Rico Rodriguez is giving fans a look at his life nearly two decades after he first became famous as Manny Delgado on “Modern Family.”
Rodriguez, now 28, attended the premiere of the horror movie “It Ends” this week. Although he did not appear in the film, the actor posed for photos at the event alongside his sister, Raini Rodriguez.
The Daily Mail obtained images of the event that can be seen here.
The former child star looked noticeably different from his days on the hit ABC sitcom.
Rodriguez Is All Grown Up
Rodriguez wore a short-sleeved patterned shirt with black pants and tan sneakers. He also sported a goatee, giving him a more grown-up appearance than fans may remember from his years playing Manny.
Rodriguez was just 11 when “Modern Family” premiered in 2009. He played Manny, the son of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, portrayed by Sofia Vergara. Gloria was married to Jay Pritchett, played by Ed O’Neill, making Manny part of the show’s central blended family.
The series became one of television’s biggest sitcoms and remained on the air for 11 seasons. Its final episode aired in 2020.
Since “Modern Family” ended, Rodriguez has kept a relatively low profile while continuing to work in entertainment.
He has appeared in several Nickelodeon projects and was part of the voice cast for the animated basketball comedy “Sneaks,” which also featured Anthony Mackie and Chloe Bailey.
His sister, Raini Rodriguez, has also spent much of her life in the entertainment industry. She starred as Trish De la Rosa on Disney Channel’s “Austin & Ally” and appeared as the daughter of Paul Blart in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
He’s Previously Opened Up About His Family
Rodriguez previously opened up about growing up in Hollywood during a 2016 interview with ABC News. He credited his parents with making sure his career did not change how he behaved at home.
“They really kept a solid ground underneath me and they kept me down to earth,” he said. “When [I’m] acting, I’m putting on a character, but when I’m home I’m Rico – Rico that still has to take out the trash, do my chores around the house and then do schooling and stuff like that so I really credit my mom and dad. They’re great parents.”
That same year, Rodriguez discussed his experience working on “Modern Family” with CBS News.
“It has been such an amazing ride, really,” he said. “When we first started we didn’t expect it to blow up like it did and everyday we are so thankful to be working together.”
Rodriguez also explained how much Manny had influenced him as he grew older.
“When I was younger I would more likely say that we were the complete opposite; but as I’ve grown into the character I feel like now I have kind of followed his way of life,” he said.
He pointed to Manny’s interest in fashion and poetry as examples of similarities between them.
“Manny is kind of becoming a little like me, and I’ve become a little like him, which is awesome,” Rodriguez said. “So we’re kind of like the same person.”
