Rico Rodriguez Shares Humorous On-Set Anecdotes with Sofia Vergara

The Modern Family cast truly felt like kin. Rico Rodriguez, who played the cherished Manny for all 11 seasons, recently shared how Sofia Vergara, his onscreen mother Gloria, cleverly coaxed him into handling various tasks during the show’s run.

"It was hilarious because I was always with Sofia. She’s known for her spontaneous improv," Rodriguez told his former co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the podcast Dinner’s On Me. "She’d go off-script and then say, 'Rico, what’s my line?'"

Rodriguez recalled arriving on set prepared with everyone’s lines, not just his own, which unexpectedly led to additional responsibilities.

"I adore Sofia, but she totally got me," he said on the podcast. "Once, when Sofia was late for a table read, I thought, 'I know how she highlights her script.' So, I decided to be kind and mark it for her."

That gesture turned into a comedic routine. "She arrived, thanked me warmly, and pinched my cheeks," Rodriguez shared. "The next week, she was on time. I was marking my own script when we started the read, and Sofia said, 'Rico, you didn’t mark my script.' I was like, 'Wait, I didn’t know it was my job! I did it once to be nice!'"

It mirrored their onscreen dynamic perfectly. "I was literally Manny, helping Sofia out," Rodriguez chuckled. "But I love her, so I didn’t mind."

Modern Family, which aired from 2009 to 2020, is available to stream on Hulu and Peacock.