Ty Burrell didn’t get everything right on the first attempt while auditioning for the hit show Modern Family.
The actor—who played Phil Dunphy on the popular sitcom for 11 seasons—took a trip down memory lane in a recent episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, calling how his first audition unfolded.
“I really flopped the first test,” Burrell told his former Modern Family co-star, adding that the executives also possibly found him too “stiff” during the meeting.
“‘He’s not funny,'” Burrell recalled being told, jokingly adding, “And some people still feel that way.”
Yet, showrunners Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan found Burrell to be perfect for the role—landing Burrell the chance to undo any damage in the second audition and a screen test.
“We went and filmed in Steve Levitan’s yard with Sarah Hyland (Haley Dunphy), and we got to improvise and do a more like, single camera audition for it,” Burrell shared. “And that one worked.”
“It’s amazing the hoops you had to jump through. I always find it wildly fascinating,” Ferguson replied.
