The NCIS Episode You Forgot Starred Rico Rodriguez From Modern Family
Rico Rodriguez grew up in front of the whole world during his 11-year stint on "Modern Family." The actor played mini-sophisticate Manny Delgado on the hit ABC comedy from the time he was in grade school until entering his early twenties, so naturally moving on from it was a major transition for him. In an interview with Hollywood Life, ahead of the final season airing, Rodriguez admitted it was "going to be tough" to leave behind.
The actor acknowledged, "I've been on this show for 11 amazing years and this is my family." Rodriguez went on to explain, "It's going to be weird when that time of the year comes around again and we know we're not going to get together to start filming again. It's definitely going to be weird and an adjustment period." Thankfully, the beloved sitcom star was looking to the future and hoping to diversify his slate, alongside everyone else.
It's worth noting, though, that he isn't only known for "Modern Family." In fact, the veteran actor has appeared in a whole variety of stuff over the years, including an episode of hit procedural "NCIS" you may have forgotten about.
Rico Rodriguez's NCIS episode aired the same year Modern Family debuted
Per IMDb, Rico Rodriguez appeared during a Season 6 episode of "NCIS" entitled "Hide and Seek." According to Cinema Blend, he played a young boy named Travis Buckley, who didn't have a huge role in the proceedings. However, funnily enough, 2009, when the episode was released, was also the year "Modern Family" debuted, which would change the youngster's life forever. Aside from playing Manny in the beloved show, Rodriguez also featured in "iCarly," "Austin & Ally," "E.R." and lots more over the years.
Although he'll probably always be associated with "Modern Family," and rightly so, Rodriguez is perfectly positioned to have a solid career in Hollywood — if that's what he wants, of course. As ABC News points out, the actor attended an independent study school in Oak Park, California, throughout his tenure on "Modern Family," as well as being tutored on set. He even expressed a desire to attend college someday, though obviously the show took precedence.
Rodriguez credits being brought up in a regular, non-showbiz family with keeping his head on straight. "They really kept a solid ground underneath me and they kept me down to earth," he shared. "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."