Opposites attract. And spend most of their time arguing. But the love between Cameron and Mitchell Tucker-Pritchett remained strong throughout the 11 years of Modern Family.<\/p>\n
The two met at a games night when Mitch rolled his eyes every time Cam \u201cgot a little boisterous\u201d. They married in two of the most romantic and near-disastrous TV episodes in living memory and raised two adopted children, Lily and Rexford. Being a groundbreaking gay TV couple came at a price: critics wanted more PDAs and less fighting, but Cam and Mitch\u2019s love shone bright.<\/p>\n
\u201cMitch and Cam were a gay couple raising a child on TV, so the microscope was zoomed in with a little more focus so a lot of their flaws were heightened,\u201d says Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitch. \u201cBut I think, when you sit back and look at it, you can see how much love there is between those two people and the family they created.\u201d<\/p>\n
The chemistry between Tyler Ferguson and TV partner Eric Stonestreet is so strong that talking to them is like watching an episode of Modern Family. \u201cThere was never any doubt, even in the early years when we were getting to know each other, that this was going to be someone who\u2019d be in my life for ever,\u201d says Tyler Ferguson. Stonestreet remains tight-lipped, but the affection is powerful. \u201cIf I\u2019m in your world jacking with you, then you can take it to the bank that I\u2019m in love with you,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Modern Family ran from 2009 to 2020, when Cam and Mitch drove off to live happily ever after in Missouri. Tyler Ferguson and Stonestreet live in different cities, but still see each other and talk regularly \u2013 and their love for the characters lives on.<\/p>\n
Do you remember meeting for the first time?<\/p>\n
ES: We met when the producers were testing potential Cams with their already-cast Mitchell.<\/p>\n
JTF: It was like speed dating, meeting all these different guys and waiting for chemistry to happen. I was certainly drawn to Eric as a person. He was very kind, sweet and excited to be there. Do you want to bring up the Z snap or not?<\/p>\n
ES: I\u2019ll set it up and you finish it. I\u2019d had three auditions and I\u2019d learned where the laughs were and had a take on the character, so I was very confident. Then we get to the big moment \u2013 the network test \u2013 and I wasn\u2019t feeling it. So \u2026<\/p>\n
Near disastrous \u2026 Cam and Mitch\u2019s wedding. Photograph: Peter \u201cHopper\u201d Stone\/Disney General Entertainment Content\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
JTF: The room was a little less warm than Eric had been experiencing before. In this moment where he thought that there should be a laugh and there wasn\u2019t one, he panicked and did a gay Z snap.<\/p>\n
ES: To this day I have no knowledge of where that came from. I knew it was a ridiculous thing to do and I left thinking I\u2019d messed up. But Jesse was very kind. I remember you saying: \u201cReally good job, that was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
What do Cam and Mitch love about each other?<\/p>\n
JTF: The most iconic romances develop when opposites attract, like Sam and Diane in Cheers or Ross and Rachel in Friends. Mitch lived a very sheltered life as far as being in the closet and he finds a lot of comfort in Cam\u2019s free spirit.<\/p>\n
ES: Here are these two imperfect people who\u2019ve found each other and the perfectness in each other. That makes the characters likable immediately. It gets the relationship so much further down the road when it\u2019s not two hunky dudes. Well, we\u2019re hunky in our own way.<\/p>\n
What were your favourite romantic moments?<\/p>\n
JTF: The whole PDA thing was so interesting to me. When you looked at all the couples on the show, there\u2019s not a tonne of PDA between Jay and Gloria either, but because we were the gay couple we took the heat.<\/p>\n
ES: What really hurt my feelings in the beginning was people saying because I was straight I didn\u2019t want to kiss Jesse. First of all, that\u2019s stupid and secondly I\u2019d been in a very gay cult classic movie called Girls Will Be Girls where I\u2019d made out with a drag queen, so please, girl.<\/p>\n
JTF: The writers\u2019 response to that is that Mitch has a fear of PDA and then they made this wonderful episode called The Kiss where there\u2019s a moment between Mitch and his dad showing affection and then in the background you see Cam and Mitch kiss. I found it so moving.<\/p>\n
Is there anything you wish that Cam and Mitch did differently?<\/p>\n
ES: I got caught up when people were saying Mitch and Cam argue a lot. There were times when I\u2019d look at Jesse and go,\u201cHere we go again,\u201d but it was our job to make those arguments relatable.<\/p>\n
JTF: I wish they had a better ground plan for their house. We\u2019d always say it\u2019s strange that they only have one bathroom and it\u2019s right off the kitchen.<\/p>\n
ES: It\u2019s sprawling in Missouri, trust me.<\/p>\n
When did you realise this was a love story for the ages?<\/p>\n
JTF: Only in hindsight. I grew up gay and closeted in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and didn\u2019t have anyone on television who was aspirational for me, like \u201cI could get married and have kids\u201d. To know that Eric and I are that for people makes this job feel like a gift.<\/p>\n
\u2018It was our job to make those arguments relatable\u2019 \u2026 a Christmas episode of Modern Family. Photograph: Richard Cartwright\/ABC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
ES: I don\u2019t even know how to process it when a 14-year-old kid to comes up to me now and says: \u201cI\u2019m gay and I love your character and thank you so much.\u201d The fact we have an effect on people\u2019s lives who weren\u2019t even born when we shot Modern Family is unreal and I\u2019m so grateful.<\/p>\n
What has been the most intense fan reaction to Cam and Mitch?<\/p>\n
JTF: Tears. People wanting to give me a hug and being so moved. That\u2019s the good version. There\u2019s also the ones where people are screaming and running down the street.<\/p>\n
ES: People will come up to me and say: \u201cI watched three episodes during my chemo and you helped me get through those treatments.\u201d I was in New York City seeing a Broadway show and this woman stops me and she says: \u201cSeeing you here tonight has brought my daughter back to life. You were my daughter\u2019s favourite character and the last time I saw her laugh was watching you on Modern Family and you being here right now is like her being here.\u201d I lost it and gave her the biggest, warmest hug I could.<\/p>\n
How romantic are you in real life?<\/p>\n
ES: My dad was this big, burly guy and sometimes they\u2019re the most romantic ones. You feel like you\u2019ve won a different kind of prize because it\u2019s not all out there for everyone to see. I think I\u2019m romantic \u2013 I have the best gift for our one-year wedding anniversary [Eric is married to Lindsay Schweitzer].<\/p>\n
JTF: I do my best to be romantic. Small acts of affection are very important to me and I show my love by planning date nights. I\u2019m a great cook and I like to cook for Justin [Mikita, Jesse\u2019s husband].<\/p>\n
Did you keep anything from the set that reminds you of Cam and Mitch?<\/p>\n
ES: I have the portrait that was above our fireplace of Mitch, Cam and Lily and a basket of fake lemons just because it was an inside joke with one of the producers, Chris Lloyd.<\/p>\n
JTF: There were a few pieces that we fought over. I have this painting from the Cam and Mitch house and I don\u2019t remember the details of why I was in a scene, but I ended up taking it.<\/p>\n
\u2018One of his love languages is pranks\u2019 \u2026 Cam and Mitchell. Photograph: Peter \u201cHopper\u201d Stone\/Disney General Entertainment Content\/Getty ImagesWhat was your real relationship like off camera?<\/p>\n
ES: I\u2019m more Mitchell off camera and Jesse\u2019s more Cam. He\u2019s breezy and will let things go and I\u2019m the one who\u2019s uptight and constantly worrying about everything. I really enjoyed strapping on my loafers and poufing my hair up because it gave me the chance to be a better version of myself, which is what Cam is.<\/p>\n
JTF: Eric is very thoughtful as a friend and one of his love languages is pranks. He\u2019s really good at the long-game prank, so he will show affection by creating scenarios that will bring joy to people but also give him pleasure. A lot of our relationship is him ruthlessly pranking me and teasing me and it all comes from a place of love.<\/p>\n
What can Cam and Mitch teach us about love?<\/p>\n
JTF: It\u2019s a long game. There are different phases of love \u2013 it has peaks and valleys that come with kids, jobs and getting to know each other and you have to allow fights to happen. My father-in-law always says: \u201cWe\u2019ve been married 52 years, 33 happily\u201d and he never specifies which they are.<\/p>\n
ES: We wanted Mitch and Cam to reflect real relationships. My wife, Lindsay, gives me permission to be myself and I desperately want her to be herself and although Mitch would raise a judging eyebrow every once in a while at something Cam would do, they love each other in the face of imperfection.<\/p>\n
JTF: I have the utmost faith in them and their relationship, so I think they\u2019re still together. Absolutely.<\/p>\n