really oppress progress and hold back reform. but the ingredients are great teachers, more school days and high expectations. and it's really not that complicated an enthe solution's cut across both political parties. it is about political will and relaxing those contracts. >> well, it's a very important film. i hope everybody sees it. thank you so much for joining us, both of you. >> it really is a great documentary and recommend everyone to see it. thank you for being with us. enjoy your weekend. >> good night from new york. "larry king live" starts right now. >> larry: tonight, the cast of the emmy-award winning "modern family." they celebrate the awkward. >> you are not worried about getting in trouble, you know, with god? >> i think he has bigger things on his plate. >> reporter: embrace the

uncomfortable. >> i'm a joke. >> no, you are not a joke. you're pepper saltsman. >> larry: maybe the funniest, most dysfunctional bunch ever. >> there's endless possibilities. >> larry: has it raised the bar, set a new standard and saved the american sitcom? >> i never thought i was in colombia going to grow up to be married to al bundy. >> larry: the cast of "the modern family" for the hour next on "larry king live." good evening. "modern family" is in its second season on abc. the show won only six emmys including outstanding comedy, outstanding supporting actor in a comedy vast. so fee yeaher have ga ra, ed o'neill, eric stonestreet, jesse

tyler ferguson and julie bowen and ty burrell. let's look at what they're all about. watch. >> okay, everybody. gather around. jake, come here. tonight we dine in the traditional colombia recipes of my grandmother. even though she is no longer with me, i'm very happy because i have all of you. [ speaking foreign language ] >> to aunt maria -- >> beautiful, gloria. just like my mitchell. >> oh! >> whoa! >> larry: the two funniest shows on television, one is animated. that's "family guy." the other is "modern family." we'll start with ed o'neill, the veteran of the crew. why does this show work? >> well, i think it's a combination of a lot of things, larry. the writing.

two guys, proproduducers, they it well and i think it's a timely show. you know, it's got a little sentiment. they balance it pretty good. >> larry: there is no, julie, if i'm right, this is no lead. it's an ensemble. >> shockingly so. we all had to go through that really strange process of cementing ourselves for the emmys which is very odd. we all independently came up with submitting ourselves as best supporting because it doesn't feel like we have a lead. although we are very proud that eric did win supporting. >> larry: no jealousy. >> i submit myself for best actor. best supporting actor's too tough. >> competition. >> larry: eric, did you know, like, when you got the part that the show would work? you were on pilot that is never got on the air. >> i never had a show that went to air.

i think everybody else had shows that had been on air. i never had that experience. i knew it was a possibility of being a hit show if you will when i took it home, the pilot, after we got picked up to kansas and my parents had 40 of their closest friends over and middle america is just cracking up at places that i sort of expected them to but then cracking up in places that i had no idea they would and i called -- sent an e-mail and said i can report from the bread basket that we are funny. i was surprised but i knew that was a good sign. >> larry: some critics say you have saved the family sitcom. >> we feel that we have. those are seeds we planted. >> larry: where did they find you, sofia? >> i kind of found them. i went to abc some years ago with an idea of a pilot. and that didn't work out. but they really liked me a lot. so steve mcer if son was trying to find a good role for me until

he found "modern family" and i think it was like -- i mean, i think i'm not going to have a better role in my whole life. >> larry: i doubt it. ty, is it hard to play someone who's stupid? >> not for me. no. some people might find that challenging. >> larry: i mean, that guy's an amazing character, right? how do you approach him? >> i feel like it's the -- it's the easiest character i've ever played in some ways because he's so -- so sort of vacant in his head. but also, but also because he's so positive. it is really -- i love getting out of bed to come to work every day. i think we all do. you know? i think that's also just in the writing. not just in phil. these are characters that because of chris and steve that are written with a lot of heart and they're all trying, you know, they're all trying their

best. >> larry: do you crack up, eric, taping it? >> yeah. we laugh a lot when we're rehearsing. i say we sort of get the laughs out rehearsing and then once the cameras are rolling, we do the best to keep it straight. >> there's something coming up. there's something coming up in i think in a week in a halloween episode. >> larry: give us a clue. >> it is a party that clair is throwing or like a ghost -- >> it's like a haunted house for the neighborhood kids and clair is enthus astic and firm ideas about the way it should be and every member of the family has a specific role and each one of them fails her in -- enormously. perhaps most spectacularly sofia -- gloria is amazing in this episode. >> there's a section that our incredible editor said there's not a single shot where we're not laughing. >> we could not stop. >> unfortunately, we have -- it's unusable. >> larry: jesse, why do you think this works? >> i mean, hopefully you can see

it. >> larry: do you talk to the audience? >> do i talk to the audience? >> larry: all the characters. >> oh, yeah, yeah. we have fantastic chemistry together. you know, and like i'm -- we meet people every day out on the streets of l.a. who i think stop each of us and are like very excited about the show and have -- we're just saying each one of them has a different episode they think is a favorite or each character that's drawn to so i think it's definitely something -- since the pilot, yeah. so that's a great sign that it's touching a lot of different people and it's blanketing the right areas. >> larry: ed, you are the, like, the patron of this, are you not? >> the oldest, larry. >> larry: but also, you didn't have to audition. they wanted zblou. >> no. what is that, audition? no. i didn't audition but i don't think i was the first choice.

i think abc wanted another actor and they didn't make that deal and i was sort of in the wings. and i hadn't -- i had turned down many, many half hours since "married with children" went down. >> i read you turned down 50-some pilots s. that true? >> might be true. >> larry: why? >> i had it 11 years and i thought, oh geez. you know? to get back in the parking lot to go back in for half an hour, has to be something. when i read this, i thought, oh boy. >> tell the truth. when they told you you were going to be my husband, that's when you said yes. >> and i said that made perfect sense. >> larry: turning down her, would have committed you. >> yes. >> i never thought when i was in colombia to grow up to marry al bundy. >> larry: "modern family" won six emmys. had fun in the award show with a new character for the show. watch. >> am i sad that a tree fell on phil and killed him? yes, i am. but when his brother showed up

at the funeral, something magical just happened. clicked. we -- >> gel. >> yeah. >> i like it. >> what? >> i don't like it. >> yeah. i have a big problem with that. >> am i sad a truck ran over clair and jay accidentally swallowed poison? sure, why not? >> this is stupid. we like the show the way it is. >> yep. >> right, jess? >> did we plan on falling in love with phil's brother? >> we don't plan these things. >> you got to get film. >> larry: modern family kids join us, too. stick around. we'll join them ahead on "larry king live." boss: and now i'll turn it over to the gecko.

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can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? heartburn happens when stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus. prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release system that protects the medicine as it passes through the stomach's tough acid. then it gets absorbed into the body, turning off many acid-producing pumps at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection all day and all night. prilosec otc. heartburn gone. power on. hi. i'm -- >> larry: we're back to central part of "modern family" with the kids. they're here tonight. having fun in the green room. and they will join us shortly. ed and sofia play jay and gloria

on "modern family." let's watch that couple in action. >> in colombia, when you cook in honor of the departed, you have to scare death away from the food to protect the people that are going to eat it. slap it and -- >> that's the nuttiest -- >> jay. >> calm down. give me the chicken. here we go. >> uh-huh. that's not scaring anything away. when my grandfather used to cook, the whole house would shake. >> huh! huh! >> louder! >> huh! >> higher! >> hah! >> louder! higher! >> larry: that's hysterical. the show so hysterical. why do you think gloria is an attracted to him? >> i think they're perfect for each other. >> larry: in what way? >> in this different moments of their lives because i think she

comes from this, you know, young, handsome, irresponsible playboy that was her husband and didn't help her with the kid. he wasn't helping with money. and then she finds this great guy that is helping her in a country that's not her country with her, you know, with the kid, with money, with love and with everything. >> larry: ed, do you think it's a very sexual relationship? >> for me it is. >> larry: how did you look into this? do you think? >> you mean the show? >> larry: in the show. >> we haven't determined that. there was some talk about a -- >> larry: background? >> swim-up pool bar in cabo and celebrating my divorce and i ran into her. we haven't -- i don't think we have established where we met yet. i'm just happy that we have. >> larry: you think they will establish in the future shows -- >> i think they will. >> that's really one of the great things about the show is there's ten cast members and there's so many avenues in to

our show for viewers and then there's so many possibilities of storelines and i think that's one of the things people respond to. we'll get to find out so many great things about all of us because sort of there's endless possibilities. >> larry: you used to watch, ed, "married with children"? >> yeah. in colombia. i told him i was very disappointed because i think i used to think he had this, you know, voice like antonio banderas and translated into spanish and doesn't speak one word in spanish. >> adios. >> larry: are you the father figure backstage, too? >> no. >> not really, no. julie knows that i'm not. >> diablo. el diablo. >> we have a lot of fun. >> it's nice, though, to look across and see ed o'neill across from you in a scene. one of the first things ed told

me when this show started, he gave me two pieces of advice. one of which was to avoid drunk people. he said you are in trouble with you're around drunk people and they know you from the show because it's lose-lose and pee always in a stall now. >> larry: sofia is a natural blond. she dyed her hair. colombias aren't blond, right? >> well, you know, purr prized. my family is blond. there's a blond population in your day. >> larry: what color are your eyes. >> hazel. >> hazel? >> hazel. one word i have said correctly in three years. >> it's hazel. >> hazel! >> larry: there was a famous kiss this season. we'll show you why it made waves, coming up. ant you textin. >> daddy... ok!

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>> larry: welcome back to this "modern family" edition of "larry king live." you are looking at the green room where the kids of the show are getting ready by destroying the place. they'll join us shortly. two partners have adopted a baby

girl from vietnam. let's take a look at them in a scene from hysterically "modern family." >> i'm -- >> emergency assistance. this is -- >> we lost our baby in the car and people are judging us. >> i swear to god i'm going to break it. >> you will get glass on her. >> tell your wife to replace. >> that's a man. >> really? >> don't worry, lily. >> we have the signal. the door should be unlocked now. >> check the door. check the door. >> it is not unlocked. oh! oh! that is amazing. how did they do that? >> i don't know. we got it. thank you. >> larry: that's your favorite scene? >> i love that scene, yeah. but they actually took out eric's favorite line. he goes did that come from space? unlocking the door which was an improv, yeah. >> that was one of the first scenes after the pilot. that was the first episode last season and one of the first

scenes to shoot. it is fun because it's a physical, you know, high energy scene. >> larry: tell us about the couple, eric. how do you see you two? how do you think they met? >> it is established they met at one of the friend pepper's very extravagant game nights. >> played by nathan lane. >> i did casablanca. we had a moment of connection. but i love -- i think that maybe mitchell was not quite as game for this relationship as cameron was. >> i think i wooed a little bit. >> yeah, yeah. >> larry: you play it much broader, right? you are the female of the couple, aren't you, in a sense? >> in a sense, yes. i'm tied a little bit more to the emotions of the situation where mitchell sees things in a somewhat more buttoned up way and more practical way, i would say. >> larry: you do it well so. do people greet you on the street and believe you're the character? >> when we are out together,

people cannot separate the fact we're actors and then start getting concerned about us. where's lily? >> that is the number one question we get when we're together. hey, where's lily? >> i say she's tethered in the closet. >> larry: the secret is, they're played as part of a family, right? >> we are played as two guys who love each other and are raising a child just like a man and a woman who love each other and raising a child and the fact we're gay is part of the story but not the central focus of the story. >> they're an equal part of the family. they're -- they're new parents and i think that's the most interesting facet of that. >> larry: did you base your character on your mother. >> he did. >> larry: your mother is like that? >> in the beginning to audition it, it was a pitfall of a character to audition for. i sort of felt like i had to be careful of going over the top. i grounded it to how my mother

would react to situations. she is just real excitable. >> larry: give me an example. >> when i'm coming home, she'll say we're going to go out for a lunch and thought we'd go to a movie later. >> itineraries. >> yeah. excitement and passion. and, you know, the character's changing and evolving. >> larry: how do you approach mitch snell. >> he is close to myself. i'm a little less serious in my normal life but like i find that he's very close to who i am. >> we're oddly more like each other offscreen. i'm probably more up tight than cameron for sure. >> aside from the loud shirts i'm closer to cameron. >> larry: was this a natural mesh, this snow? does it all seem to work? >> yeah. i mean, it was surprising. i mean, there's always that tricky thing starting to shoot a pilot of a new show. will it work out. >> larry: chemistry? >> yeah. it was immediate, i feel. >> yeah. >> took very little -- >> larry: had to be in the

casting. >> jennifer -- >> won an emmy this year for the casting. >> i mean, i think as actors, you respond to really good material and very positive way. it is so exciting to get material like this. >> larry: more where w the stars of "modern family." we'll investigate the next two next. as soon as this handbook comes in the mail,

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listen to me. just because a boy sends you flirty texts -- >> what? you read my texts? >> that's why you made me talk to her?

>> i feel like we're spinning out here a little bit. alex, the important thing is to be very careful around boys because it is so easy to get a reputation. >> well, i'm sorry i'm not a perfect little good girl like you were. ugh! >> were you? >> oh. >> were you? i highly doubt it! >> larry: ty and julie are -- we're back. their characters married for 16 years. they have three kids. watch. >> my stomach hurts. >> luke, honey, i told you not to sit so fast. sit back, relax, you're going to be fine. >> spider! >> i can breathe again. >> wait. where did the spider go? >> i need some air. >> alex, lower your window. >> it's stuck. >> i forgot about that. >> don't you throw up on me. >> haley! oh, oh. >> oh! oh, honey. i think that's the heat. >> it's in my mouth. >> it's happening. >> grab a bag!

>> oh gosh, it smells like onions. >> my seat belt's stuck. >> i'll help you. >> oh! >> spider! >> larry: okay. julie, why does your character put up with him? >> oh my goodness. i think clair's life without phil would be joyless. i think that you need -- she needs him as ballast in her life and she's concerned with making everything right and controlled and he's -- he keeps her lighter and filled with a little bit more joy. >> larry: you play an odd guy. >> yeah, yeah. that's safe. i think, yeah. >> larry: would you say he's a successful realtor? >> i think, you know, that's one of the things we are getting the chance to see for all of the characters in the second season is, you know, kind of more, you know, different facets about them and i think it would have been a little limiting if he wasn't good at anything.

we're kind of -- which is plausible. i think it's plausible phil's not good at anything but we're kind of establishing that phil's, you know, a good realtor and also kind of -- i'm liking that in more recent episodes julie and i are kind of doing sort of sharing goofy stuff. >> we are finding out where they connect. a lot of times people don't see that. we had a few opportunities last year in like the valentine's day episode and you see which was more sort of romantic and fun and now seeing that they have a love of cheesy movies. >> bad movies yarks. >> that clair's isn't always the smartest person. might be the most controlling but not the brightest. >> larry: were you pregnant? >> with twins. for the pilot. >> in the pilot. >> larry: how did you get the part? >> i thought you were going to say how did you get them out? well, larry, that's a different show. medical talk with larry king. how did i get the part? it was -- i wanted it desperately but i was quite sure i wouldn't get it. my first two auditions and

meetings with chris lloyd and steve levitan was me walking in a room and a nice chat with me and would you mind terribly standing up? as they all sort of stared at my stomach thinking is this vaguely doable and i was getting larger. >> larry: you still got it with that? >> i had to go and audition, just, you know like everybody else except for ed o'neill. he did not audition. >> did you audition with the laundry in front of your stomach and the sweater? >> no. i did audition with -- i wore a lot of stripes to fool the eye and perhaps -- and perhaps a dramatic scarf. >> our director directed the pilot. he was also nominated far emmy and did a great job with that. something you said there, though, about the materials. i know i wanted this part so badly. all of us shared that in common. as actors, you audition all the time and think if it happens it does. if it doesn't, it doesn't. this one i knew if i didn't get i would be really, really upset

for a long time. >> larry: did you want it badly, ty? >> yeah, badly. i was lucky enough to work with chris lloyd on two other shows and steve for one other show and so i knew -- >> larry: they knew you. >> yeah. i knew what a pleasure it was to come to work with those guys and creative it was. that was kind of folded into the fact the pilot was so good. i was desperately desperate, yeah. >> larry: this show could run forever. are you under long contracts? >> oh my goodness. i can't imagine any of us ever wanting to leave it. >> no. >> larry: are you on a long contract? >> same kind of contract i think everybody is. >> seven years i think. >> six or seven years. >> larry: the kids from "modern family" are here and apparently running the show from our control room. >> oh my gosh! >> larry: we'll meet them next. wc fields said never work with a kid. they work with four of them. we'll be right back.

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seems kind of silly now what you were fighting about, huh? >> i made fun of the accent. >> what accent? >> i made fun of him for having the same thing for lunch every day. >> i made fun of him because his mom used to dig coal. >> he said you were a coal digger. >> we can move on. >> that's what my mom said.

>> what's a coal digger. >> it's gold digger. >> i have to call you back. >> i don't think i remember ever saying that. >> well, you said it in the car. you said it at christmas. >> mexican restaurant. >> hey, mister. leave the sweatshirts at home suddenly remembers everything. thank you. >> larry: we are back with the cast of "modern family." a family would not be complete without the kids. we are joined by rico rodriguez, ariel winter and nolan gould. sarah hyland is under the weather tonight. couldn't be with us tonight. we hope you get well soon, sarah. they hold their own against the adults. want to see? watch. >> listen. i want you to forget everything i said. okay? >> somethings can't be forgotten, jay. do you know what -- i do. >> you have never kissed a boy? >> how old were you? >> like 11. and it was beautiful.

i was in jackson's carpeted garage. >> 11? >> yeah. you better get on it or he'll think you are a lesbian. >> he won't. >> i thought you were. you totally have the sandals for it. >> that thing almost fell on me. i was sitting there and it came this close to my head. >> it's all right. you're okay. you didn't get hurt. >> well, not going to wait around here until i do. >> wow, okay. that is a doozy. >> larry: okay. where did they find these kids? rico, how did you get this part? >> i went to like so many auditions for months an months and then a pass monthed and i didn't do nothing and thought i didn't get it and then the next month abe i started going out for a lot more auditions and then finally they thought i was good enough to play manny. >> larry: you are a child actor? >> yes. >> larry: how old are you? >> 12. >> larry: have you had other parts before? >> like little spots like i

would guest star on a show and be like, hello, my name is -- and then cut off. pretty much. >> larry: what do you make of this one? >> i know. >> larry: not bad, huh? >> i love the show. >> larry: ariel? >> basically we all just went through the audition process and when we went to the network test i thought they hated me. i was just like, i'm not getting that one. they didn't like me. nothing. they just said, okay. thanks, bye. so i left and i told my mom, it's okay. i'll try out for the next one and they called and said i got it. it was just completely awesome. i'm really happy to be here. >> larry: how roeld you? >> i'm 12. >> larry: two 12s. let's meet nolan. you were the biggest trouble maker in that room. >> on -- i was -- i got the call to come and audition on a friday night and so on saturday morning i was called in. that's pretty rare for an audition but it was actually on

valentine's day so it was -- >> larry: you got the part on that day? >> it was on valentine's day so it was the casting directors -- it was the best valentine's day present i have ever got, but -- and when i came back -- >> larry: you have had so many of them. >> when i came back from the network, i was just like, it was so crazy. like going through all the auditions and when i was actually driving home when i got the call and it was my heart bah boom bah boom bah boom and i heard it and it was just like calmed down a lot. >> larry: how old are you, nolan? >> turning 12 october 28th. >> whoo! so soon. >> yeah. >> larry: prehalloween kid. what is it like -- all right. start with you, ed. what's it like to work with a child? >> well, i've had some experience working with kids and i actually enjoy it. you know? >> larry: you do? >> yeah. contrary to wc fields. >> larry: hate it. >> i like working with the kids.

i liked to watch spencer tracy. >> larry: boystown. >> yeah. with mickey rooney. it is a pleasure. >> larry: your kid, of course srks a baby. but the kids -- but the kids are on the show. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> larry: how do you like having them -- they're talented. >> these ones? yeah. they're amazing. smart, awesome actors. i mean, i think with kids, there's -- you run the risk of, you know, them not being very seasoned. we grew them in a lab. they're really good. >> i was telling you, you know, look at the last time you have seen, you know, three kids in a scene or two girls in a scene by themselves without an okaying adult. >> larry: what is it like for you, ty and julie? >> this is the first time i met these guys but i think they're wonderful. i'm a big fan. >> pleasure to meet you. >> pleasure to meet you both. >> yes, yes. i have seen your work. >> they're really -- i remember doing the pilot and sitting outside doing the -- before the big circle of life scene when

you present lily to us and ty and outside the door for it seemed like a year and a half with the kids and we sort of looked at each other the sea of little heads going, okay, these are our kids and we are going to -- >> yeah, yeah. >> this is like a real family. they have so much energy. they go off on the tangents and you have no idea what they're talking about and then equally amaze you with the incredible focus. >> larry: still 12. >> yes. >> yeah. >> the writers don't -- the writing is the same for everybody. they don't -- they don't write down to the kids. and the kids can pull it all off. >> larry: the kiss we mentioned is next. >> oh.

good evening. tonight on "360" calling out politician that is publicly rail against the money, free spending ways of washington and privately stick out the hands for a piece of action. campaign hypocrisy. that's what people are calling it. manning up in sin city. that's right. senate majority leader reid locked in a dead heat with sharron angle in nevada. the name calling is getting close with angle telling reid to man up and reid calling angle an embarrassment to the state of nevada. those stories and much more at the top of the hour. now back to "larry king live." ah, hey, we're going to crack a couple cold ones. you want to join us? >> no, no. you know what? i'll stay here and get some stuff done. you two ladies enjoy the lite

beers. >> how do you know it's lite beers? >> we only have lite beers. here's a hammer and a screwdriver and you just -- >> i'm not going to use it. >> come on in whenever you want to. >> sure we shouldn't get him out of there? >> no. he would never forgive us. he's a very proud man, your son. >> hey! hey! oh my god. oh my god. >> yeah. i'm pretty proud myself right now. >> ahh! >> larry: we're back. are you falling? >> yeah. it's okay. >> larry: hang on. there was a facebook campaign to get cam and mitchell to share a kiss on the screen. it finally happened this season. watch what led up to the big moment. >> buying a shirt, it is not a kiss-worthy moment. >> i didn't know there was a list. please tell us what is on the list? >> what is not on the list, finding olives. making the light on maple. every time we see a vw. >> you don't like kiss buggy?

>> it is a way for you to be needy. i don't appreciate you making me feel bad. nobody kisses on a bowling alley. >> i almost got a turkey. i feel like i'm wearing the same outfit from the show. >> larry: what was that scene like to do? >> well, that was a scene, you know, leading up to the -- in the episode -- >> larry: never kissed a man before? >> yeah. i was in a movie making out with a dude, yeah. >> larry: what was it like for you, jess? >> eric was a very gentle kisser. i love the way the writers incorporated that moment. it was more than just a kiss. it was dealing with -- with the way mitchell was raised and the issues with the father and claire was involved and how much affection as kids. >> you know what? it was nice that the facebook campaign happened and cared about the characters but the truth is chris and steve had an arc and an idea for the

characters and telling that particular story. we knew that was happening and there didn't need to be a campaign for it to happen. >> larry: how does ed or how does jay handle having gay kids? >> i think better now. you know? than he did probably when they were younger. he probably made a lot of mistakes with his son and now it's kind of fun because they're -- they're reconnecting. >> larry: how does claire sneel. >> well, i mean, i think that claire and mitchell have a sibling rivalry and it has nothing to do with his sexuality or hers. she's a control freak and he has intimacy issues and doesn't matter who he takes to bed at night. i think she has no problem with it. >> larry: how does phil feel? >> i think it in addition to being a good-hearted guy i think he loves to be of the moment and if it's hip to be -- to support gay people, i think phil would be extra super supportive of gay

people. like the front of the march. >> larry: we'll have more with "modern family" next. mom, have you seen my green shirt?

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hey. are you guys okay? >> yeah. we're fine. you? >> we're fine. that was really -- oh, wait. hold on. hello? >> mitch, are you okay? >> we're okay. we're okay. >> and phil and claire?

>> i'm on the other line with them right now. one second. hello? >> we lost phil. >> we lost phil? >> hello? >> great. now gloria's gone. >> gloria's gone, too? oh! >> larry: we are back with the cast of "modern family." one of the funniest shows i think ever in the history of television. >> my goodness. >> larry: no,"modern family." you think they can keep up the writing? >> i hope so. we have a great, great staff, and we're hoping. there's a lot of ways to go. >> and i think they can, because another thing that people respond to this is this is a show about a family. all of our writers are family men and women of some kind and they're telling stories that are relatable to them because they happen to them. like jesse said, people come up to us all the time and say, that exact thing happened in my family. so i think they just keep telling stories about families and we're good.

>> do you like the bit about talking to the camera? >> that's funny, no one's asked me that, and it actually -- i find it very nervous making, because it feels like a little bit of a monologue. what i love about acting is when we get to be in scenes with other people and you look at them and see what they're doing and you react off of them. the camera, just staring into the camera does make me anxious. i'm not going to lie. and i have nowhere to hide. i usually have him in the majority of scenes. to hind behind, or the kids or something. it makes me self-conscious. i'm not going to lie. >> larry: is it object a prompter? >> those are memorized. >> larry: so you're acting all the time. >> they're acting all the time. i almost always stick with what the writers have given you because i trust them more than i trust me. but i've watched ty and some other cast members do some genius improvisations in those. >> larry: do you all like the people you play?

>> i love my character. >> it helps. i think it helps. >> larry: you like him. >> i do. >> absolutely love him. >> larry: you like her? >> i don't know. well, it's like, do you like you, julie? do you? do you really? >> larry: no -- >> i think claire and i could both let go of the reins a little bit. >> larry: you like her? >> i love it. i think -- i want to be her. i think she's a combination of my aunt, my mother, everything that is good about a latin woman, so i want to be her. >> larry: you like him? >> i love him. >> larry: in a pathetic sort of way. >> i certainly feel sorry for him sometimes, but i am having a blast. >> larry: rico, you like manny? >> he's so much fun to play because he's totally different from what i am. >> larry: really? you're nothing like that? >> not at all. >> larry: you said one of these kids were shy.

>> no one was shy last year. >> larry: you were shy? >> me? shy? in the pilot, probably, i think everybody was sort of shy. >> larry: you like luke? >> i love luke. i've always wanted to play a crazy character like luke, because just the things, he's like a kid -- >> larry: you mean all your life. >> always. years. >> he gets to do all kinds of fun stuff, child, crazy stuff, that i never do, like go on trampoline with a pogo stick which i've actually wanted to try, never done it. >> larry: you like alex? >> alex is hilarious. she's funny, she can make fun of people, but yet still love them. she loves doing schoolwork and she thinks that education is really important, and i think -- and i think that, too, so i think it's really great to play her, and i'm really happy to be part of the show. >> larry: we all get to play characters which is great.

>> larry: you're a beautiful little girl. >> thank you. >> larry: tonight, a salute to a woman who deserves a gold medal for transforming a town and its residents. watch. >> hi, as one of cnn's heroes blue ribbon panelists, i had the honor of helping choose this year's top ten. i'm committed to making it easy for people to see how their donation dollars can change a person's life. >> mississippi has held the title of being the most obese state for six consecutive years. >> let's walk. i knew i wanted to do something to help people who wished they could live a better life. my name is linda fondren and i challenged my community to the 17,000 pound weight loss goal. go, girl, good job. i asked the people to own and

lose a half a pound. they beat the challenge, but i decided to make the challenge permanent because we did not reach enough people. yeah. we have a walking club and a nutrition program. on saturday, the gym is open for free. you have to give them the tools and opportunities to want to do better. and they will jump at that chance to do better. so you made it. you're there. obesity affects us all. the only way to combat it is to stand together and help each other. we need to make a commitment to change. >> larry: you can vote for linda or any of our top ten as hero of the year. you go to cnn.com/heroes and cast the ballot. more with the stars of "modern family" after this. [ woman ] alright, so this tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. but aleve can last 12 hours.

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>> larry: we only have a couple moments left. how many have you done. >> reporter: in the second season? >> we're on our 12th now, we'll come back and do 12 more. >> larry: when do you get the script? >> we always have two scripts in our brains at once. the one we're shooting and the one we shoot next week. we get the script thursday we're going to shoot next week. >> larry: how long is the rehearsal? >> i like the fast questions. we barrely rehearse. we don't want it to look documentary. we want it to look real. >> larry: can you change the lines? >> we can, but i try not to. i really think our writing staff has nailed it, although i've seen those around me do it very

well. >> larry: haven't had to do anything you didn't want to do? >> not yet. it's all been a joy and an incredibly silly wonderfulness. >> you said you didn't want to go on "larry king" right before this. let's go to the phones. >> larry: rico, you have a favorite show? >> well, of course i like "modern family" but i pretty much like everything. oh, episode. >> larry: good switch, rico. >> okay. well, i really like "starry night" where jay, manny and mitchell went star gazing because at the end of our episode, jesse came in in a dress and that was really funny. >> larry: you have a favorite role? favorite show? >> i think i love the kiss. that one was really fun, just going up to that kid's house and doing something i would never do in my entire life. >> i was surprised, but hawaii. we got to go to hawaii for an episode. that was awesome. >> you got cut on a rock.