Why Sofía Vergara Was Surprised by Her History-Making Emmy Nomination for Griselda

It's a historic night at the 2024 Emmys for Sofía Vergara.

The Griselda actress—who's nominated at the Sept. 15 award show for her portrayal of real-life drug lord Griselda Blanco in Netflix's miniseries—stepped onto the red carpet at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater in a red Dolce&Gabbana gown and finished her look with a touch of bling, including Cartier earrings and Lorraine Schwartz rings. (See all the stars at the 2024 Emmys here.)

With Vergara's Lead Actress in a Limited Series nod, she makes history as the first Latina to receive a nomination in this category. And while she expected the show to be nominated (it received nods for both Outstanding Cinematography and Period Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie), she didn't anticipate that she'd be recognized for her performance too.

"It was a surprise for me to be nominated," Vergara exclusively told Laverne Cox on Live From E!: Emmys. "It was my first time acting in a drama, acting in Spanish believe it or not. It was like a surprise—and a good surprise."

In the Lead Actress category, she is up against Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country), Brie Larson (Lessons in Chemistry), Juno Temple (Fargo) and Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans).

In previous years, the 52-year-old received a total of four Emmy nods in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role as Gloria in Modern Family. So now that Vergara has done both comedy and drama, does she have a preference?

"To be honest, now that I know what it means to do a drama, comedy is so much easier," the Hot Pursuit alum, who didn't bring boyfriend Justin Saliman as her plus-one to the event, told E!. "It’s such a delight to go to the set and be happy, and the lines are happy and then you go home happy. When you’re doing a drama, it takes a toll on you and your mental state. It’s exhausting."

And while she enjoyed doing drama and expressed her hope to do more of it, she noted, "I’m open for comedy, too."

Vergara didn't jump into drama right away.

“Griselda was my first dramatic role ever, and it took us 15 years to bring her to life," Vergara told E! News in July after receiving her Emmy nomination. "I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who was a part of this series."

"I never dreamed that after Modern Family I would be able to work on something as special as Griselda," she added. "I’m honored to be recognized alongside Jodie, Brie, Juno, and Naomi, incredible women who gave us incredible TV this year.”

And Vergara did the same, detailing her committed transformation into her character ahead of Griselda's premiere in January.

"I needed to disappear," she said in E! News' exclusive behind-the-scenes video. "It was in Miami in the '70s and the '80s. Getting the look correct was very important to me."

"There are so many nuances to explore in terms of who she was—as a woman, as a mother, and, of course, as a drug lord who created one of the most profitable cartels in history," Vergara noted. "She was not as famous as someone like Pablo Escobar, but even he was scared of her at the time. She stood on her own."

Keep reading to see all the stars on the 2024 Emmys red carpet...

In custom Chanel.

In custom Louis Vuitton. 

In custom Dolce & Gabbana.

In custom Ateliee Versace. 

In custom Bottega Veneta.

In Gigi Goode. 

In atelier Prabal Gurung. 

In custom Oscar de la Renta.

In Roland Mouret. 

In custom Calvin Klein.

In Oscar de la Renta. 

In custom Vera Wang.

In Loewe. 

In Bode.

In Tamara Ralph FW24 Couture, Davis Yurman jewelry, Gedebe bag, and Jimmy Choo shoes. 

In custom Balenciaga. 

In Thom Browne FW24 Couture. 

In Oscar de la Renta. 

In custom Calvin Klein.

In custom Ralph Lauren. 

Watch the 2024 Emmys ceremony tonight, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. And don't miss the Live From E!: Emmys red carpet pre-show starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, only on E!.