“Modern Family” Alum Rico Rodriguez Jokes He 'Got Suckered Into' Doing Tasks for TV Mom Sofía Vergara: I 'Got Played' 

Rico Rodriguez was kept connected his toes moving pinch his onscreen mom Sofía Vergara connected Modern Family.

While appearing connected nan June 2 section of nan Dinner's On Me podcast, nan actor, 26, joked astir really he was tricked into giving Vergara a helping manus during nan formed array sounds during nan deed ABC series' first season.

“I sewage suckered into it. I emotion Sofia, but I sewage played. I sewage played by Sofía,” Rodriguez recalled to big and his erstwhile costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson. “So 1 time, being nan bully personification that I am, Sofía was precocious to nan array [read] … [and] I was like, ‘I cognize really she marks her lines connected her book … you cognize what, fto maine beryllium bully and fto maine people her book for her.’ ”

“So [Vergara] gets location and she's like, ‘oh, convey you, Rico’ and pinches my cheeks and whatever. And past nan adjacent week she's connected time,” nan character continued. “So I beryllium down, I'm marking my sides, and past we commencement nan publication and erstwhile it comes to Sofía, she goes, ‘Rico, you didn't people my script.’ ”

“I go, ‘huh, I didn't cognize I was expected to. I did it 1 clip 'cause I was nice.’ And truthful she hands maine her book and now everybody's looking astatine maine because it's virtually her adjacent line,” explained Rodriguez. “… This was for illustration play one. I was virtually Manny astatine that constituent helping retired Sophia.”

Rodriguez played Manny Delgado, nan boy of Vergara’s Gloria Delgado-Prichett, connected Modern Family passim nan show’s full 11 play tally from 2009 to 2020.

Elsewhere connected nan podcast, Rodriguez said that his erstwhile Modern Family costar Ed O’Neill, who played patriarch of nan family Neil Prichett, "truly took maine nether his wing” connected nan show.

“There was 1 clip … early on, astir apt first play wherever I was having problem pinch this 1 statement …  And [the board kept] coming successful like, ‘Hey, Rico, effort for illustration this’ … It was going connected for a small spot truthful it was a small frustrating,” he recalled. “...And I'm for illustration overthinking everything, you know? I'm like, ‘oh, I'm nan logic why we're not doing good.’ And I'm for illustration connected nan verge of crying…”

“Ed was like, ‘Alright, stop, trim nan cameras. And he told [me], ‘go beryllium down’ … He brought maine to nan side. And he was like, ‘all right, Rico, look here. Here's I deliberation what you're having problem pinch here. Repeat aft me. Try it for illustration this,” said Rodriguez. “Dnd past we would activity together until … he was like, that's it, perfect. Alright, let's spell do it.’ ”

“He would look astatine maine and gimme a wink. I'm like, I sewage you. He was like, I sewage you, don't worry,’ ” he added.

Never miss a communicative — motion up for PEOPLE's free regular newsletter to enactment up-to-date connected nan champion of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from personage news to compelling quality liking stories. 

Modern Family is disposable to watercourse connected Hulu.