Latest news with #Dinner'sOnMe
Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Jesse Tyler Ferguson says gay fans gave him the harshest heat over his ‘Modern Family' role, 'Guilty as charged'
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is reflecting on some unexpected backlash he received while portraying Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family, and it didn't come from conservatives or critics, but from members of the LGBTQ+ community. On the latest episode of his podcast Dinner's On Me, Ferguson sat down with British actor Russell Tovey and discussed how some of the 'loudest' criticism during his time on the hit ABC sitcom came from gay viewers themselves. 'One of the pressures I've always felt… was that I received criticism, as you do with anything,' he shared. 'But the criticism that I think I heard the loudest was always from the gay community.' Ferguson said he was often told he didn't fully reflect people's expectations of what a gay man or relationship should look like on screen. 'Which I always took with a grain of salt,' he explained. 'I'm representing one person. I'm in charge of this one character. How can you be everything for everyone?' He added that Mitchell was, in many ways, a reflection of himself, 'If it's stereotypical, I'm basically playing myself… so I guess, guilty as charged.' Ferguson played Mitchell - a mild-mannered lawyer married to the flamboyant Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) - for all 11 seasons of Modern Family. He earned five Emmy nominations for the role. In real life, Ferguson has been married to lawyer Justin Mikita since 2013. The couple are parents to two young sons. Despite the criticism, Ferguson expressed pride in his work on the show and acknowledged the broader impact of the role, 'It meant a lot to people, just not everyone.'
Perth Now
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jesse Tyler Ferguson criticised by gay community over Modern Family role
Jesse Tyler Ferguson received criticism from the gay community for his role on Modern Family. The 49-year-old actor played Mitchell Pritchett on the hit TV sitcom between 2009 and 2020 - but some viewers were unhappy with his depiction of queer life, parenthood and marriage. During an appearance on the Dinner's On Me podcast, Jesse explained: "One of the pressures I've always felt, specifically after being on a show like Modern Family, where I'm portraying a gay man on a television show, on a network that is as popular as it is, you receive criticism, as you do, with anything you do, but the criticism that I think I heard the loudest was always from the gay community, feeling as if, maybe, I didn't represent their idea of what a gay relationship was, or a gay man was." Despite this, Jesse always "took [the criticism] with such a grain of salt, because I'm representing one person. I'm in charge of this one character." Meanwhile, Jesse previously claimed that his Modern Family stint helped to shield him from homophobia. The actor admitted that the TV show had a transformative impact on his life. He said on the Dinner's On Me podcast in 2024: "I went to Las Vegas, and I had been in Las Vegas a few years earlier, and I sort of got gay bashed a little bit. "It wasn't anything violent, but it was definitely like, there was negative energy coming at me from a couple that felt uncomfortable around me and my then-boyfriend. "And then years later I went, after Modern Family, and I remember feeling that same negativity initially, but then they would see who it was, and they would recognise me from being, I am gay, but I'm also that gay one from TV." Jesse felt like his on-screen role offered him some form of protection. He said: "There was some weird superpower that I felt like I was being protected by this role that I was also playing. "It kind of gave me this coat of armour, and I had this protection of being this character that people also loved. I don't know. It was really weird."
Perth Now
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Alexander Skarsgard 'cried in the shower' after awful auditions
Alexander Skarsgard used to end up "crying in the shower" after bad auditions. The Big Little Lies actor has recalled the tough time he had before breaking into Hollywood - which still gives him "a little PTSD" when he faced a lot of rejection. He told Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's On Me podcast: "I remember the feeling of coming back to my little s***** apartment in LA, you know, crying in the shower after a day like that. "I just felt filthy in my soul and, like, zero confidence. "I was like, 'I'm the worst actor in the world, and I also have no dignity because I go in and audition for this stuff. I'm wasting their time.' It's a rough feeling.' He eventually landed breakout roles in Generation Kill and True Blood in 2008, but before that he found the whole process "horrible". Even after appearing in 2001's Zoolander, Alexander was still in a difficult position. He said: "I found those experiences — they were horrible — when you go in for something that you know you're not right for, and you're not connecting with a character at all, but you're at a place where you feel like you can't say no to the audition." Alexander - who was following in his father Stellan Skarsgard's footsteps - admitted he was close to getting dropped by is agent. He added: 'I was always on the cusp of being fired by my agents. 'If I say no to this [audition], they're probably gonna drop me, so I gotta go in, but I don't connect to the role. I'm completely wrong for it.' He previously dabbled in acting as a child but quit when he turned 13, and returned to it when he reached adulthood. At 19, the Swedish-born star signed up to national service and joked it was all because he wanted to be like the next James Bond, although it wasn't quite like the glamour seen in the Hollywood film series. He told The Times newspaper: "Now it's mandatory, but it wasn't then and I didn't do it for patriotic reasons to defend my country, to keep the Russians from invading Sweden, because that wasn't even on the radar at the time. I did it because I was 19, I didn't know what I wanted to do and I wanted to be James Bond for 18 months.. "Definitely less champagne and models. "It was quite bleak. But it was also a really good experience for me because I was a team leader, and when we were out on missions it was mostly me and three other guys, which was a lot of responsibility for an idiot teenager. So I had to grow up a bit."
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Modern Family actor Rico Rodriguez shares how onscreen mom Sofía Vergara ‘played' him: ‘I was literally Manny'
Actor Rico Rodriguez, who portrayed Manny Delgado on Modern Family for all 11 seasons, recently shared a funny behind-the-scenes story about his longtime costar Sofía Vergara, who played his onscreen mother, Gloria. Speaking on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast Dinner's On Me, Rico revealed how he ended up helping Sofía with her script markings—and how he got cleverly 'played' in the process. Rico recalled that he often arrived on set already knowing everyone's lines, including Sofia's, which came in handy since Sofía sometimes 'goes off the rails' with her improvisation. 'She would go off the rails and then she would go, 'Rico, what's my line?'' he said, explaining how he would help her get back on track. He also noted she would ask him about their next call time, showing how much she relied on him. A post shared by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler) The real twist came when Sofía was late to a table read. 'Being the nice person that I am, Sofía was late … I was like, 'I know how she marks her lines on her script … you know what, let me be nice and let me mark her script for her,'' Rico recounted. Sofia was grateful, even pinching his cheeks in thanks. But the following week, when Sofía was on time, Rico sat down to mark his own script—and was surprised when she said, 'Rico, you didn't mark my script.' He replied, 'What? I didn't know I was supposed to. I did it one time 'cause I was nice!' At that moment, Sofia handed over her script, and everyone's eyes were on Rodriguez as he helped her again. 'I was literally Manny at that point helping out Sofía,' he laughed. Despite the playful trick, Rico said he loved working with Sofía and didn't mind helping. On the same podcast, Rico also spoke about the support he received from Ed O'Neill, who played family patriarch Jay Pritchett. Early in the series, Rico remembered struggling with a line and feeling frustrated. 'I was like overthinking everything … I'm like, 'oh, I'm the reason why we're not doing good.' And I'm like on the verge of crying…' Ed stepped in to help. 'He was like, 'Alright, stop, cut the cameras. Go sit down.' He brought me to the side and said, 'Here's what you're having trouble with. Repeat after me. Try it like this,'' Rico recalled. They worked on it until Ed gave him a reassuring wink and said, 'I got you, don't worry.'
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
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.
