‘Almost Famous’ at 25! A future ‘Modern Family’ star made his film debut in the movie

It may feel weird to be nostalgic for a movie that was all about nostalgia, but that’s the situation many movie lovers find themselves in today, the 25th anniversary of the release of Almost Famous.

Cameron Crowe‘s autobiographical look at his years as an unlikely teenage contributor to Rolling Stone, Almost Famous was a first gig for its wide-eyed lead, a young Patrick Fugit, and a big break for Kate Hudson in the part of groupie Penny Lane. But they weren’t the only two who can point to the early ’70s rock ‘n’ roll fantasy film for their first major part.

Though he’s only in it for a moment, Eric Stonestreet, who would later gain fame on Modern Family, has a clutch role in Almost Famous as a hotel clerk — part of a long line of great hotel clerk cameos in movies. Off the top of our heads we can think of Buck Henry in The Graduate, Paul Benedict in This Is Spinal Tap, and “Pee-wee Herman” paging himself in the movie within Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

Years later, in an interview for AOL, Stonestreet said that he was called in to read for the part of Lester Bangs — the maverick music writer who is a mentor to lead character William Miller — who was eventually played by Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. The casting director loved the newcomer, who had barely worked in Hollywood, but she quickly realized he wouldn’t be right for such a substantial part. “We’re gonna find something for you,” Stonestreet recalled being told.

Even though the role of Sheldon the Clerk was just five lines, Stonestreet was brought back for a second audition, this time with Crowe. The short sequence involved Stonestreet being somewhat stone-faced, talking about dodging phone calls from William’s mother, played by Frances McDormand.

The short comedic role led to other visible parts on shows like The West Wing and Providence before a recurring role as Ronny Litre on CSI. Movie parts in Identity Thief and Bad Teacher, plus a slew of guest shots on prominent television series like Nip/Tuck, Monk, NCIS, and American Horror Story led, in time, to the part that would bring him the most prominence — playing Jesse Tyler Ferguson‘s husband on Modern Family.

But Stonestreet still has love for the turning point in his career, and who made it possible.

“Cameron Crowe put his stamp of approval on me, which I am forever grateful for, and I tell him that as many times as I can,” Stonestreet said.

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Almost Famous did well at the box office, but even better with critics. Crowe won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and McDormand and Hudson both competed for the Best Supporting Actress prize. (They both lost to Marcia Gay Harden‘s portrayal of Lee Krasner in Pollock, which is fair.) It was also up for Best Editing and, years later, was adapted into a Broadway musical.

The story follows a fake early ’70s band called Stillwater, whose hit record was “Fever Dog,” which sounded like a blend between Led Zeppelin‘s “When the Levee Breaks” and Ted Nugent‘s “Stranglehold.” It was written by Nancy Wilson of the band Heart. (Also Crowe’s wife at the time.) The credits to Almost Famous are deliberately cagey, but musicians who played on some of the tunes include Peter Frampton and Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, and Marti Frederiksen sang lead vocals.