filing further argued that the streaming platform essentially appropriated Blanco's story and integrated it into the miniseries which violates their children's rights as their images and likenesses have been utilized without their permission.

'Griselda' creator Eric Newman says making of the series was an intense process

Eric Newman, creator of 'Griselda' shared that the making of the miniseries was an intense process to retell the complicated story of a controversial figure.

"We had a very specific story we wanted to tell," Newman said of Griselda.

"I believe we told it, and I don't think it in any way prevents someone else from telling their own version of it," he added.

"I'm trying to understand her from the beginning," Vergara said of portraying Blanco.

"I started from being fascinated by her, because she achieved many things that it was impossible for a woman to achieve -- even though they were horrific," she added.