Which actor plays journalist Valeria Vélez in Narcos?

Stephanie Sigman plays journalist Valeria Vélez in Narcos. Vélez is presented as a Colombian journalist who becomes romantically involved with Pablo Escobar, adding a media and personal dimension to the series’ account of the Medellín cartel.

Sigman, a Mexican-American actress born in Ciudad Obregón, broke through with the Mexican film Miss Bala before joining Narcos in 2015. She portrayed Vélez in the first season and returned in a recurring role during the second season.

The character is fictionalized rather than a straightforward documentary portrayal. Valeria Vélez is widely identified as being based on Virginia Vallejo, the Colombian journalist and television personality who had a relationship with Escobar. That real-life connection can cause confusion with the separate journalist character Diana Turbay, who is also depicted in Narcos but was played by Gabriela de la Garza.

Sigman later became known internationally for roles in Spectre and the television series S.W.A.T. Her casting is sometimes mixed up with Andrea Londo, who played María Salazar in Narcos season 3, or Paulina Gaitán, who played Escobar’s wife, Tata.