It Took ABC 3 Years to Find the Perfect Role for Sofia Vergara (You Know the One)

In case you love comedy as much as we do, there's but a slim chance that you haven't heard of Modern Family. The ABC flagship sitcom had an impressive 11-season run from 2009 to 2020, turning its cast into major TV stars and earning them millions of dollars for their roles.

Sofia Vergara, who portrayed 'hot foreigner' Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the series, is the most astounding example of success. She was once dubbed the highest-paid actress on television, raking in $1 million per episode at the peak of Modern Family's popularity. The actress looked so organic in her role that few people would be surprised to learn that ABC actually created the character specifically for Vergara.

In a recent episode of Hart to Heart, the actress reminisced about her time on Modern Family, revealing that the producers tried hard to keep her involved with the network, but Vergara apparently wasn't interested in staying with ABC — that is, until she was invited to play her iconic role in the mockumentary sitcom.

'ABC didn't want to let me go,' Vergara shared with Kevin Hart in an episode of his talk show. 'They gave me a holding deal until they found Modern Family for me. I didn't even audition. I think it was, like, for three years.'

It looks like Sofia Vergara was very precious to ABC, so before Modern Family's Gloria came about, the producers cast her for many different shows, most of which didn't last long. Here's a list of every ABC show Vergara appeared on before Modern Family:

• 2002 – My Wife and Kids (as Selma, Episode 4, Season 3)
• 2004 – Rodney (as Carmen, Episode 9, Season 1)
• 2005 – Hot Properties (as Lola Hernandez)
• 2007 – The Knight of Prosperity (as Esperanza Villalobos)
• 2007 – Dirty Sex Money (as Sofia Montoya, Season 1)
• 2008 – Men in Trees (as Pilar Romero, Season 2)
• 2009 – Cameo on Dancing with the Stars

ABC's unwillingness to let go of Sofia Vergara is impressive. But she wasn't satisfied with the roles — they simply weren't right for her and provided no professional growth.

'I mean, it was not fan[tastic]. I mean, it was great 'cause I was getting [money], you know. But I also wanted to start working, I wanted to find things. And they waited for me to find the right thing,' Vergara said. 'The moment that I did Modern Family, the first week — that was it.'

Now that Modern Family is over and Sofia Vergara is already a huge star, she can go on and explore other career opportunities. Fans of the actress are excited to see her in a new role in the drama miniseries Griselda, which is expected to hit Netflix sometime this fall.

Source: YouTube.