Being a spirited mother

She is incredibly intelligent, beautiful and can get any tough ribs tickling with her stunning sense of humour — Sofia Vergara is one of the few actors ruling the television screen space as a real and reel life mother. Her role as Gloria in the comedy series Modern Family has won her a multitude of awards. We speak to this inspiring Colombian-American actress and mum, who rose to becoming one of the most influential Latin women in Hollywood, with her killer acting chops and her iconic accent.

 So why do you think Modern Family is such a success?
I don’t know. It is a combination of many things. I think it is luck, first of all. I think we also have a great cast. We all like each other, we all have chemistry. The writers are amazing, Chris Lloyd and Steven Levitan, the creators, know exactly what they want from the show. So it’s mainly good luck.

 When you were first approached to play this crazy woman with this sense of humour, could you imagine that the show would be a success?
No. You never know with television, and I did read the script, and I thought, it was a great character for me. I get to be Colombian, have the accent; have a kid; be an immigrant, so it was fantastic for me. I never thought that even from the pilot I would start getting recognised on the street. And to be, you know, like one of the most watched shows right now, it’s unbelievable for all of us.

How important is it that the character is Colombian? And what do you think of the jokes about Colombia that make it on the show?
I love it. I think it is fantastic. Everybody loves it. Colombians, we don’t get offended because it is not like the writers are inventing things about Colombia. It’s a reality of what Colombia was. What can we do? We have to laugh about it. The country has changed. It is not like that is happening right now, in Colombia, thank God.  So I don’t get offended at all. I think it is hilarious.

Sofia Vergara

So do you get recognised a lot on the street by the fans? And what sort of reactions?
Yeah, it is crazy.  You know what, think in person I look a little bit smaller than on the TV.  So people just stare and stare thinking maybe it’s her, maybe it’s not.  The moment I open my mouth they go, “I knew it!” So when I go out with people they are looking at me and it’s like, “Mom, don’t talk now.  We are going to be here for an hour more taking pictures and we need to go.”  As long as I don’t speak I’m safe!

What do you do to stay in shape?  
I have very good luck because I have a good figure. And when I moved to L.A. to act, I understood that, working out and eating healthier was, you know, part of aging well. So I accepted it.  I hate it.  For me, it’s torture to go to the gym.

What about eating? are you a foodie?
And that’s another reason why I try to do it, because I love eating. And it’s one of the fun things I do with my son, with my husband, with my friends. And I think, you know, in Latin culture, you celebrate with food. You do a funeral with food. You know, everything has to be around food.

(Modern Family Seasons 1 – 8 air weekdays at 8.30 pm only on Star World and Star World HD)