A major Modern Family role was turned down by a Halloween franchise star. The mockumentary-style comedy was a network television hit that aired on ABC for 11 seasons and 250 episodes from 2009-2020. Acclaim for Modern Family's comedy, acting, and writing, along with the generally positive audience reception surrounding the show led to it winning an impressive 22 Emmy Awards, five of which were for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Modern Family's cast included Sofía Vergara, Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet. Burrell and Stonestreet each won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding ing Actor in a Comedy Series, while Bowen won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding ing Actress in a Comedy Series. Vergara, O'Neill, and Ferguson also received multiple Emmy Award nominations, with the series consistently gaining recognition for its talented cast.

Judy Greer Turned Down An Audition For Modern Family's Claire Dunphy

Claire Was Played By Julie Bowen Instead

Judy Greer declined the opportunity to audition for Claire Dunphy, a role that was instead played by Bowen. Greer played Karen Nelson in the 2018 Halloween and reprised the role in Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. She has been cast in a wide range of other movies and television series, including 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses, Love & Other Drugs, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, How I Met Your Mother, and Arrested Development.

While on the Dinner's On Me podcast (via Deadline) hosted by Modern Family's Ferguson, Greer explained that she turned down the Claire audition because she did not want to be typecast as “America’s mom.” She discussed how when the audition opportunity came to her, she was already beginning to play mother characters in many of her projects. Greer broke down how the role of Claire felt "limiting" and she wanted to ensure that she could continue starring in a variety of movies instead of being restricted to a long-running television role. Check out her comments below:

This was a time in my career when I was starting to [play moms]. It sounds so silly to say it out loud now, but I’ll be honest. In a movie, I would have a kid. And then there was this opportunity to audition where I would have three kids, one of them in high school. And on a TV show… and you do have to think of these things in success, and obviously, Modern Family was a huge success. In a movie, people kind of see it and then they forget. In a TV show, it’s just like, you’re a mom.

I was like, "I think I’m not going to audition for it." I was really torn about it, but I ended up obviously not. Who knows if I would have even gotten it anyway, but I was just like, "I don’t know if I want to be America’s mom yet."

[It] felt so limiting compared to what I was doing already. And in addition to just the perception of who you are as an actor. It’s lifestyle too. I was like, well, I like traveling a lot, and I like doing all these movies, and I like going to all these places, and I like meeting all these people. I wasn’t ready for it, in and out of my career.

Our Take On Judy Greer Turning Down Modern Family

It Was Win-Win For Her And For Modern Family

While Greer declining the Claire audition may seem like a surprising choice, it was ultimately best for her and for Modern Family. She was able to appear in science-fiction, horror, comedy, and superhero movies and television series, giving her the freedom in her career and in her lifestyle that she wanted to maintain. Meanwhile, it is practically impossible to imagine anyone else playing Claire as well as Bowen did across all of Modern Family's seasons. Claire inevitably would have become a different kind of character in Modern Family if she had been played by Greer instead of Bowen.

Source: Dinner's On Me (via Deadline)