Rico Rodriguez shares backstage secrets with Sofía Vergara and Ed O'Neill on Modern Family
Modern Family star
Rico Rodriguez
is reminiscing about his days on the popular sitcom—and he's dishing out some funny and sweet anecdotes about working with his legendary co-stars. On the June 2 edition of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's On Me podcast, the then 26-year-old actor dished on life on the Modern Family set, including how he was playfully "tricked" by his on-screen mom, Sofía Vergara.
"I got duped, man. I love Sofia, but I was played. I got played by Sofía," Rodriguez joked when reminiscing about an early memory during the first season of the show.
At a table read during season one, Rodriguez took it upon himself to assist when Vergara was late.
"Being the sweet person that I am, Sofía was late to the table [read]," he said. "I was like, 'I know how she marks her lines on her script … you know what, let me be sweet and let me mark her script for her.'"
The thoughtfulness was welcome at first.
"She arrives and she's like, 'Oh, thank you, Rico,' and pinches my cheeks and whatever," he added.
But it didn't stop there.
"The next week she's on time. So I sit down, I'm marking my sides, and then we start the read and when it comes to Sofía, she goes, 'Rico, you didn't mark my script.'"
"I say, 'Huh, I didn't know I was supposed to. I did it once 'cause I was being kind.' And so she's giving me her script and now everyone's staring at me because it's literally her line coming up."
Laughing, Rodriguez said, "This was season one. I was literally Manny at that point assisting Sofía."
The lighthearted moment is one of several recollections Rodriguez cherishes from his 11-year tenure on the Emmy-winning ABC sitcom, which ran from 2009 to 2020. Apart from the humor, he also told a very personal anecdote about his relationship with
Ed O'Neill
, who portrayed his TV stepfather Jay Pritchett.
"He really took me under his wing," Rodriguez explained. "There was one time … early on, probably first season where I was having issues with this one line …"
Rodriguez remembered the anxiety of taking many takes and receiving constant direction, which made him feel overwhelmed.
"I'm like overthinking everything, you know? I'm like, 'Oh, I'm the reason why we're not doing good.' And I'm like on the verge of crying…"
Although he did not complete the story in the podcast clip, his tone made it unmistakable that O'Neill's guidance and steady demeanor sustained him during those difficult initial moments.
Having long since matured and looking back on the experience with affection and humor, Rodriguez's tales illustrate the unique combination of family, play, and education that made Modern Family such an extraordinary moment in television history—and his own life.
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