'Modern Family' Jesse Tyler reveals dad's reaction to his bold roles

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, American actor who is best known for his character as Mitchell Pritchett in 2010s hit show Modern Family, has recently opened up about a personal moment with his father that left a mark on him.

The 49-year-old star said that he wasn’t hurt when his dad asked why he always played gay roles. Instead, it sparked a real, honest talk. He shared why those roles mean so much to him, as it ended up bringing them even closer.

While talking on his 'Dinner's On Me' podcast, Jesse shared: "My family, they went through their own process with me being gay.

"And my dad even asked me, while I was doing 'Modern Family', he's like, 'I just don't always understand why you have played so many gay parts.'

"And it opened up a whole conversation between the two of us and started a whole other level of our relationship, because I had to sort of explain to him why it was important for me to play this role, because, socially, I wanted to be able to portray a gay man on television. I felt like it was gonna do wonderful things for the marriage equality movement, which it did."

However, Jesse further explained that how it can be tricky to share personal stories with fans without crossing the line into his family’s private life.

Talking to his guest, actor Luke Macfarlane, the actor continued, "I'm sure your parents were the same way. You know, their careers didn't beg for us to be so open with [themselves].

"And even I'm still learning how to open up in ways. I still have to keep parts of myself private."