‘Modern Family’ Star, Eric Stonestreet Shares How Fizbo the Clown Was Created With the Help of His Real Family
Fans of Modern Family fell in love with Eric Stonestreet playing Cam. Cam had many endearing traits and one of them is that he’s a clown. The actor revealed how his family helped create the clown ahead of his last appearance on the show. Find out the origin of the name Fizbo and more.
Eric Stonestreet’s Cam on ‘Modern Family’ is based on his mother
Cam is such a funny character. Stonestreet revealed that he based the character partially on his mother.
“In the beginning I most certainly did,” Stonestreet told Anderson Cooper. “I had this audition for this character, this great character that I wanted to auditioned for but they said ‘We don’t want the character too over the top.’ Yet they had written a scene where I deliver a baby to Lion King music.”
He then said, “I just looked to my mom sort of mannerisms and gestures and facial expressions in a way.” Stonestreet said the soft voice is inspired by her and it’s funny given the way he looks.
Stonestreet’s real clown past is in the show
Stonestreet was a clown in real life and performed at birthday parties when he was 11 years old. Some of his past was included in the show to help build his character.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a clown in the circus,” he told KansasCity.com. “I was in The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Kansan more than a few times. If you look at that Fizbo episode from the first season, when they show the article that they flash back to, that’s the actual article that was written about me (in the Kansas City Kansan) and that’s really me in those pictures.”
He continued, “It was my way then as a young man to express my desire to entertain and perform. I didn’t know what I was saying then was that I wanted to be an actor.”
He tweeted that his father gave him the name
Stonestreet revealed the meaning behind the clown on Twitter. He revealed that different aspects were created with the help of his family.
“From as far back as I can remember, all I ever wanted to be was a clown in the circus,” he wrote in the post. “My dad named me Fizbo, my grandma made all my clown suits, and my parents allowed me to be the kid that raised pigs, played drums, took karate, payed [sic] football, and put makeup on and wigs on from time to time.”
The statement continued, “All of that led to the moment in 2009 when two writers, Brad Walsh and Paul Corrigan wrote a draft of Modern Family called, ‘Fizbo’ and you were introduced to Fizbo the a** kicking clown that will twist you like a balloon animal.”
The actor revealed the Feb. 12 episode will be the last time fans will see the clown. “Tomorrow you’ll see Fizbo one last time,” he revealed. “I think Grandma Louise would be proud that her little clown made it all the way from Kansas City KS to the streets of Paris, France. When you met Fizbo 11 years ago, Cam said, ‘Hello old friend.’ Tomorrow, I get to say, goodbye old friend. Thank you Modern Family for allowing me to fulfill my dream of being a clown in the biggest circus of them all. Hollywood.”
