Fans can't believe how different Sofia Vergara's accent sounds in an early TV appearance from 1999
'Modern Family' alum Sofia Vergara's thick Colombian accent is one of her trademark qualities! However, back in the day, Vergara didn't love her accent, and she even hired someone to help her get rid of her accent. Not long ago, a resurfaced video of Vergara from an award show caught the attention of the fans, and many have stated that her accent sounded way different from how it sounds today. In 1999, Vergara attended the American Comedy Awards. In a clip from the show, Vergara can be seen presenting an award to Steve Harvey. Before that, Vergara said, "I'm very happy to be here at the American Comedy Awards. I do some comedy in my show. It's very funny, so it's great for me to see many big American stars here tonight like Steve Martin, Chelsea Grammar, and, of course, Mike Meyers."
Vergara further added, "I'm here to introduce one of the top stars of the WB. He has his own show, which is the network's highest-rated and longest-running comedy. Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Harvey." This was one of Vergara's first appearances on American television. A large majority of the comments on the video revolved around Vergara's accent. Several users mentioned that Vergara was trying very hard to speak in the American accent.
One social media user wrote, "She was trying hard for that American accent, glad she's embracing her accent now idc if she faking it or wtv." Another fan commented, "She definitely makes her accent more exaggerated than it needs to be. But she's a comedian and knows that it makes people laugh but the industry sees it more as a sexy accent. Its what gets her money really." Followed by a third user who penned, "She's not embracing it, she's faking it. She comes from a wealthy family and as that in Latinamerica means wealthy kids are fluent in English and must have a polished accent. Otherwise you're frowned upon. She had a smoother accent, but started using the strong one because it was convenient for her." Another netizen chimed in, "That is not a natural accent. That's faking it for the US audience's amusement."
While attending PaleyFest in Los Angeles in 2015, the 'America's Got Talent' judge candidly spoke about her accent and specified that during her early years in the entertainment industry, she spent a lot of money to lose her Colombian accent. "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," Vergara shared at that time, as per BuzzFeed News. Along with this, Vergara disclosed that she took three hour-long lessons per week, but her accent still didn't go away.
In a separate interview with the Los Angeles Times, Vergara stated that she has been limited in Hollywood due to her accent. "I’m always looking for characters because there’s not much that I can play with this stupid accent. I can’t play a scientist or be in Schindler’s List. My acting jobs are kind of limited." In the same interview, Vergara also talked about other Latin actresses who don't have strong accents. Vergara elaborated, "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 [...] 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."
