Modern Family’s Moon Man

February 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Actors

Advocate.com has an interview with the man who introducing the term “moon landing” to popular culture Eric Stonestreet. Here is the highlights from the interview:

Eric Stonestreet

Advocate.com: First of all, thanks for introducing the term “moon landing” to popular culture. What was it like to touch bare butt cheeks with Ed O’Neill?
Eric Stonestreet: [Laughs] I tweeted the day that episode aired that if you set goals, work hard, and always believe in yourself, you too can touch butts with a TV icon someday. It was blurred out on TV, but we really did touch butts. He was like, “You fine with this?” I was like, “I’m fine with it. Are you fine with it?” And he was like, “Yeah, let’s do this!” So we touched butts, and it was great.

Twitter obviously makes you easily accessible to fans. What kind of feedback have you gotten from gay viewers about Modern Family?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I had prepared myself that people might think Cameron was too flamboyant, too broad, or too stereotypical, but we’ve always felt we take it to that line but then twist it a bit. Gay couples have approached me at the Grove in Los Angeles just to say “thank you.” At Starbucks I was approached by two women pushing a stroller who said, “We’d like to introduce you to our baby.” I’ve been blown away, because I was expecting a little bit more blowback, if you will, than what we’ve received from the gay community and even from people who are opposed to gay rights.

Have you learned anything about gay people by playing Cameron?
Well, I’ve been surrounded by gay people my whole life — I grew up with a gay cousin, I went to Kansas State University and knew a lot of gay people in the theater department — so it’s not like I’m all of a sudden immersed in the gay community for the first time. But in this particular case, what I’m learning is being learned off-set with the great feedback I’m getting. I’m seeing how prideful and appreciative the gay community has been of the fact that we’re playing these characters honestly and without sensationalizing them. Cameron’s a dramatic, passionate person, but there’s a truth to the character. I look to myself for the character because I’m a dramatic, passionate person too, and that has nothing to do with my sexuality.

Was it a conscious decision not to show any physical affection between Cameron and Mitchell so as to make a gay relationship more palatable for more conservative viewers?
People always ask me why there’s not more affection on the show, but these guys are elbow-deep in raising a baby, so affection gets shoved down the list. That happens in straight relationships too. Talk to any guy with a newborn baby, ask him how often he’s getting some action, and he’ll fill you in.

Glee stole some of Modern Family’s thunder at those award shows.
Yeah, we were “whatever” with the Golden Globes, but we did want to win the SAG Award. Good for Glee, but hopefully we’ll go at it again next year. But, you know, this year I was disappointedModern Family didn’t get a SAG Award, and exactly one year ago this week I was pissed because I couldn’t get an audition for Modern Family, so my year has been great.