Secrets Behind Griselda with Simmie Sangian
Many are happy with the deluge of praise for the Netflix series Griselda. Three Primetime Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination cement the fact that this crime series based on the lesser-known crime figure of Griselda Blanco was welcomed by an enthusiastic audience. It’s the prime indicator of constantly improving female-centric stories that the public has been eager for. A major female talent behind-the-scenes of this lauded series is Simmie Sangian who, though an actress of considerable note herself, was personally enlisted by Orlando Pineda as his acting mentor for his role as Dixon in Griselda. Starring alongside the massive presence of Sofia Vergara, Alberto Guerra (of the International Emmy Award–Nominated Narcos: Mexico), Vanessa Ferlito (People’s Choice Award–Nominated NCIS: New Orleans), and global star Karol G, in this Netflix original crime series, Orlando enlisted the immense talent of Ms. Sangian to prepare for his performance. Highly respected among her peers as an actor as well as for her ability to maximize the depth of a performance and interpret depth, Simmie provided another level of confidence and guidance as Mr. Pineda navigated the tense environment displayed in this story.
Most of us will never come close to entering the harrowing world of drug trafficking, so how does a Hollywood actor manifest the identity of someone immersed in this world central to the Colombia/Miami trade of the 1970’s and 1980’s? Any actor will tell you that they don’t pretend, they find the character within themselves. For Orlando Pineda, transforming himself into his character Dixon (one of Griselda’s sons) was a substantial task which relied heavily on the expert input of Ms. Sangian. Pineda professes, “What makes Simmie so good is her ability to block out the noise and just do the work, no matter where she is. Many times I was only able to talk to her over facetime while on set, and even virtually, she had a way of connecting with me and focusing on our work together. She pours tremendous love and effort into each project and I felt safe when working with her on my role, going to the deepest, darkest places to bring out the most raw work.” Simmie remarks, “This is a true story and the people in the series were real people; this weighed on our responsibility to bring the sense of a person’s good and bad to Dixon. It’s something we all have the potential for inside of us and it comes down to personal decisions. For me, as Orlando’s acting mentor, it was important that I was able to pull the emotional depth needed from him so that audience members felt connected to him. Although Dixon is part of a corrupt world, he is just a young boy, born into it. It was important for me to work extensively with Orlando on making sure viewers would feel for him, and root for him, no matter what situation he was in that could villainise him. Sure, he was full of anger, working with his mother, surrounded by killings, and always on the run from police, but how can we humanize him?”
The difference between the innocence of Dixon the young boy and Dixon the adult man is stark in scenes like when he and Uber (Jose Velasquez) are seen walking into a club with a chip on their shoulder, referring to themselves as the “Blanco boys”, a term of high status. Small moments, such as when Dixon takes a “bump” of cocaine, can communicate a great deal about his self-image. Simmie notes that she and Orlando worked extensively to sculpt the proper body language of a frequent cocaine user in Dixon. At a birthday party, Dixon gets into a fight as a result of his cocaine-rage, a state of intensity not intuitive for the actor. Simmie again gives insight stating, “We first worked closely on Orlando’s balance and coordination. As someone who was very much a drug addict at this point, we made Dixon come across as less put together, and almost unaware of his surroundings. We studied the mannerisms of a person addicted to cocaine and alcohol, and the way they would act at an event, pairing this with the circumstances he was raised in, being the son of a cartel boss. His mother Griselda breaks up the fight, and Dixon tells her that she is serving cocaine as an appetiser – this line was so powerful to me, as it is insight into Dixon’s opinion on this lifestyle. Although he is very much part of it, the way he delivers the line you know that he blames her, for everything. We made sure that everything he is going through, everything he is feeling is all emphasised into the delivery of that line.” In scenes like this one, or later when Dixon begins aimlessly shooting up a nightclub when he feels his girlfriend is being flirted with, the emotional layering of Dixon is intoxicating to watch. The dichotomy of a young boy’s need for acceptance and validation against a man who is unable to control his desires; this makes Dixon both sympathetic and infuriating. The depth is undeniable. The effect is what every audience and every creative professional yearns for, true connection in the recognition of a flawed person. The amuse bouche of Griselda may be drugs and violence but it’s the substantive characters that satisfy you with watching this exciting Netflix series.
Writer : Calvin Hooney
