When a cruise line picks a godparent for its cruise ship, that person only rarely embraces the job. Most are really famous people who speak or perform at the naming ceremony and then maybe never see the ship again.
That’s not how Eric Stonestreet approached the job. Instead of simply collecting the paycheck, the “Modern Family” actor seized his role as godfather of Norwegian Aqua and his broader position as an ambassador for the cruise line.
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Stonestreet not only sailed on the naming sailing for Aqua, but also was a visible presence on the ship. After this interview, we bumped into each other at Starbucks, where we chatted about the engineering marvel it took to deliver windows in the coffee shop space.
He pointed out to me the engineers who made that possible and possessed a genuine glee for where he was and what he was doing. Stonestreet did not come into the godfather role as a cruiser, but seemed delighted to learn the lifestyle and fully inhabit his new job.
This interview has been edited slightly for flow and to remove items that were off the record.
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“Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet serves as godfather of Norwegian Aqua.
Image source: Norwegian Cruise Line
Stonestreet shares his journey
Dan Kline: So, we’re sitting here in a cruise ship. Yep. Right before your first cruise.
Eric Stonestreet: Yes, second cruise.
Kline: Second cruise. Tell me, tell me how you got here.
Stonestreet: Well, I had to spend 13 or 14 years getting constantly rejected in the entertainment industry.
That’s where I started.
Kline: No, you know. I want to go there eventually, though.
Stonestreet: Yeah, yeah. You know, I got here by being who I am and authentic. And then, thankfully, the team at NCL did their research and got to know me through talk shows and interviews.
And I feel like [Norwegian] made the very astute observation that I’m a real person and, you know, play characters on TV and [am] passionate and authentic. I wouldn’t have been successful as Cameron Tucker if I didn’t have a passionate vibe about myself. But I got here by, you know, also following my own advice in life.
And that’s saying yes. ‘Yes’ always leads you to places. ‘No’ closes the door always.
So, I’m excited. I was, you know, we had this first Zoom meeting and they’re like checking me out. And I’m checking them out.
And it just made sense.
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Kline: So, my job is cruising, or at least part of it. We’re similar ages. My first cruise was six years ago.
I went on a Bat Mitzvah cruise and went, ‘Oh, hey, I like this.’
But let me ask the question. So, as an actor, if you take your early days, when you’re taking jobs as bartender number two in the background of a ‘Bones’ episode or whatever it might be.
Stonestreet: Actually, police officer.
Kline: In ‘Bones.’ Sorry.
But, you know, if that role is something terrible, if you’re the guy in ‘Law & Order’ who’s doing all the bad things, everyone knows that’s not you. But that doesn’t work for a deal like this, right?
If you got on the ship and hated it, would you have had to say ‘no’ and walk away?
Stonestreet: Well, I don’t know that it’s possible for me as a person to not like something that much. I would never have put myself in the position to then back out. I would have known myself well enough to be like, there’s no way I’m going to like that.
So again, the answer is yes. And then it just keeps becoming yes. But no, I think once I met Adam and Kelly and David and just, you know, everyone, it just seemed like a fun company to work with and work for.
I mean, make no mistake. I’m working for them, but I think the reason again is that they like me, because it doesn’t feel that way. It feels like, again, I’m experiencing cruising — and I love the term cruising — that I’m becoming a cruiser, just like your readers.
And just like your people, your folks that pay attention to your websites are doing as well. So I don’t think it’s possible for me to have said no.
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Stonestreet is a man of the people
Kline: So you went on one cruise.
Stonestreet: Yeah. Miami, New York to Miami.
Kline: How did you interact with the public? Because I find, and tell me if I’m wrong, that most cruisers, it’s kind of like New York city.
Stonestreet: Yeah.
Kline: You almost have to [be ready for] a celebrity. Nice to see you, Howard Stern. Like hey, you know, whoever it is.
I was on a cruise once and they introduced in the Diamond lounge — hey, it’s Jeff Bridges.
He just wants you to know, come up, say hi, talk about his movies. [But] when he’s eating dinner with his family, please leave him alone. And he was the coolest guy on earth.
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Stonestreet: That’s an interesting way to approach it.
Kline: I get it — when you’re with your family, with your kids, you don’t, maybe don’t want pictures. But he would sit and tell stories and talk to people. Have you found that people just see you as another person on the ship?
Stonestreet: I mean, and I love that idea. I told David before, like what I would love to do on a cruise as the ambassador is get people used to seeing me around, you know? And I think there’s so much authenticity to that of like getting on a cruise.
And are you old enough to remember the Burger King campaign ‘Where’s Herb?’
Kline: Yes.
Stonestreet: I saw Herb.
Kline: So that’s my point of reference for my writers who cover fast food.
If they don’t remember that Herb was the guest timekeeper at WrestleMania III, they probably don’t have the background.
Stonestreet: Oh my God. I love you so much. That’s incredible. I saw Herb in Lansing, Kansas, but we were in eighth grade.
We didn’t qualify for the contest. So our social studies teacher said, ‘Hey, are you Herb?’ He was the one that got entered in the contest.
My point of saying that is, how much fun would it be for your viewers? If they’re fans of me and if they like me to get on a cruise and be like, ‘Holy cow, the ambassador’s on our cruise.’ And then he’s sitting in the improv holding court for a while and giving people the opportunity.
It’s one of my favorite things to do because I was an inquisitive kid. I asked a lot of questions. Being an actor is being an investigator.
And so not that I think of myself as like, you know, something special, but I have found in life, people have questions for me because my job is unique. And rather than making people nervous to say, ‘I’d really like to know who the coolest person he’s ever met is,’ I just say, ‘Hey, now’s your chance.’
Like, let’s talk, let’s have a question. So my point of saying that is, I love [that] Jeff Bridges did that. He’s clearly a much bigger star than I am, but I want to integrate myself into the lifestyle so that it’s no big deal when people see me on a cruise.
The unique world of cruising
Kline: And I think it’s important, you know, there’s always going to be someone who’s too much, but it is kind of a lifestyle of people because there’s also a lot of people famous in this world.
Stonestreet: Really?
You know, on this ship, there are probably five Instagram people who, I don’t know their first name. I know their Instagram.
Stonestreet: I met the Chocolate Cowboy.
Kline: Yeah. There’s people like that, or there’s one guy who — I don’t think he’s on this sailing — just does craps in the casino, but he’s a fundamentalist. So he’s a religious fundamentalist that gambles. And he’s got 30,000 followers, but to those followers, he is the most famous person on earth.
It is a very strange world.
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Stonestreet. Very cool. I mean, very interesting. And here’s the deal. People are always like, ‘Hey, are you going to do standup comedy?’
It’s like, ‘Well, no, because I haven’t worked my ass off to be a standup comedian.’ Could I get people to come listen to me talk? Sure.
People are like, are you going to do Broadway? And it’s like, well, I don’t want to skip the line to do Broadway when people have been working their ass off to be on Broadway.
Same thing here. I want people to know that [I’m not] all of a sudden this fancy cruiser. I mean, I want people to know that I’m learning. The last reporter asked me, ‘What [are] the three essentials on a cruise?’
My answer is, ‘I don’t know yet.’ I got to learn as I do it, you know? So I want people to know that, you know, that they take their cruising seriously. I respect that. And I’m not going to just be like, I’m a know-it-all about cruising all of a sudden.
Kline: So you put it out there. I have to ask, who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Stonestreet: Oh, well, presidents. I’ve gotten to meet presidents — Bill Clinton, Obama. I met both of those guys.
Joe Biden. I met him when he was vice president. I met royalty.
I met Eugenie and Beatrice. They’re pretty famous. Athletes, you know. Patrick Mahomes, pretty famous.
Kline: Yes.
Stonestreet: Travis Kelce, pretty famous. Taylor Swift, pretty famous.
Kline: Did they live up to who you thought they’d be?
Stonestreet: Well, I’ll be honest with you and tell you that I get a different version than most people get. Sure. That’s not taking anything away from who they might be.
So I learned very early in the business when I was telling someone also recognizable on TV, I was like, ‘Oh, I met so-and-so and they were so nice.’ And they said to you, it’s like, that’s a hard lesson to learn.
Kline: It is. I’ve done this a lot. So I’ve met a lot of famous people. I love telling this story. Gene Simmons just likes to put on affectations — the interview will be at two in the morning in a haunted house. So it’s like, all right.
So last question…
Stonestreet: Can we keep going? He doesn’t have to have a last question. You paid your dues.
Stonestreet shares his journey to fame
Kline: Yeah. And I sort of relate to it because I am very successful, whatever the hell I am now. Yeah. But 10 years ago, actually 15 years ago, I got to the Boston Globe and they paid me $72,000 and I thought I’d made it.
Did you have different moments like that where like, when you first got cast as like a recurring [character] somewhere?
Stonestreet: Well, I’ll take you further than that. I’ll take you to my first job in Chicago when I got cast as the Northwestern University football season ticket purple guy. So I’m painted purple on the streets of Chicago and I’m on the football field at Northwestern University, painted purple, and I got a headache.
I was in the sun. I’m painted. My pores are covered, you know?
And I said, ‘Uh, can I get an Advil?’ And somebody got on a walkie-talkie and said, ‘Talent needs an Advil.’ And I was like, ‘What, what’d you call me?’
She’s like, ‘Talent.’ Okay. That’s fine.
And I got 300 bucks. And that’s what I got paid for that first job. And I called home to my parents and I was like, ‘You’re not gonna believe this. I got paid $300 today and they called me ‘talent’ and a person ran to get me Advil, like ran to get me Advil.’
So right from the beginning, I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I just knew I was going to work my ass off to try to make it.
And then I started finding success along the way. But yeah, man, like…you have to be a big fan of ‘Almost Famous,’ the movie.
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Kline: Oh yeah.
Stonestreet: So when I got cast in ‘Almost Famous,’ I thought like, this is the coolest thing ever. And then it turned out that Cameron Crowe is the coolest person ever.
Kline: And that’s nice to hear, too, as a writer turned whatever.
Stonestreet: Dude, to share space with Cameron Crowe in my career has been a highlight and to be able to text with him. And so I went and saw the play on Broadway and he set us up with tickets and made sure we were taken care of. Like just, just awesome.
But when I got in ‘Almost Famous,’ I thought this is a big deal because getting any lines in a major motion picture is the hardest thing for an actor to do. And then it turned out to be a big moment for my career because in Hollywood, as you know, in your world, a lot of people that are in charge have to be told this person’s good or this person’s great.
Well, what Cameron Crowe did by blessing me was give casting directors the opportunity to walk into a room and say, this is Eric Stonestreet, who was just wonderful in ‘Almost Famous.’
And then people are like, ‘Oh, okay, well, Steven Spielberg produced that and Cameron Crowe directed it, so he must be good, right?’ So yeah, man, I mean, I thought everything was the biggest deal ever.
Kline: I’ll ask this question just as a follow-up for a reason. So I grew up with some famous people and one of the women I grew up with, she’s now a producer at ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ She’s the executive producer.
She was a ‘Letterman’ regular. And we worked on a book and it didn’t happen because she didn’t have enough casting-couch stories.
But she said to me, ‘I would have been happy if I was working regularly in regional theater and teaching acting on the side. That’s how I knew it was okay to pursue it.’
Do you think you would have been okay if you were just ‘regular-person’ successful?
Stonestreet: Well, regular-person successful, probably at something else. I never, I wouldn’t have stuck with it if I didn’t think, I mean, that’s my manager. I’ve been with him for almost, what, almost 30 years, probably by now.
Twenty-something years. I don’t think I would have stuck with it if I didn’t have the good fortune of having moments of success along the way. But that doesn’t mean I would have given up on life.
It just means I would have pivoted. It’s not in my brain to not find success in something. That was instilled in me with my dad.
It’s like, you have to be great at whatever it is you’re doing. So I wanted to be a clown in the circus. Like, that’s what I wanted to do.
Kline: Probably good that you didn’t, because we don’t have a lot of circuses left.
Stonestreet: Not many more circuses. My point of that saying, I most definitely believe that I would have found a way to entertain people in some way, shape, or form while also owning a meat market or while also having a jazz club that has great ham sandwiches or whatever it is, you know? So I don’t know if I would have been able to keep doing it if I wouldn’t have had some success along the way.
Kline: I appreciate your time.
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