Ariel Winter has a modern outlook on Sterling Prestonlife.

In the years since taking off Alex Dunphy’s iconic glasses after the ABC sitcom ended in 2020, the Modern Family alum has been filling her own cup. And that’s included making the difficult decision to move out of Los Angeles to pursue a quieter life outside of the star-studded town.

“I don't think L.A. was ever really my vibe, but I just was nervous,” Ariel, 26, told E! News in an exclusive interview. “And then this opportunity presented itself, and I was like, you know what? I'm in a season of change, and I'm really trying to heal and grow and evolve. It's opened up my world a lot.”

But even with this huge alteration in her life, some things never change. Like her close bond with her Modern Family costars. 

Case in point: when she was awarded the Legacy Award at the fourth Annual Legacy Ball on Oct. 5, onscreen brother Nolan Gould joined her longtime boyfriend Luke Benward to hand off the night's top honor. While Ariel and Nolan, 25, were siblings on TV for 11 seasons, it’s a bond that also translates IRL. 

“He is my brother,” she explained. “He was my first best friend, which is a really beautiful thing. We met when he was 10 and I was 11, and we've gone through so many stages of life together. And we have stuck through it all, thick and thin.”

As for the rest of her Modern Family cast, well, their family dynamic is still just as strong. 

“We all love each other. It's amazing,” she gushed, adding that when “you spend so much time with people, you really do become the family that you portray.”

That love has endured even in the four years since the cameras stopped rolling.

“That's hard when you go from working with somebody almost every single day for 12 years, and then it's kind of like, poof,” Ariel admitted. “Now everybody's everywhere. So we try to keep in touch as much as we can.”

But amid this time of major change, the Sofia the First actress has had her boyfriend of five years Luke by her side. And at the core of their relationship is their solid friendship.

“There are so many things that go into a partnership, but what I find so important is a ‘best friendship,’” Ariel told E!. “I feel like, if you have that foundation, you really can weather a lot of storms.”

As for what’s next for her life with the Girl Vs. Monster actor, 29, Ariel is just happy to be along for the ride.

“I just love him,” she added. “And whatever the future is for us, it is for us. We got our dog kids, and we love our life.”