Julie Bowen Almost Passed on Modern Family Due to Doubts About Her Comedy Skills

Julie Bowen may be known for her hilarious role as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family, but the actress recently revealed she almost didn’t audition for the part because she didn’t think she was funny enough. During a candid conversation on The Three Questions with Andy Richter, Bowen shared her initial doubts about her comedic skills.

“I was like, ‘I can’t tell a joke, I’m not funny,’” she admitted. Bowen, who became a household name for her comedy on Modern Family, never saw herself as someone who could handle a sitcom role. In fact, she actively avoided those types of projects, telling her team, “Don’t give me those three-jokes-a-page kind of things.”

Fortunately, her managers didn’t agree with her. They encouraged her by pointing to another well-loved sitcom star—Helen Hunt from Mad About You. Bowen remembered the conversation, saying her team told her, “You know what? Helen Hunt isn’t funny.” They explained that Hunt wasn’t the kind of comedian who delivered rapid-fire jokes, yet she had an undeniable ability to make audiences laugh. “She’s funny in a different way,” they told Bowen. “Try to be Helen Hunt.”

Bowen eventually took the leap, but not without some hesitation. Even after landing the role of Claire Dunphy, she didn’t feel like she was cracking jokes left and right. “You’ll notice I didn’t do too many jokes. I fell down a lot,” she joked with Richter.

Before her breakout on Modern Family, Bowen felt more comfortable in roles that blended drama and comedy. She reflected on her time starring in Ed, a dramedy that fit into the trend of hour-long shows like Ally McBeal. “There’d be big fighting scenes, and then there’d be nice warm, funny scenes,” Bowen explained. “All things could exist at once.”

Bowen also opened up about the unique challenge of auditioning for Modern Family while she was pregnant. “I didn’t think I got Modern Family because I was so pregnant,” she said. She was actually in the running for two pilots at the time—one of which had a pregnant character. Naturally, she thought that one would be a better fit, but fate had other plans.

Despite her initial doubts, Bowen’s portrayal of Claire Dunphy became iconic, proving that sometimes taking a chance on yourself can lead to unexpected success.

Source: Hollywood Reporter