Image Credit: ART STREIBER FOR EWThe term “family comedy” does not usually bring to mind laughs that are sharp or surprising. Corny-syrupy is more like it. But in 2010, Modern Family proved that you can’t always judge a series by its genre, as the show took home the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy, among other accolades. Of course, as we toast Modern’s impressive collection of comedic talent (Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson), it’s easy to overlook an important part of the show — the part that’s not legally old enough to toast yet. That’s why in EW’s Entertainers of the Year Issue — on newsstands now — we raise a glass of sparkling apple cider to Rico Rodriguez (Manny), Nolan Gould (Luke), Ariel Winter (Alex), and Sarah Hyland (Hayley). (And, sure, a sippy cup to twins Ella and Jaden Hiller, who play baby Lily.) “Even at the thought of doing a family show, there’s an initial instinct to say, ‘Ummm, let’s make this animated,’ so we don’t actually have to work with real kids, because there are so many pitfalls,” chuckles Steven Levitan, who created the series with Christopher Lloyd. “We were really nervous about it. But we were unbelievably surprised at how good they are, and how they can pretty much do whatever we write for them.” To learn more about these young actors, check out these bonus quotes from our interviews: READ FULL STORY »