Modern Family star Sarah Hyland has revealed why she almost lost out on her breakthrough role as Haley Dunphy.
Hyland famously played the rebellious teen from 2009 until the hit sitcom came to an end after 11 seasons in 2020.
In a new interview with BuzzFeed, however, the star said the show's casting director initially felt she was "too old" to play Haley, who was 15 in season one.
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"They were like, 'She's too old.' And at the time, my agent's assistant fought for me to get in the room. She was like, 'She doesn't look 18 years old, I promise you! She looks very, very young,'" Hyland explained.
She continued: "So I went in and they pre-read me for the cast — like, they didn't put my audition on the tape — and then he brought in the casting director. The casting director, Jeff [Greenberg], had me read and then he was like, 'Okay, now do it again, and now I'll put it on tape.'
"They just were very much like, 'She's too old. She's 18.' And then after that, I went to see the director and creators."
Related: Modern Family's Sarah Hyland and Adam Devine reunite in first-look trailer for Pitch Perfect TV show
Elsewhere in the interview, Hyland admitted that it was a challenge for herself and her younger co-stars to grow up onscreen "in front of millions of people".
"I was 18 when I started, I was there through all of my 20s. The kids were 10 or 11 when they started the show. So for them to go through puberty in front of millions of people — and for myself, a lot of traumatic things happen to women when they're in their 20s," she shared.
"Most of the time you don't have to put on a smile and go to work and do it in front of millions of people — everyone has to smile and go to work. I think that was probably the most challenging part, all of the lows in my 20s that I experienced. "
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
