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'Modern Family' cast stepping into movie roles

The stars of 'Modern Family' are making the break to the big screen.


This Modern Family has Hollywood juice. It's little wonder the ratings and television awards powerhouse is sending a steady stream of stars into movieland from its celebrated ensemble cast.


In March, Ty Burrell will appear in two major studio films (the animated Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Muppets Most Wanted) after showing his A-game for the past five seasons.


'What we do on the show showcases a more sophisticated level of humor than what you normally see on television,' says Modern Family executive producer and co-creator Christopher Lloyd. 'They get to strut their stuff a little bit.'


The actors, most of whom were not household names when the show started, are a big part of what make the show a hit.


'It's these excellent actors we happened to catch at the right time,' says Lloyd. 'They have been taken into people's homes for 120 episodes now. The audience views them as extended members of their own family.'


A rundown on the film excursions:


Sofia Vergara: With her larger-than-life personality, her amazing looks and her penchant for comedy, the Colombian bombshell has easily made the leap to big-screen actress.


Her machine gun bra became the lasting image of 2013's Machete Kills. She'll also appear as a client to John Turturro in the spring's Fading Gigolo. In 2014 she has upcoming roles alongside Jon Favreau (who also directed) in Chef and in the thriller Heat opposite Jason Statham, a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds film.


Vergara will begin production on the buddy comedy Don't Mess With Texas with Reese Witherspoon (both are producers) this spring.


Ty Burrell: Besides Muppets and Sherman, Burrell will voice a beluga whale in Pixar's Finding Dory, due out in 2016. He also shot the critically lauded The Skeleton Twins, which was a hit at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, playing Bill Hader's former lover. The two even exchanged a long kiss for the camera, 'Oh yeah, we went for it,' says Burrell.


Ariel Winter: In a bit of ironic casting, Winter, who plays Burrell's screen daughter in Modern Family, voices the role of the troublesome Penny Peterson in Peabody - a character who causes Burrell's Mr. Peabody great distress.


'She has such a big voiceover career that I genuinely forgot it was her,' says Burrell.


She'll also star as Juno Temple's younger sister in the indie film Truck Stop, set for 2014 festivals.



Julie Bowen(Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY)


Julie Bowen: After an unforgettable bathroom tryst with Jason Sudeikis in 2011's Horrible Bosses, Bowen is going more family-friendly in Planes: Fire & Rescue, voicing Dipper, a firefighting plane (out July 18). 'She has a unique ability for improvisation,' says director Robert Gannaway.


Sarah Hyland: Hyland's Vampire Academy might have flunked at the winter box office, but she'll be back with the indie film See You in Valhalla, which she produced and stars in. There is no release date.


Eric Stonestreet: Stonestreet has the thriller The Loft in August and will work on an untitled animated comedy with Louis C.K. and Kevin Hart, with Despicable Me director Chris Renaud.


The one trouble with the film gigs: it's hard to work in the commitments within breaks of the busy television schedule. For example, Burrell shot Skeleton Kids over his Thanksgiving break.


'They are able to work on their other projects, but it's Family time come August,' says Lloyd. 'Everyone understands our family comes first.'


Burrell and the others know they are not going anywhere while the show maintains its fresh appeal. And Modern Family shows no signs of slowing down yet.


'I would do this until I'm 90, until it's great-grandpa Phil,' says Burrell. 'Really, I would.'


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