There’s so much going on in Modern Family and so many working parts that you might think that behind the scenes the show has to be well-oiled machine just to exist. While the show might be a very smooth-running entity most times it’s also had its share of bumps and hiccups along the way as the cast have all had their own issues to deal with here and there, stories that are well away from the action and have to be ferreted out now and again if people want to know about them. There’s never been that much that’s been so disastrous or catastrophic that it might have made the show up and end without warning, but there have been a few things that some folks might see as worthwhile when it comes to understanding just how the cast has managed to stick together for so long.
Here are five stories from behind the scenes of Modern Family.
5. Ariel Winter was emancipated from her parents at the age of 17.
Ariel seems like she had quite the life going for her throughout the years since aside from Modern Family she also had the lead role of Sofia the First for Disney, but things weren’t always as charmed on the other side of her career. It sounds as though her parents were rather abusive and after a while she finally filed for emancipation, staying with her sister until her case could be concluded. Ultimately she was granted her independence and has since then been a lot happier with her life. She’s remained estranged from her mother, but has at least established a good relationship with her father.
4. Julie Bowen had a very unhealthy diet obsession.
Julie, as you remember, has been in other projects such as Joe Somebody with Tim Allen and Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler. In both movies she wasn’t super thin and had a bit more substance to her. But for some reason during this show she’s been obsessed with her figure and went down to eating only one meal a day and exercising incessantly when off screen. This worried people on the set so much that they actively tried to get her to eat more for both the appearance of the show and her health, since she does have a heart condition and a pacemaker. She is supposed to look like a soccer mom after all, not super-heavy but not rail-thin either.
3. The original Lily had to be replaced.
Apparently the Hiller twins, who were sharing the role of the original Lily, had to be replaced because they were simply too difficult to work with and couldn’t be handled all that well. Barring the story behind whether Cam and Mitchell’s adoption of Lily was even reasonably legal, it made sense to bring in Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who was a natural for the role and has been the best version of Lily since then. It’s true that kids are hard to work with at times, but apparently the Hiller twins started to cry and whine the moment they were put on camera, which was a habit that couldn’t be allowed to continue after a while.
2. The cast had to fight for pay raises.
In 2012 the adults on the show banded together to gain a pay increase and despite the fact that it took a while and they had to go through a few negotiations and even missed table reads it did work, they got paid. The kids did the same thing in 2017, and it resulted in the same outcome. One thing you can say about this group is that they stick together no matter what. On some shows there’s been obvious resentment as one or two individuals will get pay raises and the rest are hung out to dry. With this show however it was everyone or no one since they weren’t willing to leave anyone out.
1. Sarah Hyland had a kidney transplant in 2012.
This might not seem like much of a story, but Sarah did end receiving a kidney from her father, which is not only touching but incredibly giving of anyone, even if it happens to be family. She obviously went through with the operation and did just fine, but she had her on screen family in her corner for support as well. It’s great to have family, but it’s also inspiring to know that one has the people they work with to count on as a second family in times of need as well.
The amount of dedication and caring that’s been displayed between the cast members of Modern Family is simply amazing since the stories that are told seem to rarely ever have anything to do with drama happening between any of them. Anything they need the rest of them always seem willing to step up and offer their support.
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