Griselda Blanco's Son Breaks His Silence On Netflix's #1 Series
Since arriving on January 25, "Griselda" has dominated on Netflix, enticing casual subscribers and crime drama enthusiasts alike to give it a try. The series spotlights Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco — portrayed by longtime "Modern Family" favorite Sofia Vergara — as she builds an immensely powerful and financially lucrative cartel. It's a story full of twists, turns, tension, and more that hasn't gone unnoticed by the real Griselda's family. Her only surviving son, Michael Corleone Blanco, has made it known how he feels about the show and the emotions he went through while watching it.
"I feel that the story, our story, my family's story, the Blanco family's universe, it's so complex and so legendary it should be shown respect when it comes to storytelling. I think the story deserved a little more," he said during an appearance on "The Real Griselda," hosted by Billy Corben. Blanco also found "Griselda" to be a surreal viewing experience and something of an emotional roller coaster. He recalled, "There was a point where I found myself gasping for air. I found myself happy. I found myself sad." His comments came after he threatened legal action against Vergara and Netflix over the series, claiming the streamer used his family's likenesses and anecdotes without consent.
With all of that said, Blanco found that "Griselda" leaves a lot to be desired in terms of historical accuracy right off the bat.
Michael Corleone Blanco feels the show deviates from real life immediately
Naturally, when any film or television show aims to bring real-world people and events to general audiences, the question of historical accuracy always arises. According to Michael Corleone Blanco, "Griselda" doesn't quite translate his mother's life to the small screen faithfully. Speaking on the first episode, "Lady Comes to Town," where viewers see Griselda attempt to sell a single kilo of cocaine in 1978 Miami, Florida, Blanco called the series' deviation from reality "quite embarrassing."
"The lady was the number one cocaine distributor in the world by 1975," he explained. "She created the industry." That means selling cocaine in 1978 wasn't much trouble for the real Griselda. Blanco further detailed that his mother was far from helpless in her chosen line of work during the period in which the episode takes place. "Nobody had the laboratories. She pioneered the routes. She pioneered everything in the modern-day cocaine industry as we know it," Blanco said, painting a much different picture of Griselda than the one presented in the first episode of the Netflix miniseries. Despite those issues, he clarified that "Griselda" does find its footing in the historical accuracy department through one key area.
Michael Corleone Blanco creditst the show for its depiction of Griselda's bond with her children
Before her assassination at the age of 69 on September 3, 2012, Griselda Blanco had four sons: Michael Corleone, Osvaldo, Uber, and Dixon. All of them feature throughout "Griselda," often spending time alongside their titular mother as she goes about maintaining her drug empire. Though he made it abundantly clear that the Netflix effort is far from historically accurate overall, Michael Corleone Blanco stated that the series excels in its depictions of Griselda's dynamics with her children.
When asked by Billy Corben about the most accurate elements of "Griselda" Episode 1, Blanco brought up his mother's bond with her children and how well it's presented amid the crime drama of it all. "I liked that wherever my mother went, we went with her," he said. "So I liked the fact that they tried to humanize the character. That was nice. That's probably it." Unfortunately, he then reiterated that the episode otherwise almost completely failed to recount that portion of his mother's tale accurately.
All six episodes of "Griselda" are now streaming exclusively on Netflix.