It’s not always easy for Hispanic actresses to make the transition from the Latino market to mainstream Hollywood. Jennifer Lopez (New York via Puerto Rico) managed it in the late ’90s, when the success of her Selena Quintanilla-Perez biopic immediately led to her being cast opposite George Clooney in Out of Sight. Salma Hayek (Mexico) used the success of her co-lead in Desperado (1995) to kick-start a successful Hollywood career; while Eva Mendes (Florida via Cuba) used the gal pal role in Training Day (2001) to get her foot in the Tinseltown door.
The latest Hispanic actress to successfully make the crossover is Sofía Vergara. The 39-year-old Colombian began her career on Latino soap operas before popping up briefly on US TV shows (Entourage, Dirty Sexy Money, Meet The Browns). But it’s her role in cult comedy Modern Family that has helped propel the actress into the front ranks.
As the voluptuous matriarch of the fascinating Pritchett clan, Vergara manages to hold her own against seasoned TV campaigners such as Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell.
The success of the show and the impact of her own performance has led to Emmy and Golden Globe nominations; a high profile Pepsi campaign with Becks, plus a raft of movie roles. First out of the traps is The Smurfs, in which the actress co-stars with Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria, and for which she has travelled to Cancun in Mexico to promote the movie.
In person, Vergara is a contradiction in terms. Though her strong accent and appearance – zodiac-print blouse, jeans, large, hooped ear-rings – scream Latina firecracker, she is in fact a remarkably shy and self-effacing interviewee. Other actresses on the rise mightn’t even have bothered with a family movie about Smurfs but the actress confesses to having a very soft spot for the little Belgians.
“I grew up in Colombia in the ’80s and ’90s”, she explains, “and The Smurfs were very close to my heart. It was bigger than any other TV show and it was a show that you could watch with all of your family. So when I got the script, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I want to be part of this project’. I thought it was going to be very unique and I loved my part.”
The part in question was that of a former model who has become the unscrupulous head of a major cosmetics company. It’s just as well that Sofia had such affinity to the Smurfs because the movie’s producer, Jordan Kerner, had only one actress in mind for the role: “Sofía was cast on the basis of being a fantastic actress who was so funny”, he says. “She brought the sort of power that you need to run a major corporation. If you were going to have come out of being a successful model to running that company, Sofía was the actress to bring the credibility of that.”
For the actress, being cast in The Smurfs was a chance to live a childhood dream, but also to be part of a movie with a positive message. “It’s good for everybody to watch because it has a happy, strong message”, she explains. “The Smurfs are fantastic to watch. They all have their distinctive personalities. The beauty of the Smurfs is that they are a family and a community who stick together at all times. They fight sometimes and they annoy each other but at the end of the day, they are always there to help each other. That is a beautiful message for today’s society.”
On the day of our Cancun interview, the actress has just learned of her Emmy nomination for Modern Family. It’s the second Emmy nod in a row for the actress and, though she faces stiff competition from the likes of Jane Lynch in Glee and Jane Krakowski in 30 Rock, she declares herself “very, very happy”, particularly since she barely got to savour last year’s Emmy ceremony.
“Last year my boyfriend had had that horrible accident like four, five days before, so I couldn't stay late at the after party”, she explains. “I had to go back because there was nobody to stay with him in the hospital. So I warned him this morning not to do anything to ruin my Emmy after-party!”
The boyfriend in question is Nick Loeb, who is considering running for a Senate seat in Florida next month, but only if it doesn’t interfere with his girlfriend’s Emmy evening. “I probably won't be making a decision until sometime after Labor Day”, he told the local press. “The Emmys are September 18 and I'll probably make a decision after that. Right now, I'm supporting Sofía and her career.”
In truth, Sofia doesn’t need a lot of support as she is much in demand at the moment. On the big screen, her role in The Smurfs will be followed by key roles in Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve and the big-screen version of The Three Stooges. Meanwhile, Modern Family is gearing up for its third season on US TV, beginning on September 21, by which time Vergara might have landed that elusive Emmy. Not that she’s likely to get carried away.
“I’m still very new to acting so I’m going to do whatever I can to keep learning”, she tells me. “I feel very thankful. Eight years ago I didn’t even know that I could be an actress. So, for me, it’s very exciting to have, you know, the success that I have with Modern Family and to be able to play roles now with like big-time actors and directors. Movies are great because you get to work on your role and really think about what’s going to happen to the person you’re playing. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it all, but I’m still trying to figure out what I’m liking more, television or movies. I’m enjoying my 15 minutes of fame as much as I can, because you never know. I’m very happy trying to do everything and trying to get better at what I’m doing all the time. So we’ll see what happens.’’
Watch this space.
The Smurfs in 3D is at cinemas nationwide
