Modern Family's Original 'Lily' Twins Were Offered USD 34K Per Episode, Their Parents Made Them Quit
'Modern Family's' popular character 'Lily' was initially played by twins, Ella and Jaden. However, their exit brought Aubrey Anderson-Emmons' on-board.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleModern Family and its characters will always hold a special place in fans' hearts, especially 'Lily', the youngest member of their clan. But before the role was taken over by Audrey Anderson-Emmons, twin sisters, Ella and Jaden Hiller were cast for it. They had a brief journey on the show, and after many years, it has resurfaced online. Interestingly, it also involved an unexpected decision after their parents refused to accept a USD 34,000 per-episode hike for them.
Why did the Hillers decide to leave Modern Family despite its success?
Ella and Jaden Hiller portrayed the role of 'baby 'Lily during the show's first two seasons. In fact, it is common for twin child actors to portray a young child's role. At that time, their parents did not think of raising Hollywood stars. Instead, they were accidentally approached by a Craigslist advertisement who were looking for Asian twin girls. Eventually, Modern Family became one of the biggest comedy series on TV.
When the girls had already appeared in 36 episodes and earned nearly USD 20,000 a day, which their parents had set aside for their college funds, things began to change. Ella and Jaden started to develop their unique personality and their parents felt a change in them. In some of their old interviews, they explained that the twins no longer enjoyed their time on the set.
At that point, instead of pushing them to continue, their parents, Doug and Michelle, did the unexpected. They informed the producers that their daughters would not return to shoot for the following seasons. To prevent them from leaving, the makers reportedly tried to increase their salary up to USD 34,000 per episode. Still, the couple decided to choose their daughters' choices over the financial opportunity.
They had a simple reason behind their decision. As parents, they wanted their daughters to have a normal childhood. The couple believed that their daughters' happiness was more significant than their TV success. Later, when the twins left after Season 2, the makers began the search for a new 'Lily' who would be at a different stage in life in the next season.
After a thorough search and tests, they decided to recast the role with Aubrey Anderson-Emmons. She joined the show when she was just four years old. Yet she quickly became a fan favorite as the witty and clever daughter of 'Mitchell Pritchett' and 'Cameron Tucker'. Aubrey remained with the series until its end in 2020 and became one of the show's many popular stars.
After several years, Aubrey recalled the recasting for 'Lily' in a TikTok video. For those who didn't follow the series, many regular viewers believed that she played the character from the beginning. Therefore, she shared the whole story about how the original 'baby Lily' was played by the twins, and after their exit, she auditioned for the role.
More about the Modern Family
Modern Family was created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan and aired in 2009. Soon, it turned into one of the best sitcoms of its era. It was distinct from others for its mockumentary-style comedy, which followed the interconnected lives of the Pritchetts, Dunphy, and Tucker families. The show also addressed stereotypes of age-gap marriage and same-sex marriage while showcasing diverse family dynamics.
Modern Family featured Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, and others. They were all part of the show for over 11 seasons, during which the show won 22 Primetime Emmy Awards and gained widespread fame.
Did you knew that Modern Family's 'Lily' was played by the twins before Aubrey Anderson-Emmons?
Pic credits: ModernFamilyTVuncuts/ Instagram, Fandomwire, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons/ Instagram
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