Hollywood exclusive
Lavish love nest: At home with Sofia and Joe
If there was a book about Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello’s life together, the title might be How to Have Your Cake and Eat it Too. But the two screen stars, who celebrated their first wedding anniversary last November, truly appreciate their good fortune as they welcome Woman’sDay into their newly renovated family home in Hollywood.
There are plenty of laughs – and a whole lot of cake too – as we spend an afternoon discussing décor, careers and romance with the MagicMike actor, 40, and the Modern
Family actress, 44, who is mum to son Manolo, 24, from a previous marriage.
When complimented about being the perfect hostess, Sofia laughs, “I always have food, drinks and a lot of cake at home. Joe and Manolo laugh at me because they say that I make our house seem like a hotel.”
She also puts bottles of water on their bedside tables and folds the toilet paper in the guest bedroom. “I’ve spent nearly half of my career in hotels, so that’s what I got used to,” she explains. “I’m very detail-oriented.”
Are you the one who has stamped the personal touch onyourhome?
Sofia: Yes, I really did buy everything. The decorator showed me things, but I knew I wanted a house we could all enjoy. There are always people here. I wanted it to be a house that people use. So that’ s why Joe has his feet upon the white sofa inthelivingroom? Sofia: Joe sleeps there, eats there and watches all his football games there on weekends. It’s his favourite place. We open the windows and let fresh air in, and he
loves it. My favourite room is the bathroom – well, that and my closet. It’s not as big as I wanted it to be, so I took over the man’s side. I said, “Joe, you don’t need a big closet.” And he said, “Yes, love, just take it.” You’ re very accommodating, Joe! Were you involved in thedécor?
Joe: She left me with two rooms – the gym and my office. I’ve always had a habit of going to art galleries and openings, so when it came time to decorating the new house, along with the works I had collected over the years, I had new artworks commissioned, including the Andy Warhol and Sophia Loren paintings in our living room.
Sofia: He’s so easy-going with everything. I’ve been cutting out pictures of every detail I want in my dream house for two years. I would show them to him and he would say yes or no, but he decorated the office all by himself.
Joe: I was pleased to find that Sofia’s decorating style and my taste in art were
absolutely compatible. So you’ re happy here? Sofia: We’re happy here. We love our house. My hobby is buying stuff and hosting parties. Any excuse to say, “I’ll throw a party!” Everyone is comfortable in my house. There’s always food, like at my Modern Family character Gloria’s house. Your wedding looked like quite the party too...
Sofia:It was such a beautiful time and we wanted to share it with our fans. That’s why it’s so special for us to do this shoot and that’s why I convinced Joe. This is a really special time for us in our relationship and we enjoy our privacy, but we have the best fans in the world, and we know it makes them happy to see us happy and in love. And also the house turned out so nice, so we had to show it to them as well! Was it love at first sight?
Joe: From the first moments of our relationship, we spent hours just laughing our heads off together. It was very evident that we both shared the same
sense of humour and values.
Sofia: He is so funny and that has been really important. We even talk to each other all the time in this little voice that we made up, like a couple of dorks. Whoever heard us would say, “What is their problem?” Joe is very lighthearted. He’s never in a bad mood – never! And I’m also like that. I try to stay calm and not worry about things I can’t change.
Joe: We realised very early on that we each had to put the other person’s happiness and wellbeing ahead of our own. Once you realise that kind of trust has manifested, you hang on for dear life. Or in my case, you go and buy a ring.
Sofia: My heart was melting and I simply said, “But of course.” He laughs because women tend to react more than respond. Joe is very spiritual and deals with everything very well. I call him my Hindu monk. But one day he suddenly put his head in his hands and said, “Oh, my
God!” I had never seen him like that. I was like, “What happened? Who died?” He replied, “Nothing, sorry. It’s just that I got the part in the movie.” I was going crazy and it was his dream role! Thank goodness he showed me how to meditate. Finding Joe has brought me a lot of peace – a very profound calm. You got married only six months after meeting ...
Sofia: And we didn’t hesitate for one second. We had a wedding with 400 guests and it was just like decorating our home – we didn’t have one fight. The most beautiful thing was seeing how Manolo cried that day. He’s never seen me married because I’ve been single ever since he was one years old. I didn’t live with anyone until Manolo went to university – I wasn’t going to bring a man into my son’s home. That’s why I always wanted long-distance relationships with men in other countries.
Joe, you played a were wolf in True Blood and a stripper in Magic Mike, and you lend your voice to a little blue dude in the upcoming film Sm urfs: The Lost Village. How do you like your role asafamilyman?
Joe: If acting didn’t pay the bills, I would do something else. Being a man and provider always came first for me. I wasn’t someone who was going to waste their life chasing a dream simply because I needed to be seen and heard by other people. I’ve always believed in myself from the beginning and I’ve been tested in ways you can’t imagine when it comes to my career, but I only stayed the course because I made a better living at this than anything else I could think of doing.
Sofia: See why I say he’s my Hindu monk? This career is hard. I’ve been working toward that dream for more than 20 years. You can’t be a victim in life. That attracts negative things – with men, with family and
with work. A thousand things can happen, but that’s life. Modern Family obviously changed your life. In 2016, you were named the bestpaid TV actress ...
Sofia: That’s what they say! We’re on our eighth season and we have at least another two years – I hope to God because this job is perfect. I go to work happy every day. It’s a pleasure playing this character. I don’t have to be crying, running or raped in a scene. Everything is a joke, everyone is laughing and we all get along really well. Financially, I’ve taken advantage of it because as an actress, you might have work for 10 years, then nothing for the next 10. How do you feel of criticism your character is a stereo type? Sofia: Gloria is inspired by my mom and my aunt, who grew up in Colombia, like me. They love colour, prints and shoes. I’m like that too – a voluptuous, intense, happy woman who wants to get involved in
everything. She’s married to a millionaire, but she loves him. She’s not a gold-digger – she takes care of him. She makes him empanadas. It upsets me when Latinos complain about Gloria. I am grateful because the gringos have let me into TV with this strong accent. Eight years ago, nobody had an accent like this on television. When I watch Modern Family, I see that Gloria is the most complete and happiest character. I wouldn’t change anything about her. I owe my success to her. And Gloria eats a lot of cake! Sofia:I love cakes. They make me happy. I like to look at them. I eat them too, but just looking at them makes me happy. I volunteer for an organisation that provides birthday cakes for children in need. Do you feel the same way aboutcake, Joe?
Joe: I’m not a cake eater, but no-one likes cake more than my wife.
Finding Joe has brought me a lot of peace – a very calm’ profound