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Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson will never be a macho man, but he does want to show a tougher side of himself.
The 39-year-old is best known for playing strict, OCD lawyer Mitchell Pritchett on award-winning TV series Modern Family.
He ditched his obedient alter ego recently to team up with adventurer Bear Grylls, hiking across the Italian Alps as part of Running Wild with Bear Grylls. Not only was it a life-changing experience for Jesse, who is openly gay, but he also hopes it will change people's view of him.
"Absolutely, that was a big reason I was excited to do it. I'm sure there are some who would have thought: 'He's not the kind of person to go climbing with Bear Grylls.' I really wanted to surprise people," he told Britain's Metro newspaper when asked if Modern Family fans will be surprised by his level of 'butchness'.
"A lot of it was to show my friends, show other people, that there are all kinds of maleness. I suppose it was to prove something to myself, that I would do a show like this and not look stupid, and do it on my own terms. I'm not trying to be a macho man."
Jesse's role on the hit programme has seen him nominated for countless awards over the years, including five Emmys. Having played Mitchell since its beginning in 2009, the star admits people find it hard to separate him from the character. Not that they are extreme opposites.
"Well, to be honest, we are 95 per cent the same. When I auditioned, I thought: 'I truly am like him, I don't need to do any more than show up,'" he smiled.
"I've been playing him a long time now and there's something really comforting about coming in to work because he fits like a glove."