Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson admits playing a gay character came with unique challenges

Modern Family is one of the most popular American sitcoms. It is about three intertwined families in Los Angeles. It aired on ABC from 2009 until 2020 and won 22 Emmy Awards and gained critical praise. It stars Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Recently, in the Dinner's On Me podcast, Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson has shared some insights. He has acknowledged that playing Mitchell Pritchett, a gay character, had particular obstacles. While delighted to represent the LGBTQ+ community, he acknowledged feeling pressure to be real.

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Jesse Tyler Ferguson is widely known for his depiction of Mitchell Pritchett on the hit sitcom Modern Family. He was open about the challenges of playing a homosexual character on a show with such a huge audience, and despite being an out homosexual, Ferguson admitted that he felt obligated to portray Mitchell.

This was done because the part represented a substantial improvement. This was particularly the case for the representation of LGBTQ+ families on mainstream television. With this, he noted that Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) were commonly considered as role models. This sometimes added to the tension in how their relationship was depicted on television.

Ferguson underlined the necessity for representation. Mitchell and Cameron rose to prominence. This was during an era when there were few primetime television portrayals of same-sex couples with children. In a Dinner's On Me podcast, Ferguson said,

"It was tricky for me because I had to tune out that noise of a community wanting me to do it correctly and preciously and, you know, my desire to do it with nuance and levels and layers and also poignancy."

In addition to Ferguson, Modern Family was known for its excellent ensemble cast. Ed O'Neill played the role of family patriarch Jay Pritchett. As per the unique storyline, his marriage to Gloria (Sofía Vergara) provided a humorous and cultural contrast. With this, Claire and Phil Dunphy were played by Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell. These portrayed a modern suburban household with relatable dysfunction.

They were further joined by the Dunphy children. They grew up on television during the series: Sarah Hyland as Haley, Ariel Winter as Alex, and Nolan Gould as Luke. Ferguson's Mitchell thrived as part of a larger family saga, and each of the show's characters contributed to the show's special combination of humor and heartfelt storytelling.

Ferguson's on-screen journey was greatly affected. This was because of Eric Stonestreet's depiction of Cameron. Stonestreet's connection with Ferguson was highly praised for its authenticity. This was done despite the fact that he is not homosexual in real life, and Mitchell and Cameron offered some of the most touching narratives on the show.

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This included adopting their daughter Lily to navigate the ups and downs of married life. Ferguson has consistently praised Stonestreet. This was for increasing the impact of their representation, which was primarily done by making their interaction both attractive and exciting to play.

Ferguson has said that playing Mitchell in Modern Family shaped a large portion of his public persona when looking back on his career. However, he also considers it a privilege to have contributed to the cultural change that made same-sex couples more accepted on TV.

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