ABC

An Evening with “Modern Family” at the Paley Festival

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An evening with the cast and creative team of ABC’s Modern Family produces plenty of laughs.

As one would expect attending an evening with one of the most ridiculously talented bunch of comedians currently on television, the Paley Festival presentation in honor of Modern Family was filled with laughter. Riding high off of their recent wins for Best Episodic Comedy and Best New Series from the Writer’s Guild and for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series from the Director’s Guild, as well as nominations for Outstanding Performance by Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild, Best Television Series – Comedy by the Golden Globes, and Best Comedy by the Writer’s Guild, Modern Family has lived up to its reputation as the best new show on television. Critically lauded as the “must watch” show of the fall season, Modern Family has consistently won its time-slot with viewers and only continues to garner more and more attention, not to mention rave reviews.

Watching a clip from the pilot episode of Married . . . With Children, the show credited with launching the as yet unknown comedy actor Ed O’Neill, it was startling to see how young he looked. But it was also clear where he perfected his comedic skills. With that blast from the past setting up the evening, and after quick introductions by co-creator Steven Levitan, those of us in attendance were lucky enough to see a yet unaired episode of Modern Family entitled, “Fears.” Without spoiling too much, the fears addressed included: buried treasure, roller coasters and a driving test. Trust me when I say, this will all make sense once you have seen the show! As a fan of show, this was a wonderful treat. It was also perhaps the best episode to date and the entire auditorium was soon holding their sides with laughter.

Ed O'Niell & Sofia Vergara have each other in stitches / Wireimage

Ed O'Niell & Sofia Vergara have each other in stitches / Wireimage

Once the episode ended and the laughter died down, introductions were made and the cast was brought out. Moderating the Q&A portion of the event was Billy Bush from Access Hollywood. Understanding that we were all anxious to see the real stars of the show, he quickly introduced Steven Levitan, Jason Winer, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. It should be noted that, besides being one of the co-creators of the show, Steven Levitan also wrote the episode “Fears,” and Jason Winer is one of the series’ directors. Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet make up the adult cast members on the show, but, sadly, the younger cast could not attend and were sorely missed.

To start the moderated Q&A portion of the evening, Billy threw out a softball question by asking the cast if any of them do not like seeing themselves on screen. To get things rolling, Ty Burrell volunteered, “I don’t ever like to see my Franken-brow.” His candor and willingness to poke fun at himself earned a round of laughter and, with the ice broken, it became an evening where they tried to one up one another and played to the audience for laughs.

In response to the comment that Modern Family has been called the savior of sitcom, Steven Levitan merely grinned and modestly said that, while a high compliment, he simply had no idea when he was creating the show that it was going to be as big a hit as it is. He added that, while there is no way to gauge what is going to be the next big hit, he is extremely honored by the warm reception and hopes they can live up to the bar now set for themselves. As he said, “This is so far one of those rare cases where it just felt right as soon as we started bringing these people together. It just felt good pretty immediately. And you can’t predict this. It’s impossible. . . .We’re just happy to be happy – we’re so thrilled – we’re so happy to be even in the game that we’re just embracing every minute of it.”

Director Jason Winer and Co-Creator Steven Levitan / Wireimage

Director Jason Winer and Co-Creator Steven Levitan / Wireimage

When asked about the genesis of the series, Steven shared that, after their prior television series had been cancelled, Modern Family was born of a sit-down meeting he had with co-creator Christopher Lloyd. They had been sitting around brainstorming ideas for a television show when they discovered that all they wanted to talk about were the funny things going on in their lives –and it was those funny stories that laid the foundation for Modern Family. Steven summed it up with, “I think when you start from a place like that, which is real and honest, good things tend to happen.” And because of the show’s success, Steven admitted that he just keeps pinching himself and now he’s black and blue all over. “We walk around hugging each other, then we’re terrified we can’t keep it up.”

Turning to casting, each cast member shared a bit about how they came to be involved with the show. Ed O’Neill shared that initially he had no intention of ever doing another half-hour comedy after the monumental success and long run of Married . . . With Children, but after reading the script for Modern Family, he immediately thought, “Oh my God, I’ve gotta go back to work.” Plus, he tossed out with aplomb that there was the added bonus of being cast to play the husband of Sofia Vergara. He also shared that, “Then when I started to work with these guys, I thought ‘my god, where did they these find these people’ – I mean it was just joy – it is, I have to pinch myself.”

According to Eric Stonestreet, who plays one half of the married gay couple on the show, he said that this was his dream show with a dream cast and a dream writer. As far as playing a gay character, while he himself is not, he humorously clarified, “I’m appreciative of all my fans, no matter how much hair they have on their back.” Though in his personal life, he admitted, “I have a little bit of a hole to dig myself out of with the ladies.” He also confirmed that, as perhaps a tribute to his own wonderful mother, he incorporates some of his mother’s characteristics when playing Cameron. He explained that, “She’s very passionate. She’s a real person — she’s just excitable.” Eric also shared a bit about the now famous “moon landing” scene and how a friend of his actually flew in to watch the filming just so that he could witness Eric film the “moon landing” with Ed O’Neill. So, as Eric nonchalantly said, “You know, work hard, believe in yourself — and maybe one day you too can touch asses with a television icon.”

Eric Stonestreet cracks up Jesse Tyler Ferguson / Wireimage

Eric Stonestreet cracks up Jesse Tyler Ferguson / Wireimage

The other half of the Cameron-Mitchell couple is played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson who shared from his own personal experience what it was like trying out for the role of Mitchell. While auditioning, Jesse never thought he would actually get the part, but it was in the forefront of his mind that he wanted this role badly: “I got this script and it was just one of those things where it just falls in your lap and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’” So when he and Eric tested together for the studio to see if they had any chemistry, he threw himself into it with determination and gusto. So much so in fact that he was completely oblivious to the fact that when he and Eric had set up to meet at a nearby coffee shop for a script read through that it was Valentine’s Day. It was a funny moment like their characters would have had and it immediately set the tone for them working together as their characters. Jesse also shared that he loves working with the darling baby who plays Lily, Cam and Mitchell’s adopted daughter – despite the fact it is nearly impossible to make her cry which meant they had to bring in a teenager on the studio lot with the wildest hair just to get her to cry. But other than having a baby that likes to smile more than she likes to cry, Jesse was clearly ecstatic to be a part of both his fictional and real-life studio families.

No less delighted to be working on the show, Sofia Vergara was beaming with pride and happiness as well. When asked what drew her to the show, Sofia slyly announced, “I never thought I would be married to Al Bundy!” Stemming from her deeply rooted admiration for Ed, Sofia also loves working with him because they have the same work ethic and tend to work the same way. Their motto is, “Let’s do this fast and then go home.” While they love working together, they also value their time with their families. Sofia also commented that as far as the relationship between Gloria and Jay, “You start understanding perfectly why they are perfect for each other because they do get something out of each other — I mean, it’s obvious what he gets from me!” Then as if that comment was not outrageous enough, Ed shared a story how on the Ellen Show when Sofia was asked the question of when she learned she was beautiful, she responded with a mischievous glint in her eye, “I always knew it!” Sofia summed up her happiness with the the show by saying, “I love the character. It’s fantastic. . . I have so much fun on the set. . . It’s a pleasure. I love everybody on the show and we really like each other, so I think it is like a dream come true to be part of something that everybody loves.”

Next, sharing from his own experience, Ty Burrell said as far as his character Phil is concerned, it is like he is playing a happy puppy dog and it feels like a nice vacation from his own neurotic life. For Phil is one of those people who wears you down with his relentless, militant positive attitude. He explained that Phil may not appeal to people who meet him just once, but those kind of people will eventually worm their way into your good graces. “They annoy the crap out of you, but they wear you down.” Plus, as Steven pointed out, he based Phil upon himself and, as a result, “I have a warm place in my heart for the dorky dad who scores a hot wife.” (Steven made sure to point out his own very lovely wife as he said this and he is clearly a very happily married man who scored his own hot wife!) When asked about what it is like to now be recognized everywhere he goes, Ty shared an anecdotal story about a homeless guy in Central Park who
stopped him to talk to him about the show — clearly, you know you have made it when the homeless have seen your show! He also said it is the biggest compliment when people stop to tell him that they love to watch the show as a family.

Ty Burrell & Julie Bowen share a hug / Wireimage

Ty Burrell & Julie Bowen share a hug / Wireimage

As for Julie Bowen, she was simply astonished to hear that during this current pilot season she is the most requested type during auditions, for apparently all the casting directors want a “Julie Bowen” for their show. But, as for how she came to be attached to Modern Family, she shared that for her the primary appeal was the fact that the show was a half-hour comedy. Coming off of working on hour-long dramas like Ed and Boston Legal, she was ready for an easier work day – particularly as at the time they filmed the pilot episode, she was nine months pregnant. In fact, in order to hide her pregnancy, they worked really hard to use all the kids to the best strategic advantage and that the actor who plays Claire’s son, Luke, was just the right height to help conceal her baby-bump. Another key factor for Julie is that working on a fast-paced show makes her performance fresher and more interesting, “You don’t get to the end of the day feeling you’ve beaten the scene to death, looking for the jokes over and over again. . . [On Modern Family] we just find it very quickly and we’re done. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had.” So Julie likes both the freedom and refreshing change of pace. Then, responding to the question as to why women are not perceived as funny and before Julie could respond, Sofia laughed and said, “I think it’s important not to be afraid to look like a fool,” prompting Julie to look at her incredulously and retort, “When do mean ‘you look like a fool?’ Does ‘fool’ in English mean the same thing in Spanish? [Mimicking Sofia’s accent] ‘Fool’ is a beautiful lady!” As the laughter subsided, Julie Bowen also let it slip that in one of the upcoming episodes her character has an all-out brawl with a security guard, which she had enormous fun filming. It was a chance to just go all out and she just loved it.

Shedding some light on the character of Claire, Steven noted that Claire needs Phil to balance out her wild-side. As for the kids on the show, Julie shared that they are constantly full of surprises and are a delight to them all, for the kids are a very “gifty” bunch and are constantly making gifts for everyone. Thus, it is especially fun to have them all together, which is rare, like at table reads. Because they are so happy to see each other and because of the familial atmosphere, it makes it such a joy to be there.

When asked how much of the show really is based on experiences in his own life, Steven shared that like in a prior episode, he one day came home to find the television remote in a million pieces by the front door and that one time he walked into his daughter’s room in his underwear while she was on a video conference with friends on her computer. He also shared that Barkley the Dog Butler has been relocated into their writing offices and it is constantly scaring or startling people who are not aware that it is there or who have forgotten about it. He also sheepishly confessed to writing the lyrics to the infamous “I just want to do you” song that the character Dylan sang on the show. He explained that he felt the lyrics needed to be shocking yet believable as it had to be something that Dylan felt was okay in his mind. He also noted that Reed, who plays Dylan, wrote the music for the song.

The modern family / ABC

The modern family / ABC

Steven also made sure to emphasize that all the jokes in each episode are actually written into each script. “It’s 100% the script. We start with nice solid script and then we start playing with it and fortunately we’ve cast people who are very smart and very funny. Your worst nightmare as a writer is ‘let’s improv a little bit’ and then you watch what they do and then it’s ‘let’s go back to the script.’ Instead, what we have here are people making things funnier and quite often we get in a situation where that doesn’t quite work, we’ll just start playing, and they do – and they make it better and we discover moments – and I think we have a lot of fun doing it.” Jason Winer said that, while they do have some improvisation, he feels that greater improv comes from knowing the characters better, particularly as the show is still so new. However, they did like the one scene in which Jay apologized for running his model airplane into Phil’s face and Julie Bowen instinctively kissed Ed on the top of the head at the end of the episode and said, “Thanks, Dad,” which surprised Ed greatly as it was not in the script. But it felt so natural. One reason the show is written with such a fast pace is to keep the scenes moving quickly so that everyone is not so exhausted and helps keep the viewer engaged.

Steven also clarified that Modern Family is a family show told documentary-style, rather than a show that is pretending to be a real documentary. Levitan said, “The simple reason is that I love these characters. I’m very protective of these characters and, if these characters allowed cameras into their homes and into their children’s rooms and into their bathroom, I wouldn’t like them.” As for the role of the camera on Modern Family, Ty Burrell said “I like that we don’t explain it.” He noted that only the family typically acknowledges the camera, so this is like inviting the audience to be a family member – more intimate that way. And what a marvelous family it is to be a part of – it shines like a beacon on Wednesday nights and it is a joy to tune-in and share in their exuberant antics for awhile.

Modern Family airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Tiffany is a contributing writer for NiceGirlsTV who hails from sunny Los Angeles, California. She is a compulsive television watcher who loves discovering great television shows. Some of her favorite TV shows from this past season have been The Good Wife, Castle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Life Unexpected, The Vampire Diaries, Merlin, Caprica, Lie to Me, White Collar, Psych, Justified and many, many more. She is anxiously awaiting the return of several beloved summer shows and discovering all the new shows that the upcoming summer and fall seasons will bring.