Sofia Vergara thinks Colombian people are ''funny'' because they ''come from times that were tough''.

The 'Hot Pursuit' actress - who was born and raised in the Columbian city of Barranquilla - has confessed she thinks so many of her fellow countrymen have a comedic side because they had to make the best of a bad situation.

She said: ''I think my family's really funny. Colombian people need that because we come from times that were tough, and sometimes the only way to survive that was to make fun of ourselves and those situations.''

Sofia also admitted she used to assume her strong accent was to blame when she got turned down for roles in the early years of her career.

She said: ''When I first moved to LA and I started to audition, I got nothing. 'I thought, I'm going to have to change how I talk'.''

The 'Modern Family' actress joked that her Columbian twang is now the only reason people ever recognised her.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ''If I don't talk, I'm fine. No one comes nears me, because they think, she's skinnier or she's taller on TV. But when I open my mouth they know it's me.''