‘Modern Family’: Sofia Vergara Revealed She ‘Spent a Lot of Money’ To Try and Remove Her Accent Before Landing the Role

Modern Family became one of the best sitcoms of the 21st century when it premiered back in 2009. The cast members grew incredibly close and remain as such today. But for Sofia Vergara, who played the sassy, upbeat Gloria Pritchett, the show meant far more. Vergara once revealed that she had been working to eliminate her accent before landing the role.

‘Modern Family’ was a hilarious take on today’s family culture

When Modern Family premiered a dozen years ago, nobody expected the show to find so much success. It turns out it was an instant hit. Creator Christopher Lloyd wanted a show that detailed the lives of families that were a bit off from the classic nuclear family that had been so expected in the United States during the 20th century. Rather than a mother, father, and two kids, Modern Family took the approach of second marriages, gay relationships, and an all-around hilarious, hot-mess family.

Gloria Pritchett, a spicy Colombian whose looks were hard to ignore, was married to Jay Pritchett, a successful entrepreneur. Jay had been married once before and had two children with his ex, who were about Gloria’s age. Though Sofia Vergara gained major notoriety for her role, she was having a difficult time in the acting world prior to her big break.

Sofia Vergara revealed she spent ‘a lot of money’ to try and lose her accent for acting roles

Vergara was born and raised in Colombia, where she attended school before dropping out to pursue a modeling career. In 1998, her brother’s murder led her to start a new life in the United States, where she continued to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Vergara speaks fluent English, though part of her charm on Modern Family was her strong Colombian accent. Though it’s an important part of Vergara’s identity, she once felt she wouldn’t find any acting jobs unless she worked to remove the accent.

“I did [try to change my accent] at the beginning [of my career],” Vergara said at Paleyfest in 2015. “I hired someone, and I worked for months, and I spent a lot of money because it’s very expensive.”

Vergara also revealed that she paid per hour, and she was receiving help three hours per day, three days per week to try and get rid of her thick accent. Finally, though, she realized that if she couldn’t find an acting role as she was, then it wasn’t meant to be.

“I was not doing a very good job in auditions, so I said one day, ‘You know what, I’m gonna try going the way that I can, and if I find a job, fine, and if not, it’s fine.’” Vergara said that after recruiting her son to help her train her accent, and eventually relenting and accepting her accent for what it was, “one thing led to another,” and she landed the role of Gloria — accent and all.