sophie vergara

Jesse Tyler Ferguson found success on Broadway originating the role of Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He stood out, too, in his role in The Class, but the show didn't stick around too long. Now he's in one of the most buzzed about sitcoms on the fall schedule, Modern Family, co-starring with Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara, and Ty Burrell.

Ferguson plays Mitchell, half of a gay couple with Eric Songstreet's Cameron, who are raising an adopted Vietnamese girl. O'Neill plays his father, Jay, who is newly married to a woman half his age, Gloria, who is played by Vergara. There is also his sister Clarie (played by Julie Bowen) and her husband Phil (Burrell) who thinks he'll be cool to his kids if he learns all of the dance routines from High School Musical.

The family looks like a wonderfully funny mess, and Ferguson says they'll add their share of guest stars in the coming weeks with Elizabeth Banks, Edward Norton, and Shelly Long making appearances. I caught up with Ferguson by phone during a morning long press session of interviews to talk about the buzz for the show, his character, and his Tweet that he's planning to dress as Lady GaGa from the VMAs for Halloween.