Sofia Vergara heats up ABC's 'Modern Family' and makes us laugh

ABC has been into Sofia Vergara for quite some time. The former Univision host was cast on two failed comedies, "Hot Properties" and "The Knights of Prosperity," and had a recurring role on "Dirty Sexy Money." Now, it looks as though the perseverance has paid off. ABC and Vergara have a shared hit in "Modern Family," the season's top-rated new comedy.

The Times interviewed Vergara at Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills in October, where the Colombian actress proved why she might be on her way to becoming America's No. 1 funny lady. The following are excerpts from that interview. You can read the rest here.

Fess up. Who’s your friend at ABC? They keep giving you opportunities.

My friend or my friend? (Laughs.) I think [ABC President of Entertainment] Steve McPherson. He always said, “I’m going to look for something for you.” He always believed in me. All of the three shows that I’ve done has been his idea.

How did you meet him?

I met him when he was at Touchstone. I did a pilot with Damon Wayans for ABC. And he was one of the executives. The pilot didn’t go through, but they tested the pilot and I scored pretty high. I don’t know what that means. Then ABC gave me a holding deal until they found something for me. And now it looks like they found it.

Did you have fun at work today?

It’s always funny. Today we were working on the Christmas episode. So today we sang a song.

Do you crack up around Ty Burrell? He’s so funny.

It’s so hard to be straight around him. But you learn because then the hours are too long. That scene we had where I throw the underwear at him, we had to do it so many times because I would throw it on his face and I would just laugh and laugh.

You named your son after Manolo [Steven Bauer] on "Scarface," right?

I was so obsessed with Steven Bauer. He was so handsome. He was gorgeous. But now my son always says, “Yeah, yeah, you named me after a drug dealer junkie. That’s fantastic, Mom.” I tell him, “It was because he was handsome.” That’s my favorite movie. [She looks down at her plate.] It’s a weird time to be eating this salad. 4 p.m.?

Do you cook?

No. My son does. He does things I wouldn’t even try. He learned himself. Since he was 7, he would watch "Emeril." We would sit together to watch cooking shows. But of course I didn’t learn anything. And he was memorizing recipes like crazy. Now, he cooks for his friends. He’s ready. He knows how to do laundry, go to the supermarket, pay bills. I trained him perfect. The girl that gets him is going to be very lucky.

A lot of beautiful women feel like they have to apologize for their looks, especially in the professional world, but you just own yours.

You know, the reality is that it has opened a lot of doors for me. It’s a reality that when you’re pretty, you get more opportunities. But it’s also true that there’s always younger and prettier than you. So if I’ve been working for 20 years, it’s because there’s something there. So I don’t feel I have to apologize for being beautiful or whatever. Good for me. Anyway, I think people after they know me, they forget about that. They just go, "Move out of the way." (Laughs.)

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Sofia Vergara. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[Cameron]

I LOVE this woman!!! Steven Bauer is so lucky to be crushed on by Sofia Vergara. What's interesting is, of the three ABC comedies, only one - Hot Properties - was the expected casting of a sexpot type into a formulaic approach. The other two are intelligent, well-written, and laugh-track free. I'm gratified that Modern Family has broken the curse and become a hit.

[giselle]

I love her! She's absolutely fabulous and hilarious on Modern Family.

" So I don’t feel I have to apologize for being beautiful or whatever. Good for me. Anyway, I think people after they know me, they forget about that. They just go, "Move out of the way." "

I love that about her!