On Modern Family, Julie Bowen’s Claire Dunphy was the tightly wound but devoted mom to Haley and Alex. Off screen, Bowen’s bond with the actresses who played her daughters, Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter, turned out to be just as strong.
Like Real Daughters
Bowen, a mother of three sons in real life, has said she considers both Hyland and Winter her own daughters. After more than a decade of playing a family, often filming long days together, that closeness grew into something much deeper than a work relationship.
Hyland’s ‘Guardian Angel’
Hyland has even described Bowen as her “guardian angel”. That makes sense given how Bowen has supported her over the years, including helping her leave an abusive relationship. Years later, Hyland’s now-husband Wells Adams even asked Bowen and Ty Burrell for their blessing before proposing.
Bowen has also been protective of Winter, who grew up in the public eye on the show from the age of 11.
Plenty of TV families go their separate ways once the cameras stop rolling. The Dunphy women are proof that sometimes the bonds formed on screen last long after the show is over.