Eric Stonestreet

“I'm a regular dude from Kansas who grew up with pigs and cows.”

“Right outside of Kansas City is Leavenworth, and there are, like, five prisons there. It was kind of the tapestry of my childhood. I was always fascinated. I wanted to know what was behind those walls.”

“I sort of look at music as helping me get through situations.”

“My mom has this ugly Santa ornament, and one year, I took it off the tree and clipped it to her pillow. We've been trading it back and forth ever since - 16 years now. I wore it to the Golden Globes and even put it in her bird feeder. As the birds eat, it's slowly revealed.”

“I don't think I could keep my position as a well-standing man in the world if I thought there were roles for men and women.”

“TV is definitely easier hours.”

“I tell people all the time that producers, writers, and directors really don't know what they want until it walks into the room - you have to show them what they want. Everyone is rooting for you when you walk into the room. Everyone wants you to be good because it means their day is over!”

“A lady passed me a note in Australia one time that said, 'My daughter gets bullied at school because she has two moms, and you know, we told her just to tell them to watch 'Modern Family.'”

“People don't realize how long hours are when you're shooting a movie.”

“Listen, re-gifting is fine as long as there is transparency. You just have to be like, 'This is something I got that I couldn't use, and I thought you might like it.'”

“Growing up, one of my cousins was an out gay man.”

“I got dared to audition for a play by my best friend Paul. He got cast in 'Hamlet,' and I got cast in 'Prelude to a Kiss,' and that changed everything.”

“I wasn't a great student; I was lazy. But when I was in sociology class, I listened.”

“I'm always open to meeting people, but I would be lying if I didn't say that my trust issues have changed because of 'Modern Family.'”

“I like to be at a party and be a quiet observer, be in conversation. I wouldn't say I was a class clown growing up, but I would definitely sit back in class and take snipes at the teacher.”

“Most people don't think of actors and people like us that are performers and out in the world as introverts, but I like to know I can trust someone first.”

“My mom's passionate and energetic and very funny and enthusiastic.”

“I'm a full-contact actor, meaning that I love to act in my toes and in my fingers, and I just try to keep it surprising.”

“I like fresh and clean. I don't ever want anyone to smell me and say, 'Oh that guy is wearing a lot of cologne.' I want people to smell me and say, 'You smell really good!' I think there is a difference.”

“I love cheeseburgers, really good Italian food, and really good Mexican food. I look the way I look because I've practiced a lot.”