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Starting her acting career at an early age, Ariel Winter landed the most popular role of her career at the age of 11 as Alex Dunphy on the ABC sitcomModern Family. The actress continued playing the role throughout the show’s successful 11-season run, during which both she and her character experienced significant changes.
However, growing up in the spotlight can be challenging for child stars, and Winter also faced the difficulties that come with such fame, particularly during one specific year.
Modern Familystar Ariel Winter opened up about the challenges of growing up in the spotlight
Embodying the role of Alex Dunphy inModern Family,Ariel Wintershared the screen with several child stars, including Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez, who played Luke Dunphy and Manny Delgado, respectively.
Talking about her experience starring on the show and growing up in the spotlight, she acknowledged the challenges of going through various phases of life in front of the public. She said,“Growing up in front of everybody is difficult. It’s stressful.”
“Millions of people think they can comment on your life,”Winter further stated, as she recalled the“awful year”when she faced harsh judgment over braces and her physical changes. She said in an interview, as perUSA Today,
Rico, Nolan, and I changed a lot over 11 years. … The year I had braces was an awful year for me. I went through puberty over the summer. I had other things — It was an awful year for me.
Ariel Winter was not alone in dealing with such criticism. Her co-starSarah Hyland, who played her elder sister, Haley Dunphy, alsoendured significant judgment throughout her time on the show.
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However, Winter acknowledged that despite the public scrutiny, theModern Familyset provided a healthy environment for the child stars.
Ariel Winter reflects on the supportive environment on theModern Familyset
Though Ariel Winter did not appreciate the internet trolls and the constant public judgment over her appearance, the actress did share her gratitude for the on-set environment on the show, especially for its child actors.
The actress along with her co-star Nolan Gould have shared their experience of growing up on the set ofModern Family.“I know we have very separate stories on that,”Gould said, as perUSA Today, as he explained,
I’d say that if you were going to choose a set to grow up on, this has been a pretty good one. Everyone’s been super supportive and we really are just like family.
Winter also noted that though there were challenges, she felt supported on the show’s set.“This is the best set to grow up on if you’re going to grow up on a TV show,”she said.
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She also noted the benefits of having a well-documented childhood.
It’s a lot of fun because we now get to go back and look at our younger years — We can be like, ‘Oh, wow! That’s the year I had braces. That sucked.’ You get to have those memories on video.
Her resilience has kept her going, and despite the critiques from internet trolls,Winter has continued workingand also stays connected with her fans through her social media.
Modern Familyis available to watch on Hulu.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
