Jesse Tyler Ferguson Modern Family audition story
by Tufail: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson recalls the specific moment he was asked to audition for Cameron on Modern Family and immediately declined. He explained that playing Cameron felt too easy and that he preferred the challenge of the straight man, the one who is not as funny. There was also a logistical reason: being part of the core family offered job security because they couldn't fire him, whereas a character married into the family could be written out via divorce. Despite his request to play Mitchell, the casting directors made him read for Cameron first. Ferguson performed the character as he would have played Mitchell, which led the team to stop him halfway through and suggest he was actually a better fit for Mitchell. He requested time to review the pages and returned the next day to read Mitch. While walking back to his car after that second audition, he received a phone call inviting him to test for the role. After testing, he was cast as Mitchell. Ferguson notes he was the first person cast from auditions, while Ed O'Neill and Sofía Vergara had existing deals with Fox and direct offers prior to the process.
Transcript (en)
I was asked to audition for Cameron, who is, uh, was Mitch's husband. And I said, I don't want to play Cameron. I, I feel like that's a role I can, it's too easy. I kind of like, I found, I like the challenge of the straight man are, you know, and meaning the one who's like, not as funny. Uh, and, uh, also I was thinking logistically, I was like, if I'm part of the core family, they can't fire me. If I'm married into the family, I could be divorced off the show. So I was like, well, I should probably be one of like the people who they can't like kill off. Yeah. And but they made me read for Cameron. So I read Cameron as I would have played Mitchell. And I think they even stopped me halfway through. And they said, you know, you actually would be a better Mitchell. I was like, no . And they said, do you want to take these pages into the waiting room and look at them and come back in? And I said, I'll come back tomorrow. Cool. I wanted to give myself some time. I didn't want to fudge it. I didn't want to mess it up. I said, I need more time than just a few minutes. Is it okay if I come back tomorrow? And they said, okay, because they were still seeing people. And so I came back the next day and I read Mitch. And when I was walking back to my car after that audition, I got a phone call saying they want you to test for the role, which is the next step. And I tested for it and I got it. And it turns out I was the first person that they cast. Oh my gosh. I mean, I think Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara had deals with Fox and direct offers, but of the people that they were, so they were sort of circulating already. But like I was the first person that they cast from auditions.
