“You can do this to me, I’ll protect you…”: This soap opera star almost joined the mafia

Yes, Ed O’Neill was almost living a life of crime instead of intentionally laughing. In an interview during his former Modern Family co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s On Me” podcast (via Deadline ), the comedian shared his incredible story and how he pursued a career in organized crime.

in 1969, Ed O’Neill He was looking for a job in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, when his childhood friend Jim took him for a drive. “We were driving and he said, “How are you? You know, free yourself, you have no money.O’Neill recalls. “I said, ‘No, I’m broke. You know, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”“

Then they stopped at a bar, and it was there that his friend began to question the barman of the establishment strangely. “He started talking to the bartender. He said, “I’m looking for a kid, what’s his name, Demko, his name is Jimmy Demko, do you know him?” And the guy says, “No, it doesn’t mean anything to me.” So he gives her $20 and says, “Hey, he’s an old friend of mine, I haven’t seen him in years, you know, I’m still trying to get in touch with him, but I want to surprise him. . . so if he comes back, you can call this number. You can Come to me’.“

The strange affair ended with O’Neill’s job offer. “We left and he said to me: “You can do such a thing to me, know that I will protect you. I will give you simple tips. You just came here to get something. you do it You run, throw something here and there. You know, you can rely on a guy. You’re good at it. You can make quite a bit of money…” I said, “Let me think about it, Jim. Because I don’t know. I might leave the city to focus on my acting career.’“

The decision was not easy, he added Ed O’Neill who then turned to his father for the project.

“He said, ‘I saw you walking with Jimmy… I just want to ask you a question. Can you do jail time?’“And here’s the question that called everything into question. “He told me: “You couldn’t go to prison. You’d find it hard to be in prison, wouldn’t you? I said, “No, I don’t think I’m going to jail.” He said, “Okay.”“

So this realization put an end to that discussion and any thoughts of him joining the world of organized crime.

“I went there, then I called Jimmy,” – he concluded Ed O’Neill“I thanked him and said: “I’m going to New York. Yes. I’m going to try this, this other thing.“

The rest is television history.

You can watch all 11 seasons of Modern Family on Disney+.