Sofía Vergara says she keeps telling Ed O'Neill not to die before they can make “Modern Family” sequel: 'You can't be dead!'

Having secured an Emmy nomination for her starring role in Netflix's "Griselda," Vergara speculated about more "Modern Family": "A TV movie maybe?"

Sofía Vergara is keen on the prospect of more Modern Family — so long as her onscreen husband, Ed O'Neill, is around to take part too.

"I always joke with him," the actress told Variety in a new interview, "'Ed, don't die. Because if we do the sequel, it will take some time, and you're the oldest of us. You can't be dead!'"

Vergara starred for 12 years on Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, the tempestuous and much younger wife to O'Neill's Jay. She was nominated for four Emmys for the role, and while she never took home the gold, Modern Family did something that awards alone don't always guarantee: It made her into a star.

"I'd die to be on that set," Vergara, 52, said of the sitcom, which bowed after 11 seasons and a concluding special in 2020. Speculating about what form a reunion could take, she added, "It'd be so much fun. A TV movie maybe?"

As for her connection with O'Neill, 78, it seems that the pair's rambunctious, faux-hostile screen dynamic concealing an inner core of pure affection extends off screen as well. After seeing O'Neill play L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling in this year's FX miniseries Clipped, Vergara said she quipped to O'Neill, "You look f---ing old."

Related: Griselda executive producer breaks down the explosive episode 5 party scene

The actress has been on the road promoting Griselda, the Netflix miniseries in which she stars as Griselda Blanco, the infamous Colombian drug lord who was murdered in 2012. Vergara co-produced the miniseries and was recently honored with an Emmy nomination for her performance.

She has thus become the first Modern Family core cast member to earn an Emmy nomination since the show's 2020 wrap, though costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson did get one trophy closer to EGOT status after winning a Tony for his performance in the 2022 Off Broadway baseball play Take Me Out.

Related: America's Got Talent's Sofía Vergara gives 'difficult, dangerous' act first-ever direct pass to the finals

Vergara's nom marks a significant achievement for an actress who'd become synonymous with her beloved sitcom character. The murderous machinations of Griselda Blanco are a far cry from the domestic antics of Gloria Pritchett, but Vergara has stiff competition in the category. She'll be vying for the gold alongside Oscar winners Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country) and Brie Larson (Lessons in Chemistry), as well as Juno Temple (Fargo) and Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote and the Swans).

Comparing the experience of playing Griselda to that of Gloria, Vergara mused, "Back then, my lines were easy… It wasn't like monologues." Stepping into the shoes of a ruthless crime boss, Vergara "had to check myself, like, 'Sofía, this woman just killed hundreds of people and kids.' It was very difficult not to romanticize her or to make it seem like she was the hero. She'd become a psychopath."

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Outside of scripted television, Vergara is in her fifth season as a judge on America's Got Talent. The reality competition show is currently airing weekly on NBC, and the 2024 Emmy Awards will air live on ABC on Sunday, Sep. 15, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

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