30 Of The Most Hilarious Behind-the-Scenes Facts From The Set Of Modern Family

Modern Family quickly became one of the world’s most popular family comedies. Find out these hilarious and interesting facts about the cast and antics behind the scenes.

A Different Start

Modern Family is shot as a mockumentary with its hand-held camera shots and onscreen family interviews, but few fans know that the show was originally conceived to be an actual documentary. The potential documentary was the brainchild of a Dutch filmmaker named Geert Floorjte who lived with the real-life American Pritchetts as a teenage exchange student.

Acting Skills

Since the fun family sitcom made its way on to the air it has been widely praised for the diversity of the cast and characters. Many fans were pleasantly surprised by the same-sex partnership of Cameron and Mitchell, respectively played by Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. What fans might be shocked to learn is that the actor who plays the flamboyant and camp Cameron, is actually straight. Yup, straight as an arrow!

The Real Smarts

Luke Dunphy, the youngest of the Dunphy clan is definitely not the brightest bulb in the bunch. But unlike the dim-witted character he plays, young actor Nolan Gould has an IQ of 150. Gould is a member of Mensa, the largest and most prestigious high IQ society in the world. He graduated from high school at just 13 years old.

Clowning Around

In the show, lovable Cam Tucker often plays Fizbo the Clown, his retired clown character. Eric Stonestreet who plays Cam, actually got his start in a big bow tie and bad clown make up.  “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a clown in the circus… It was my way then as a young man to express my desire to entertain and perform,” the actor shared. Encouraged by his parents, Stonestreet actually performed at local kids’ birthday parties.