LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA: Just over three years after the highly successful 11-season run of the iconic ABC sitcom 'Modern Family' ended, Sarah Hyland is discussing how she nearly didn't earn the role of Haley Dunphy.
The actress, now 32, revealed in an interview with Buzzfeed that she was first informed that she was too old to play the role. "Originally, they didn’t want to see me for 'Modern Family' because I was 18 and Haley’s character was 15. They were like, "She’s too old,"' she recalled.
'She looks very, very young'
But in the end, someone fought for Hyland and secured an audition for her to show off her skills. She said, "At the time, my agent's assistant fought for me to enter the room, saying, "She doesn't look 18 years old, I promise you! She looks very, very young!"'
'They didn't put my audition on the tape'
Hyland continued by saying that the casting directors didn't even put her on video for the first reading because they already believed she was too old. She said, "I went in and they pre-read me for the cast — like, they didn't put my audition on the tape — and then he brought in the casting director." She added, "The casting director, Jeff [Greenberg], had me read and then he was like, "Okay, now do it again, and now I'll put it on tape." They just were very much like, "She's too old. She's 18."
Hyland was flawless as Haley
Hyland eventually gained access to visit the director and creators. The New York City native proved herself and got the part by refusing to let the doubters crush her confidence and desire. From the series' debut in September 2009 all the way up to the show's conclusion in April 2020, Hyland was flawless in her depiction of Haley.
Ed O'Neill, Sofa Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Jeremy Maguire, and Reid Ewing were all included in the cast in addition to Hyland. Each of the show's first five seasons received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell each received two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
