The prima of mega-hit sitcom Modern Family has mostly kept her ain beingness retired of the Hollywood spotlight. Here, the 54-year-old opens up astir motherhood, not being an “attention hog” and what she truly thinks astir erstwhile co-star Sofia Vergara.
Stellar: Despite appearing connected hugely fashionable bid Modern Family, you’ve managed to support your backstage beingness mostly backstage (Bowen shares sons Oliver, 15, and twins Gus and John, 13, with her ex-husband Scott Phillips). Has that been a conscious choice?
Julie Bowen: When Modern Family started, I had conscionable fixed commencement to my twins, and I had a two-year-old, truthful it was much a substance of I didn’t person clip to spell out. And since I’ve been divorced [she and Phillips ended their 13-year matrimony successful 2018], I ever deliberation astir what my kids would read, due to the fact that they spot everything. So, it’s not truthful overmuch that I support it backstage for me, but I privation to support my beingness backstage for them. I don’t privation them to work astir maine dating oregon spot maine doing something. They merit to person a puerility that isn’t invaded by oregon overshadowed by their mum being a big, abdominous attraction hog.
Stellar: The thought of the “sitcom mum” has evolved from its 1950s incarnations. Did those stereotypes marque you hesitant to play Claire Dunphy successful that show?
Julie Bowen: I was not. When I work the pilot, I couldn’t judge however overmuch amusive it was. I wanted that occupation truthful badly. I didn’t adjacent attraction if, going forward, she stands by the refrigerator and shakes her [finger astatine the kids], which is the mode I deliberation of TV mums successful the past, due to the fact that I thought the penning was fantastic … They gave her communicative and a bosom and challenges and weird worldly to do, truthful I was overjoyed.
Stellar: Modern Family ended successful 2020 aft 11 seasons. Will determination ever beryllium a reboot?
Julie Bowen: I’m in. Can you circular up everybody else? You tin beryllium a shaper and beryllium connected acceptable each day. You’d person truthful overmuch fun.
There were rumours of a rivalry betwixt you and co-star Sofia Vergara, who played Claire’s younger stepmum, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. Have we reached a signifier wherever nine isn’t looking to pit women against each other?
A batch of times, radical volition beryllium like, “Why did you not get along?” And I’m like, “Are you kidding? I emotion Sofia, and arsenic acold arsenic I know, she loves me.” I was texting with her this morning. It’s ridiculous that erstwhile 2 oregon much women are gathered, there’s immoderate benignant of scarcity mindset that comes up from the women themselves astir competing for resources, [those] being, I guess, men. There’s besides this thought that erstwhile women get together, from the antheral perspective, they’re similar witches … “They’ll go excessively almighty … What if they find retired that they don’t request us?” Either way, I telephone BS. I emotion women. I emotion each antithetic kinds, shapes, sizes, and a pistillate similar Sofia, who’s truthful comfy successful her skin, is truthful who she is and has specified a large consciousness of humour. I bow down. I emotion her.
Listen to the latest occurrence of the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About, here:
Have you been offered a batch of akin roles to Modern Family, and did you spell retired of your mode to bash thing antithetic with your caller series, Hysteria!, a fearfulness bid based connected the “satanic panic” that swept crossed the US successful the 1980s?
I bash get offered a batch of TV mum roles, which is simply a blessing, and convey you to anybody that wants to employment me. I ever see it an honour. I don’t deliberation radical would privation to spot maine beryllium a wholly antithetic quality being. Over the people of Hysteria!, we truly subvert the thought of, “Oh, this is simply a mum, we’ve seen her before.” But by the extremity of the pilot, we’ve warned you we’re taking you connected a wholly antithetic ride.
Which TV mum are you astir similar successful existent life?
Bonnie Franklin from One Day At A Time [who played Ann Romano, a divorced parent raising 2 teenage daughters, successful the 1975 to 1984 US sitcom]. She was this sassy small boss, and she reminded maine truthful overmuch of my mum, watching it astatine the time. No-one has ever asked maine that question, and Bonnie is the archetypal 1 that comes to caput due to the fact that she was a sassy azygous mum.
Hysteria! is acceptable successful the 1980s, an epoch known for its shocking style. You were lone a kid astatine the time, but did you perpetrate immoderate crimes against hairsbreadth oregon covering during that period?
I didn’t perpetrate the hairsbreadth crime. I’ve ever had the aforesaid boring hair. It gets abbreviated oregon long, but it’s inactive conscionable my hair. I’ve ne'er done brainsick precocious hair, similar “the claw” arsenic they called it successful the ’80s. So it was a spot of privation fulfilment, to get to bash that for this show; I get to person that ’80s hair, which was benignant of fun. But manner crimes? Shoulder pads. Big, large enarthrosis pads – the bigger the better. You didn’t adjacent announcement [how large they were] until aboriginal on. I’ll spell backmost to my parents’ location successful Baltimore and find immoderate aged overgarment of excavation enactment connected and go, “What’s happening?” due to the fact that it doesn’t adjacent determination erstwhile you determination successful it.
Listen to the latest occurrence of the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About, here:
You’re presently filming a sequel to the deed 1996 play drama Happy Gilmore with its co-writer and star, Adam Sandler. What has it been similar shooting and playing his emotion involvement again, 28 years aft the archetypal movie?
Oh boy, radical emotion Adam due to the fact that helium tin beryllium filthy, soiled and raunchy, but somehow, helium ever has truthful overmuch bosom truthful helium gets distant with everything. So no, Happy hasn’t changed a lot. He’s inactive not ever happy, oregon other helium would beryllium boring. I bash deliberation that drama [as a genre] has go little targeted and hurtful. I don’t enactment that connected Adam. I’m conscionable saying that sex slurs oregon [jokes about] intersexual orientations you simply wouldn’t marque anymore. You would cringe astatine things that were perfectly accepted 20 years ago. And convey God. I anticipation I’m not connected surface doing immoderate of those things, but I whitethorn be. You know, it was a antithetic time, and I anticipation each of america person grown and evolved since then.
Hysteria! premieres connected Binge connected Friday and is besides disposable connected Hubbl. For much from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.
Originally published arsenic Modern Family prima Julie Bowen teases reboot and the existent communicative down Sofia Vergara ‘feud’