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5 things we learned from ‘Modern Family’ oral history about Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vergara and Fred Willard – USA TODAY

May 24th, 2020

Known for playing Alex and Luke Dunphy on ABC's "Modern Family," Ariel Winter and Nolan Gould talk growing up before the fans' eyes over the decade. USA TODAY

"Modern Family" was on the air for 11 years, so you better believe that pretend family has some real memories from their time on set.

Marc Freeman's "Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms" (St. Martin's Press,528 pp.) explores the making of the ABC show, which used the mockumentary format to bring to light new stories about what families really looked like.

The oral history includes new interviews with the stars, creators, crew and some famous faces who were in the running to be cast. Freeman also included commentary and observationsfrom his time spent on set in February during the last few days of the series' filming.

"We were a show that was able to bring people together," Sofia Vergara (Gloria) said to him. "One of the most fascinating things for me was meeting people, a grandmother with a grandchild, talking about the same episode. That rarely happens. Men would watch, gay people would watch. I think that's what made it so special. I don't think there are that many shows written that can bring the whole family together.

Here are 5 of the most interesting things we learned:

"Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Televisions Groundbreaking Sitcoms" by Marc Freeman hits bookshelves May 19.(Photo: Courtesy St. Martin's Press)

Most of the main character roles got at least a thousand audition submissions before the creators settled on the actors "Modern Family" fans know today. Though a handful of famous faces ended up in the mix, some other big stars were considered or in the running for roles.

In the early days of "Modern Family," plenty of ideas were tossed around about how to tell the stories of, well, modern families. Creators considered making it about three families living on a cul-de-sac, or just separate households that went through similar weekly struggles. The idea of three households in the same family ultimately won.

But not every idea after that was a winner. These story lines got pitched but never made it to air:

Cast members in 2009, from left to right: Ed O'Neill, Rico Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Nolan Gould, Julie Bowen, Ariel Winter, Ty Burrell, Sarah Hyland, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.(Photo: BOB D'AMICO, ABC)

Hyland, 29, has been open on her social media accounts about struggling with kidney dysplasia and endometriosis. Though there were plenty of times on set when she wasn't feeling well the actress noted that she would often choose for Haley to lean against a wall or table in a scene because standing up straight was too painfulshe impressed her co-workers with the way she powered through.

"There were lots of days when she'd be in the makeup chair in the morning and you could see she wasn't feeling good," O'Neill said. "And you felt so bad. You'd think, 'Can you do anything, say anything, bring her anything?' But she was there. She showed up, all the time, unless she was in the hospital."

Winter, 22, struggled with negativityonline she "developed much earlier than a lot of other girls," and commentary on her body has continued since then.

"It happens to all people in the public eye," Winter said. "But when you're a child, it's worse because you're trying to figure out who you are, trying to navigate the world with everybody else trying to navigate it for you."

The Dunphy trio was all grown up by the series finale.(Photo: Eric McCandless, ABC)

Gould, 21, has been decidedly less vocal about his personal life, aided in part by watching the way his two on-screen sisters were treated on social media over the years. He revealed to Freeman he had a human growth hormone deficiency while growing up on camera.

"I ended up having to give myself human growth hormones," he said. "That's one of the reasons you'll notice there's this one season where I go from a baby to a weird man-child with a deep voice and facial hair."

Fred Willard appears in an episode of 'Modern Family' in 2009.(Photo: Adam Taylor, Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

"Modern Family" characters said goodbye to comedy great Fred Willard's character, Frank Dunphy, in Season 11. Losing a character in the final seasonrepresented the cast's first of several goodbyes for the longtime co-workers. And now, the book debuts less than a weekafter Willard died at 86, making it a fitting tribute to the late actor as well.

"The scene where Phil offers a toast to his dad was very moving," Freeman writes. "Ty shed a tear, and it was impossible for everyone else not to at that point. Yes, we were saying goodbye to Frank, but there was also a harbinger of the end of the series in there, too. We will be saying goodbye to each other all too soon."

Co-creator Steven Levitan told Freeman of the actor:"Willard will never stop being one of the most brilliant improvisational comedians of our or any other generation's list."

'Thanks for the deep belly laughs': Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sofia Vergara mourn Fred Willard's death

Each house was decorated to make it appear as though the characters really lived there: Photos were hung on the walls and updated over the years (designers would later add candid shots from travel and graduation episodes). And just like in real homes, the actors playing the Dunphy kids marked their growth over the years on the kitchen set.

"When the kids were on set, they would mark their heights as they grew season to season," production designer and art director Claire Bennett said. "It's a nice touch that will never make it to camera."

'Modern Family' cast on long run: 'People connected in a that's-really-what-it's-like way'

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5 things we learned from 'Modern Family' oral history about Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vergara and Fred Willard - USA TODAY

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