Ty Burrell’s Phil Dunphy had been one of the fan-favorite characters in Modern Family. Rightfully so, as the actor masterfully played the role of chaotic, and goofy suburban dad to a dot in the groundbreaking sitcom.
As such, someone else portraying that character doesn’t even bear to think about it for many fans. Interestingly, though, that is exactly what was about to happen as the ABC executives were staunchly against casting Burrell for the character.
To gain their approval, Ty Burrell along with the writers came up with such a fun idea, that they kept that sequence in the pilot episode of Modern Family.
Ty Burrell and Modern Family showrunners won over ABC executives with a fun idea
Ty Burrell charmed the fans as Phil Dunphy for over a decade in Modern Family. As such, one would think that when it came to casting it must have been a cakewalk for Burrell. However, the reality is something else.
Fans are aware that FRIENDS star Matt LeBlanc was offered the role at first. However, the Joey star didn’t think he’d be a good fit and passed it on. In the end, over 230 people auditioned for the role, including Ty Burrell.
This is interesting, since Steven Levitan, the show’s co-creator claimed during the show’s ending special episode A Modern Farewell, that they wrote the character of Phil Dunphy with Ty Burrell in mind as per Vulture.
We wrote the part of Phil for Ty Burrell, and we went to the network and said, ‘We want Ty Burrell for this’.
However, the ABC bigwigs “weren’t big fans”. In fact, Burrell claimed that he heard from the grapevine that the role might well and truly be out of his reach. As they didn’t find him, “appealing, charming, funny,” among other things. At this stage, Levitan came up with a plan to impress the network.
The writer claimed that he and the Black Hawk Down actor, “grabbed a camcorder and created a scene from my life with my son”. The recording of the scene, which portrayed a father unwittingly injuring his son with a BB gun, was sent to the network for review.
The network saw it and said, ‘We get it, all right, good, go’. And that was it.
Interestingly, for all their initial protests, ABC loved the sequence so much that they ended up recreating it in the pilot of Modern Family. If they had any lingering doubts, it was blown away as the show started airing with great acclaim for Ty Burrell.
Ty Burrell’s Modern Family success should have landed him in a big project already
As stated above, Ty Burrell stunned the audience with his performance in Modern Family. His goofy, sitcom dad character not only endeared fans but made them aware of the range of acting skills he possesses through the emotional sequences. In fact, over the years, a lot of people claimed that they kept watching the show only because of him.
Moreover, the actor has also been nominated for the Emmy Awards in the Supporting Actor category for his role in the show, which he won twice. As a result, many fans thought that breakout projects would be lining up for such a talent after the show’s grand success.
Unfortunately, fans have yet to see him in a particularly significant project after the show ended in 2020. Some fans have wondered whether it is because after making millions from Modern Family, he has opted to choose his next projects carefully, much like Bryan Cranston did for Breaking Bad.
However, others have been less than convinced of that idea. Regardless, Hollywood not pouncing on the chance to explore more of Ty Burrell’s range is nothing but a shame. In any case, fans can only hope that the actor gets better and bigger opportunities soon.
Modern Family is streaming on Hulu.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
