Side Dish: More with Angourie Rice

Summary

Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Side Dish: More with Angourie Rice

Date: March 19, 2026
Guest: Angourie Rice (Actor – Mean Girls musical, Spider-Man trilogy, The Last Thing He Told Me)
Location: Crossroads Kitchen, Melrose, Los Angeles

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Episode Overview

In this “Side Dish” episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson shares a relaxed meal and a lively, vulnerable conversation with Angourie Rice. The discussion ranges from starstruck moments with legends like Nicole Kidman and Dolly Parton, to behind-the-scenes experiences on film sets in both Australia and the U.S., personal ambitions, and life as a young actor navigating school and show business. The tone is warm, witty, and peppered with candid admissions and laughter as both actors reflect on their craft, career milestones, and memorable run-ins with Hollywood icons.

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Key Points & Insights

1. Being Starstruck and Working with Icons

• Both Jesse and Angourie share stories of meeting or working with some of their idols—including Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Garner, and Dolly Parton.
• Angourie discusses her process for overcoming her nerves and functioning professionally alongside legends.
  • Notable Quote (15:09) – Angourie Rice: “You have to let that [starstruck feeling] go in order to, like, do your job properly… But if I saw her again, it would, like, happen all over again.”
  • Angourie praises Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Garner as “incredibly kind, open and trusting” (16:40–16:50).

2. The Unique Thrill of Seeing Movies on Film

• Jesse describes a nostalgic experience at the Vidiot’s theater watching Magnolia on actual film, amused by his husband Justin’s generational gaffe about not knowing the word "film" (03:08–04:44).
  • Memorable Moment (04:38) – Justin: “What do they call it? …Movie tape?”
    Jesse: “It’s called film. Which is also what we call it. We call it a film.”

3. Shooting on Film vs. Digital & Stunt Work

• Angourie recently shot an indie movie (Loser, not yet released) on film, discussing the heightened stakes and lack of playback compared to digital (04:56–05:29).
• Both talk about doing their own stunts:
  • Angourie contemplates trying wrestling in 2026, inspired by the physicality of her recent roles (05:48–06:39).
  • Jesse tells of climbing trees and embracing intense training for “Cocaine Bear,” and enjoying being pushed outside his comfort zone (07:17–08:20).
  • Notable Quote (08:20) – Jesse: “I’ve always thought it would be fun to have to transform my body for something… to push the limits.”

4. Creative Growth, Risk-taking, and Roles

• Angourie admits to usually playing restrained, risk-averse characters but savors opportunities to play messier, freer roles, like in her upcoming rom-com Finding Emily (09:28–10:28).
  • Memorable Moment (09:28) – Angourie: “I’m quite a restrained, risk-averse person. That character was so, like, messy and all over the place— which I loved.”

5. Family, Homes, and “The Dolly House”

• Angourie talks about her parents’ support and the experience of living in “the Dolly House”—a home once owned by Dolly Parton while filming (12:22–12:43).
• She recalls being “chosen” by a Dolly impersonator in an audience for “Jolene”—a highlight of her theatergoing (13:18–13:49).
  • Memorable Quote (13:41) – Dolly impersonator: “‘I knew this woman once… her name was Jolene. She looked a bit like you.’ And she pointed at me!”

6. Navigating Stardom and Stage-Frontal Experiences

• Jesse describes the unique, secret bond the Modern Family cast formed due to sudden fame:
  • “We all became very recognizable very quickly…there was only that group who really understood what it felt like to be the front-facing version of that show” (19:21–20:29).
• Both reflect on the process of grieving when long-running creative projects end:
  • Jesse: “I was ready to let that person [character] go and move on… But the relationships last forever.”

7. On-set Differences: Australia vs. US

• Angourie notes in Australia, parental presence is more relaxed for young actors, while in the US, strict rules govern on-set schooling and adult supervision (21:49–23:00).
• Jesse shares about working closely with child actors’ parents on Modern Family to ensure their wellbeing.

8. Schooling as a Young Actor

• Angourie and Jesse both marvel at young actors’ ability to switch from acting to academics between takes:
  • Memorable Moment (24:04–24:39) – Jesse: “They would do these scenes and then go off…learning to read or do math or algebra. I would go back to my trailer and… fall asleep. They were learning!”

9. Reflections and Relatable Anecdotes

• Angourie’s story about being driven from school to a movie fitting—a “Beyoncé” moment that elicited zero reaction from her classmates (25:08–25:38).
  • Notable Quote (25:26) – Angourie: “I feel so cool right now… I’m basically Beyoncé. …No one cared.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• (04:38) Jesse, about his husband: “It was such a horrid… He’s ten years younger than me—he really couldn’t think of the word. ‘What’s that word again?’”

• (13:41) Angourie, on being singled out in a Dolly musical: “‘She looked a bit like you.’ And she pointed at me, and I was like—me?”

• (15:09) Angourie, on working with legends: “You have to let that [starstruck feeling] go in order to, like, do your job properly.”

• (19:21–20:29) Jesse, on the Modern Family bond: “I had a full-time job for 11 years, which is just unheard of… Only that group really understood what it felt like to be the front-facing version of that show.”

• (24:04–24:39) Jesse, on child actors: “They’d do these scenes and then go off and… do math or algebra and then hop right back into a scene. I would go back to my trailer and fall asleep. They were learning!”

• (25:26) Angourie (on her ‘celebrity’ moment): “I’m basically Beyoncé. …No one cared.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Highlights | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:08–04:44| Jesse and Angourie discuss the lost magic of watching movies shot and projected on film; generational misunderstandings. | | 04:56–06:39| Angourie shares about filming a new indie movie on film, the challenges, and her new goal: trying out wrestling. | | 08:20 | Jesse discusses the thrill of doing his own stunts in “Cocaine Bear.” | | 09:28–10:28| Angourie reflects on risk-taking in acting and playing messier roles in new projects. | | 12:22–12:43| Angourie’s story about the “Dolly House” and the aura of Dolly Parton. | | 13:41–13:49| Angourie’s “Jolene” moment in the audience at a Dolly musical. | | 15:09 | Letting go of being starstruck to do your job on set. | | 19:21–20:29| Jesse on the unique family and connection on Modern Family and what it felt like ending. | | 21:49–23:00| Differences between US and Australian film sets for young actors, especially regarding schooling and parent presence.| | 24:04–24:39| Young actors balancing scenes and schooling, “I would go back to my trailer and fall asleep. They were learning!” | | 25:08–25:38| Angourie’s “celebrity” moment at school—“I’m basically Beyoncé. …No one cared.” |

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Tone & Style

Playful, open, and self-deprecating, the conversation is welcoming and full of mutual admiration. Both actors revel in swapping stories about Hollywood’s absurdities and their personal ambitions. There’s a through-line of humility and gratitude, especially regarding family, fandom, and the privilege of making art together.

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For New Listeners

“Side Dish: More with Angourie Rice” is a charming, candid conversation perfect for fans of celebrity culture, behind-the-scenes insights, and the realities of balancing personal ambition with a demanding industry. Jesse and Angourie delve into the anxiety and excitement of star encounters, the technical nuances of film vs digital, and the support systems that ground them—be it family, old castmates, or a home once graced by Dolly Parton. The episode offers plenty of laughs, wisdom, and relatable moments from two working actors at different points in their journey.

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Listen to the full episode for even more stories, warmth, and insight from Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Angourie Rice!

Transcript

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

What I love about staying at a home on Airbnb is that feeling of walking into a place that already gets what you need. The thoughtful touches, the little comforts, the sense that someone really prepared for you to be there. I'm about to experience that again on a trip up to wine country with my family in Napa. I booked this beautiful home with all these views over the hills of Napa. But what I really love about the place is that it has this big kitchen so we can have family breakfasts and meals there. And it has enough space for the entire family to spread out. And it just reminded me how much those little details make a place feel special. You walk in and there's fresh coffee on the counter, there's a note with the WI FI password, and the font's big enough that you don't need a magnifying glass to read it. You know, those thoughtful little touches that really make a difference. And it made me think about hosting my own home on Airbnb when I'm away. But the idea of getting my place guest ready with all those thoughtful little touches is a bit, I don't know, overwhelming. That's where Airbnb Co Host Network comes in. You can hire a local co host to help with all those behind the scenes things that make a stay run smoothly. Guest communication, handling check ins, and even design and styling to make your place feel lived in and cozy. So if you have a place that you've been thinking about hosting, I don't know, a guest room, a studio for the garage, even your whole home while you're away, a co host can help you actually pull it off without adding more to your plate. So if your New Year's resolution is to earn a little extra money or, or finally make use of that space, start the easy way with Airbnb's co host network.

[Angouri Rice]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Co-host/Interviewer]

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[Angouri Rice]

Why do we rack for the hottest deals?

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Hey, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Here's a little side dish from this week's episode of Dinners on Me. This week's guest was the effortlessly charming Angauri Rice, who you might know from the Mean Girls movie musical, the Tom Holland Spider man trilogy, and the Apple TV series the Last Thing youg Told Me, which is now out in its second season. We sat down over squash blossoms and lasagna at Crossroads Kitchen on Melrose for a thoughtful and very, very fun conversation. We talked about the surreal experience of working with co stars who make you completely starstruck. And I fill Angauri in on what it was really like spending 11 years on modern Family. To get back into the conversation, you're pulling up a chair just as I'm telling Angauri about something hilarious. My husband Justin said that made me instantly feel very old.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I went to go. My husband and I had a date night at Vidiot's. Do you know Vidiots here in la? They show old films.

[Angouri Rice]

Yes.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And it's. It's great.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

It's awesome.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It's in Eagle Rock, I think.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And we went to go see Magnolia, which is one of my favorite films. He'd never seen it before. Paul Thomas Anderson.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. I've never seen it.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, it's so, so good. It's so great. It's three hours long, though. And so they get up before and they welcome everyone for being there. And, like, we're so excited. And it was packed house. I mean, like, there was like a waiting line of people. Like, when was the last time you saw a film? There was like, people waiting outside the theater to come in.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, yeah. I mean, a film fest.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah, exactly.

[Angouri Rice]

Melbourne Film Festival. People were waiting.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Sure. But like, you know, for just.

[Angouri Rice]

But, yeah, could just.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It just doesn't really happen normally unless you're. It's like a festival.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So that was exciting in itself because it was just like people clamoring to get inside the theater. And they made a little speech before and they were like, you know, we were showing this on film and we have this guy upstairs in the projector booth. He has like 10 canisters of film that he has, like. And, you know, you have to get the next one ready before the first one runs out. And, like, seamlessly goes from one to the other. It's a whole thing that we don't do anymore.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And then we were. Justin and I were with a friend of ours and we were talking about how we. We had just seen this movie and Justin goes. And they shot it on. What do they call it? And I was like, film. It was like, such a horrid. He's 10 years younger than me. He's like. But you really couldn't think of the word. What's that word again?

[Angouri Rice]

Vintage.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I was like, it's called film. Which is also what we call it. We call it a film called a film.

[Angouri Rice]

That's so funny.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

He's like, but movie, tape. I was like, now film.

[Angouri Rice]

I feel like so many movies recently, though, are being shot on film.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah. Yeah. What did you shoot on film?

[Angouri Rice]

So it was a. It's a small indie movie that hasn't come out yet called Loser. I just wrapped it just before Christmas.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Oh, nice.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Very cool.

[Angouri Rice]

And I mean, so much risk involved, which was exciting that, like, we didn't have playback every day, you know?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right. That's the other part of it, because it has to get. Process.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So sometimes you can't go back and see what you've done.

[Angouri Rice]

Sometimes we have. If we were doing stunts, we had playback. So they can make it happen, but it's like an extra kind of thing. Thing.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

They have people come in and reenact what they saw.

[Angouri Rice]

Did I pick that up at the right time? I don't remember.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Were there stunts?

[Angouri Rice]

There were some stunts.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Did you do stunts?

[Angouri Rice]

I did some. I'm not. I don't know. But you know what? Actually, after doing that, I was like, I think I need to try wrestling in 2026.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Really?

[Angouri Rice]

It just made me. I mean, I don't wrestle in the movie, but there was something about that kind of, like, contact, like, you liked it. Aggression. I was like, I think. I think I need to get something out.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Interesting.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Do you box?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Do you do any of that?

[Angouri Rice]

Like, I have boxed, but not consistently.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah, I do this thing called Rumble, which is like a boxing class. It's like Soul Cycle for boxing, so it's not really boxing.

[Angouri Rice]

Okay. Who do you box with?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Just the teacher who's there. Yeah, I mean, it's truly. I mean, to call it boxing is hilarious. It's like choreography more than boxing, though. Yeah, but I enjoyed it.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's some. I think, also because last year going back to ballet was great, but that's so restrained and poised and. And, you know, there's so much work that goes into, like, making it look effortless.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right.

[Angouri Rice]

And I think I'm like, 2026. I think I need to be a bit sexy.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah. It's a year to be a wrestler. Can you. Can you imagine?

[Angouri Rice]

Can you imagine? I mean, my dream is to do a movie where I have to get really good at something that I wouldn't have otherwise done.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Same, same.

[Angouri Rice]

What do you want to do? Like a sport or something.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

No, I'm terrible at sports. I mean, I feel like I could probably do something if it was like tennis or ping pong, like Marty Supreme, I could have. Yeah, I probably should have played Marty supreme is what I'm saying.

[Angouri Rice]

That's. And I've heard that too.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was sort of the word street. Yeah. They're outraged. No, I mean, I'm. I, what's, what skill would I like to do? Like, I, I don't. I, I, I got, I did a movie called Cocaine Bear and I did my own stunts where I had to like scale a tree and like, you know, I had harnesses and all this stuff. But like, that for me, because it's something I never would have done. And I like, went for a whole day of training and they had a stunt double there who was willing to hop in at any time. And I was like, no, no, I'm doing it. And I was, I've never been more sore. I had never been more like, okay to like, scrape myself up. I was like, this is. I'm in it. Like, I'm doing it for the art of it. So that was like, really. I did feel like I threw myself into it in a really great way. And so, like, stuff like that. I feel really charged by or like a big swing with a character where I have to, like, you know, create an accent or a. You know, like, I would. I always, like, I've always thought it would be fun to have to transform my body for something.

[Angouri Rice]

Yes.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You know, sort of like, be forced to, like, push the limits.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But I'm also like, not a super method actor. Like, I don't want to.

[Angouri Rice]

Did you learn all of that stuff? Did you do that stuff in acting school? Like the kind of like animal work, breath work, things like that?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

A little bit. I went to a performing arts academy that focused on musical theater. So it was more about like learning a song from she Loves Me Then rather than like, you know, doing breath work. But, you know, I'm getting more of that now. Like, I'm about to go do a play. It's a one man play in New York about Truman Capote. So I'm working with my friend Kate Wilson, who is a teacher at Juilliard, and she and I have worked together before. But like, I zoomed with her yesterday to work on this dialect of Truman Capote's. And, you know, she's zooming in from Juilliard. So I hear like, people doing vocal warm ups next door. And like, I was like, oh, my God, I feel like I'm back in school.

[Angouri Rice]

I love that.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So stuff like that where I have to sort of throw myself in fully is really exciting for me.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Have you gotten, I mean, mean girls must have felt a little bit like that.

[Angouri Rice]

Definitely. Yeah. Mean girls felt a bit like that in some ways too. Like I did a, I did a rom com that hasn't come out yet called Finding Emily, which I'm so excited for people to see. And that character was like, you wouldn't think that I kind of had to throw myself into that, but I did because in a way, because I'm quite a like restrained, risk averse person. And that character was so like kind of messy and like all over the place, which I loved. Yeah, I loved to do. I loved doing that. And the play I did in Australia, I played a character we kind of follow her from maybe like aged 7 or 8 up until like aged 16 or 17. So that was also fun to like just get in the weeds of like being a kid and like crawling around and like just totally scabby knees and. Yeah, that was fun. Loved that.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Angouri reveals what Nicole Kidman is like behind the scenes and how she gets past feeling starstruck around her co stars. Okay, be right back.

[James Buckley]

I'm James Buckley.

[Joe Thomas]

And I'm Joe Thomas.

[James Buckley]

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[Joe Thomas]

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[James Buckley]

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[Joe Thomas]

We dive into the weird and wonderful. Like whether you could survive on nothing but beans or if Shrek deserves a Nobel prize for discovering the fourth dimension.

[James Buckley]

You might learn something new. Probably something useless, but definitely something interesting.

[Joe Thomas]

Listen or watch Joe and James Fat up every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we're back with more dinners on me.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Do your parents come here a lot to visit you or.

[Angouri Rice]

They've visited a couple of times, yeah. I think now that like when I turned 18, they were like well, there you go.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

We have to visit less.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah, yeah. They're like, we don't have to be there anymore. You do your thing, which is. Is nice, but I miss them. I like it when they visit. They came and visited during season one and stayed with me in Santa Monica, and that was really fun.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Are you in the same place as now, or did you move?

[Angouri Rice]

No, I. I don't have a permanent place here. Filming season two, I was in West Hollywood.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I've heard of it.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. Yeah. I. Yeah. In a house that was allegedly owned by Dolly Parton.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, no way.

[Angouri Rice]

So I called it the Dolly House.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What do you mean, owned by? Like, once owned by her or she owned it. Like she collects rent.

[Angouri Rice]

Once. Once owned.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Okay.

[Angouri Rice]

I don't think so.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

She wasn't your landlady?

[Angouri Rice]

No. Can you imagine?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Imagine. Wouldn't that be the greatest?

[Angouri Rice]

I would be so honored.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Dolly Parton, so much.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, my gosh. Did you see the. I saw the musical. Here you come again. Oh, it was like a. Oh, no, I don't.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I don't know it. Is this a new musical that she wrote or about her?

[Angouri Rice]

It's like someone's in it, like, playing her.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Okay.

[Angouri Rice]

I actually don't remember the details.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So I've seen.

[Angouri Rice]

I don't know why.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I've seen the stage adaptation of 9 to 5, but that's.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, fun. Do you have a favorite Dolly song?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh. I mean, Jolene. I do love Jolene.

[Angouri Rice]

So when I saw the show, this show that I can't really remember much about, what I really remember is that Dolly. It wasn't Dolly. It was someone playing Dolly. But before she sang Jolene, I was sitting in the front row, and she. She said, I knew this woman once. Her name was Jolene. She looked a bit like you. And she pointed at me, and I was like me.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You were the other woman.

[Angouri Rice]

I was the other woman.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, my God.

[Angouri Rice]

Pretty special.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That would. I would have fainted.

[Angouri Rice]

She was amazing.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I would have fainted.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. It was really, really special.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I've been near her a few times, and it's just like, I. I don't know what to. I don't know what to do with her.

[Angouri Rice]

Have you ever met her?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Technically, no. I'm friends with Lily Tomlin.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh. Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And so there was one Emmys. It was her. Dolly Parton. Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda were all together because they were doing like, a 9 to 5 reunion. And the three of them walked in together, and you would have thought, I mean, everyone was losing their Mind.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Everyone was like, no matter what level celebrity you were, everyone was, like, losing their mind.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And because I know Lily, I was like, I'm just gonna go over and say hi to Lily and, like, just, like, hugging, like. And then, like. And I. I couldn't even get near them.

[Angouri Rice]

Wow.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

There was just so many people clamoring. I was like, I can't. I can't add to this chaos.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. Do you get starstruck by people?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

People like that? Like Dolly Parton? I've been. It's usually music artists that really. Although Cate Blanche is another one who. I really. The first time I met her, I was like, gay.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What about you?

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, yeah. I think maybe the. I think it wears off if you work with that person. It's like, oh, right.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Where, like, I'm sure, like, Nicole Kidman, like, she's an icon to me, but it does wear off.

[Angouri Rice]

I was so. Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You have to get comfortable with her.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. You have to let that go in order to, like, do your job properly. I mean, of course, if I saw her again, it would, like, happen all over again. I'd be like, oh, my gosh, she's such a legend and, like, so amazing.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But I think, hey, Winslet, you've worked with incredible people.

[Angouri Rice]

Incredible people.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

How do you get over that?

[Angouri Rice]

It's. It. I don't. I don't know. I mean, you just have to set it aside.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Did you see Titanic as a kid?

[Angouri Rice]

Yes, of course.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

I mean, did you.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I mean, come on.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

How was that?

[Angouri Rice]

Wild.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Well, also, my mom. You're playing my mom.

[Angouri Rice]

So wild. Also, she's in this. What is that movie called? She did this amazing movie with Peter Jackson when she was like. It was a Australian, New Zealand movie. Don't remember what it's called. Anyway, yes, I love her. I love her work so much. So when I met her, of course, it was like, oh, my gosh, what do I do? But she's so warm and inviting. I mean, I think that's the thing, too. When you meet people like that, they know. Do they know? They must know that they have that effect. And so with her especially, she's like, you know, making sure everyone, like, feels cool and comfortable, and we're all in it together and we're part of a team.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

From what I understand, she's an incredibly, like, down to earth, easy sandwich and garner. I mean, I don't know her very well, but, like, I. The few times I've been around her, I was like, oh, she just seems easy.

[Angouri Rice]

So easy to work with so easy to get along with and just very open and trusting. Just so, so kind and so generous.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

In a way that's like. It's very disarming, I think. And I also think that's just like with Jen Garner as well. That's just who she is. Like, I don't think she could try to be anything else.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right.

[Angouri Rice]

You know?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

Now for a quick break, but don't go away when we come back. And Gowrie and I dive into the differences between working on set in Australia versus the United States. Okay. Be right back.

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[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

And we're back with more dinners on me.

[Angouri Rice]

How many seasons of Modern Family did you do?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Eleven.

[Angouri Rice]

Eleven. How many years?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Eleven years? Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Eleven years, basically.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Wow. I mean, that's. It's like a whole life.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It's. I mean, I, you know, as an artist, you understand this, but like, we don't know what a full time job is. Like, we don't have the luxury of, like, having consistency. And I had it like, I mean, you know, you don't necessarily get comfortable in it because you never know how long it's gonna last. But like, I had a full time job for 11 years, which is just unheard of.

[Angouri Rice]

So. Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

How was it? Did you grieve that? How did you grieve that?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah, I mean, we finished it. Right.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, during COVID Right.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah. So we wrapped a few weeks before COVID shut everything down. Thankfully, we were able to finish, but it was hard because we were all having to, like, mourn the loss of the show, but in solitary confinement. So that wasn't great.

[Angouri Rice]

Do you feel when you finish a movie or a show, like a theater show, do you feel the same level of grief or was it just. Was it times 100 with Modern Family?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You know, it probably was different with Modern Family just because I felt like I was really ready to let that person Go and like, move on.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

For me it was just, I mean, those relationships, I mean, I've never done a play long enough to have, I mean, knowing someone for 11 years and to go through that type of intense work together, I mean, you know, we were all, we all became very recognizable very quickly. And so there was only a slight, it was only like that group of people to really understand what it felt like to be the front facing version of that show. And so we had a deep connection to one another because we knew what it was like to be part of that family on tv. And you know, with a stage production, I mean, you really are in the trenches and you're working so deeply and so intensely with someone. Someone. It does feel like a more intense relationship, but more compacted when you're doing theater. But it's, it's a different type of loss, I think, when, when it, when it ends, it's. Modern Family. Really did feel like I wasn't worried about not seeing, and I'm sure every show's not this way, but I really didn't, I never worried about not seeing them again, but they felt so tied to me forever.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So that's beautiful. Yeah. I'm glad that we have that.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You know, we see each other all the time.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. That's nice.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

You must have also gotten, well, I wonder, like, were you also close with their parents or guardians? Like, that was a whole.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

They were, I mean, they were always there.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You know, I mean, they are an extension of that family. And specifically the, the mother, Amy Anderson, who played her daughter, was Lily my daughter. You know, I had such, like, I, I really felt like I was sometimes working as a team with her because I was like, what does she need? Like, you know her obviously better than I do. Like, yeah, tell me what the cues are. If, like she's feeling overwhelmed, like, how can I help? And so, and you know, to this day, I'm still close with her. You know, we, we sat, I sat next to Amy, Aubrey's mom, at one of her school plays, and I was like, I sort of feel like I'm like, just like an extension of her parents. Yeah. Yeah. And like her mom, like, was like, we're sitting in the front row. I was like, oh my God, please don't do that to us, like me or Aubrey. But yeah, I sat in the front row with Amy. But I, I, they definitely were people who, you know, we, we looked to as like, what are the, what are the cues?

[Angouri Rice]

I mean, absolutely. But that's a huge Difference between working in Australia. I wonder if it's changed now, but working in Australia as a kid, like, your parent didn't have to be there, really. Yeah, they would, like. I mean, they were. They were a lot of time. But I did a movie when I was.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Did you drive to work yourself as well?

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah. Watch out, guys.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Painting's different there.

[Angouri Rice]

It's fine. On my first movie, my parents were there a lot, but I did a movie when I was. Would have been 14. So it was the movie I did after the nice guys in Australia, and they just sent me off to work. Like, they came to. They did come to visit.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right.

[Angouri Rice]

That was a huge difference for me, like, working in Australia and the US that, like, the. My parents and everyone's parents or guardians were so present.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Right. And.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Did you have to go to school when you're in Australia working or.

[Angouri Rice]

It wasn't as strict as it is

[Co-host/Interviewer]

in the U.S. yeah, it's really strict here.

[Angouri Rice]

Very strict. Yeah. Mostly I was just, like, emailing my teachers, I think. Yeah, I think that's what it was.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

In between scenes. Listen, I'm not going to get to the math homework today.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But there was something nice about the structure of the US Kind of the way that works of, like, the schooling blocks and, like, you know, you get taken away to the school room. And I think there was something good about that because I could, like, kind of calm down and, like, ground myself with school.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

When you were. When you were in that and when you were working in the United States and going to. And you were young enough to have to go to school, were there other kids that you were doing that with or was it just you?

[Angouri Rice]

Sometimes there are a couple of projects I did just on my own. There was one project I did with. Yeah, there are a number of us. There are, like, four girls doing school. And that was funny, too, because we were all different ages and all doing different things and at different schools and doing different subjects, and we were all interested in different things. Yeah, it's pretty. It's. It was pretty funny to just, like. Cut. Okay, I'm gonna go and sit on my laptop now and write an essay.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But I know that that's what would always, like, blow me away with these kids that I worked with. Like, they would do these scenes and then go off and, like, they'd be learning to read or, you know, do math or algebra and. Yeah, like, I just. And then they. They come back in to set. You know, when we were done with the setup and, like, they'd hop right back into being in a scene with us. It just, you know, I mean, I would go back to my trailer and, like, scroll on my phone or fall asleep and like. Yeah, they were learning.

[Angouri Rice]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Was wild.

[Angouri Rice]

I listened to your episode that you did with Gaten, who I worked with, and we kind of. It was so interesting hearing him talk about that too. About, like, going to do Broadway while going to school, which is, like, such a different thing, right?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah. Because when he was in Les Mis, like, he would get home from work at like 11:30pm and then, like, have

[Angouri Rice]

to go to school the next day. That's wild.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

I remember.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Was it 1:00am oh, because he had to drive home. Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Oh, yeah. Into New Jersey. I remember there was one movie I did in Melbourne and, like, I finished school and, like, one of the drivers was waiting out the front of school to, like, drive me to a fitting. And I. I was like, I feel so cool right now.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I'm basically Beyonce.

[Angouri Rice]

This is so awesome.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That's so good.

[Angouri Rice]

No one cared.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

No one cared.

[Angouri Rice]

No one cared.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Gotta go to my fitting now. Yeah.

[Angouri Rice]

Everyone was like, no. They were like, not.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That's so funny.

[Angouri Rice]

No one cared. So funny.

[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]

That was more from my conversation with Angowi Rice. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet, be sure to check it out on Din on Me. This episode of Dinners On Me was recorded at Crossroads Kitchen on Melrose in Los Angeles, California. Next week on Dinners On Me, you know him as the creator and host of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix and the award winning mind behind Everybody Loves Raymond, it's Phil Rosenthal. We'll talk about how a kid from Queens turned family dinners into one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. And he tells me about what inspired him to write his. His second children's book called Just Try It Someplace New. With his co writer, his daughter Lily. Dinners on Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Baer engineered this episode, Hansdale. She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tameka Balance Kolasny and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week.

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