Quotes from Eric Stonestreet

Don't we all think picky eaters are a pain in the rear end? The good thing about the holidays is that it's a buffet-style thing, so you can pick what you want. It's about filling your belly, not theirs.

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.

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

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

Anything that I've put my name to and my face to and put my time into, is something that I'm clearly passionate about, or I wouldn't be there.

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.'

My dad had a retail business in Leavenworth, Kansas, and there's a whole bunch of prisons there, so it was a backdrop of my childhood, these ominous prisons sitting off the road.

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

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a clown. I didn't want to be an actor, I wanted to join the circus and entertain people.

I wanted to be a clown when I was a kid, so I love interacting and goofing around with kids.

As actors, we want to challenges ourselves and put ourselves in different situations to see how we react and deliver a performance.

I took a sociology class, and I got an A in it. Then I found out you could get an emphasis in criminal justice. I wanted to be an administrator.

I don't think guys inherently don't want to clean. I think the roles are most definitely changing, but I think in a good relationship, it's never been defined as 'a lady does this and a guy does this.' I think, in most working, healthy relationships, everybody does a little bit of everything.

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.

I like day-after-Christmas omelets, day-after Christmas pizzas... Or you take croissant rolls, put gravy on top, turkey, mashed potatoes, cheese, more gravy. That sounds good!

All I ever wanted to do was get a great job on a TV show. When I read 'Modern Family' and started looking at what was available - I obviously couldn't play Gloria; I couldn't play Claire. When I saw the character of Cam, I was like, 'I have to have a shot at this,' because I thought it was a character that would be really fun to play.

I never thought I would be somewhat of a gay icon.

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've never lived in New York. I've never done a play off or on Broadway, so I think that's in my future. Have that experience - get a little apartment in the city and grow a beard and walk around with earbuds in my ears, and a stocking cap and a big giant scarf.

I'm a good boy! I do what I'm told; I'm on time. I'm always where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be there. I don't mess around with other people's time and schedule. And I eat my vegetables. And my meats. And my carbs. And my dairy.

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

TV is definitely easier hours.

The most important thing for me as an actor playing a character is to make you laugh. That's my No. 1 goal.