Julie Bowen Says ‘Modern Family’ Character Claire Dunphy ‘Helped’ Her Raise 3 Teenagers

Julie Bowen is very grateful for her time on the hit series Modern Family. While playing mom-of-three Claire Dunphy for 11 seasons between 2009 and 2020, the 54-year-old actress earned two Emmy Awards — and got some on-the-job training for raising her future teenagers. (The 54-year-old star shares Oliver, 17, and twins John and Gustav, 15, with her ex-husband, Scott Phillips.)

“I was a mom to older kids on TV before I was a mom to older kids in real life,” Julie says, “so Claire kind of helped me.” Here, the star of Peacock’s new thriller series Hysteria! exclusively talks to Closer’s Fortune Benatar about her parenting wins and losses, her small screen return and the major cameos lined up for Happy Gilmore 2.

What did you learn from playing Claire about raising teenagers?

JB: I got to be with Nolan [Gould, who played her on-screen son Luke] as he went through 10 different phases and came out the other side as this glorious young man. He’s the best. There were plenty of times when he wanted to wear weird stuff or say weird things or listen to music I didn’t understand, and it made me realize they’re all phases. Don’t try to set it in concrete, because they haven’t. I could learn more from her. I can be a little hot under the collar but I’m trying not to be!

What is your biggest parenting challenge now?

JB: The hair! It’s too long. It’s like a mushroom cloud or an alpaca situation. One of mine is rocking a flow hawk. Honestly, [with] any form of rebellion, you can’t say anything about it. I leave it alone, and then three times a year when they see my parents, who are a little bit more conservative than I am, they have to calm it down.

What are your coparenting tips?

JB: Keep a common calendar app. Even if you’re happily married, everybody needs a calendar. That’s number one. And then I don’t care what state you’re in with your spouse, or ex-spouse, whatever it is, we have to talk about the kids. I still talk to my ex because we have three kids. We have to communicate.

Have your kids watched Modern Family?

JB: It’s a rite of passage for them to say they haven’t [watched any of my work]. This is how they’ve defined themselves in opposition to me. I heard they’ve seen some Modern Family. One of them is very psyched to see Hysteria! I sent him pictures from the set and he thought it was really cool. One of them was like, “Oh, mom, I don’t like looking at you like that.” It’s a mixed bag.

Tell us more about Hysteria!

JB: It’s a real genre blend. It’s ’80s and [heavy] metal. Yes, it’s scary and it’s about Satanic Panic, but it’s not necessarily gory. It’s more of a psychological thriller. You’re not sure if my character is sane or insane.

Can you relate to her?

JB: One of the biggest challenges is imagining what it would be like to raise one kid! And I could relate to “neglect” as a parenting thing in the ’80s. Now, we’re so involved in our kids’ lives.

What is it like working with Adam Sandler again on the Happy Gilmore sequel?

JB: Fantastic! He’s every bit as lovely now as he was then. There are a lot of cameos that people are whispering about — but I can tell you there are tons more, and you’ll get to see some fun flashbacks. I also get to recreate my look from the original, which was quite something. We’re so excited.