Jesse Tyler Ferguson on how 'Modern Family' could have been very different

— -- "Modern Family" was just renewed for its ninth and 10th seasons, so ABC News spoke to one of the show's stars, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, to reflect on almost a decade of laughs.

The 41-year-old actor said he is shocked at how fast eight years have gone by.

"I was thinking back -- first grade to eighth grade when I was a kid, that seems like an eternity," he said in comparison. "These past eight years have flown by. Like, all of grade school, I remember thinking, 'Will this ever end?' Now here we are and it's flown by. And two more!"

Ferguson, who plays Mitch Pritchett on the show, said that when he first auditioned back in the late 2000s, he was asked to read for his character's on-screen husband, Cameron.

While Mitch is a lawyer with a few quirks, especially when it relates to his no-nonsense father, Jay, played by Ed O'Neill, Cam, played by Eric Stonestreet, is a good-old country boy who has a soft side but coaches football and talks glowingly about his previous life on the farm.

"I really thought Mitchell was a better role for me," Ferguson said, sensing from the get-go his connection to that character. "They said, 'No, no, no, they definitely want you to read for Cameron."

But once he did, the showrunners realized their mistake.

"I read the materials for Cameron, but read them as I would Mitchell," he said. The casting director stopped the actor and told him to "go in the hallway and look at the role of Mitchell ... I told you I was right for this role!"

So, Ferguson says he knew immediately this was a role that could last years.

For the full interview about watching the kids on the show grow up and mature and his partnership with Pepcid to embrace his love for cooking and eating without heartburn, watch above!