There's an old adage in show business that says something to the effect that casting is half the battle. If you cast a part well, you're sure to have a winning finished project. If that's true, then the casting of Fred Willard on Modern Family is sure to be a hit. I won't reveal what role Fred will be playing til after the jump, so if you don't want to know, don't read on. Suffice to say, the very funny Mr. Willard is being given a great opportunity to shine.Willard, who was terrific on Everybody Loves Raymond, not to mention all the Christopher Guest films like Best In Show and A Mighty Wind, was on sitcom TV just last season on Fox's Back to You. In fact, it was on that show that Fred worked with Modern Family's Ty Burrell. Now they get to do it again.
And this time, they'll be playing relatives. That's right, Fred will be showing up as Ty's father. See what I mean about perfect casting? They even look like father and son.
On the December 9 episode of Modern Family, the holiday show, Phil will receive a visit via the Internet -- I guess like Raj's parents on The Big Bang Theory -- from his father. That's Fred's character, and for however long the scene lasts, Willard will do his thing.
Apparently, Fred's casting was something that Ty had been hoping would happen. Ty told Matt Mitovotch at TV Guide, "Fred is not just a pioneer for this type of comedy, but somebody who has really set the tone for how it can be done, so it was just a total honor," Burrell says.
"The stuff he did [on Modern Family] is just mind-blowingly funny."
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-18-2009 @ 10:45AM
Eric said...
When this excellent show started, I couldn't help but think how wonderful Fred Willard would be on it...
Reply
11-18-2009 @ 11:21AM
Arnold said...
Great Hire, and i think he will do well.....
But the only thing that bothers me is that perhaps this show is getting too big too soon. Heck the show hasnt even had ten episodes air, and they are adding star after star after to the show. Benjamin Bratt, Shelly Long, Elizabeth Banks, Fred Willard. Could this burn out to quickly?
Reply