Sofia Vergara returns to Colombia beaches to tape commercial

Actress Sofia Vergara on the weekend stirred up the northern Colombian city of Cartagena, returning to her homeland to shoot a beer commercial with white beaches in the background under the watchful and thrilled eyes of journalists and fans.

“Toti,” as her friends call her, arrived in Cartagena on a private jet to take on her role as the new face of Cerveza Aguila, one of Colombia’s main brands of beer.

Vergara was accompanied by her son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, her niece Claudia Vergara, her agent Luis Balaguer and 10 assistants.

Taping the commercial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, will be overseen by Colombian film director Simon Brand, who has worked with celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin and Alejandro Fernandez, among others.

The locations where the commercial will be shot include the pristine beaches of Agua Azul, on Baru Island, south of Cartagena, where the “Modern Family” star will dance the “champeta,” a type of Colombian folk dance, according to sources close to the production contacted by local media.

Some 200 dancers selected in contests in Barranquilla and Cartagena will accompany Vergara, who has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Vergara has worked on projects like this before, taping her first commercial at age 17 for Pepsi, and although she has told international magazines that she doesn’t want to do them anymore she has also acknowledged that television ads were her springboard to success.

The speculation is that during her stay in Cartagena, Vergara will attend the wedding of her cousin Alejandro Vergara, and the head of the city’s Corpoturismo tourist corporation, Zully Salazar, told local media that she will receive the keys to the city from local authorities.