Being an actor is not always feel-good fun. Sometimes, it involves physical distress. A prime example of the latter happened to Modern Family's Sarah Hyland. During production on Season 10's death episode, Hyland started to feel sick while filming her character's scenes. Hyland said:
There was this scene where [I'm eating] Twizzlers [and] I don't like licorice -- it makes me want to vomit. So, we're walking up the stairs and I have to be, like, talking non-stop, eating Twizzlers. I almost threw up, like, three times. And there's this scene where I'm having a lollipop and eating all of the chocolate and then spraying whipped cream into my mouth from the can, and oh my goodness, I ate my entire weight in candy -- which on a Friday night is completely normal for me to be doing while crying watching, like, Bridget Jones's Diary.
Imagining this is sickening enough, but having to actually do it would be downright dreadful. Sarah Hyland's harrowing account to ET of filming those scenes is a prime example of the bad days actors endure. It is not the revelation one may have expected to get about the behind-the-scenes happenings of the episode, though.
Filming an episode centered on the death of "a significant character" conjures thoughts of raw emotion. You would think that people would not be able to control their tears while on set, not their gag reflex. However, considering the circumstances Sarah Hyland was in, it makes perfect sense. As she pointed out later, this is why parents warn against excessive candy consumption. The Modern Family actress went on to explain how multiple takes exacerbated her feeling sick. Hyland said:
But when you're doing it because you have to, it takes the fun out of it and god bless Sophia [Vergara] -- I love her -- but she couldn't say this one line and I kept having the whipped cream in my mouth and had to swallow, then do it again. This is sounding weird, but I went home and was in so much pain. I was like, 'This is what adults say to you as a kid -- don't eat too much candy, it'll upset your stomach.' And, now I'm going to be that mom that's like, 'Don't eat the candy.'
Hopefully, for Sarah Hyland's sake, Haley Dunphy's candy-consuming days are over for a while. Candy may be a comfort "food," but like anything else, less is often more. Elsewhere in her interview, Hyland praised Modern Family's emotional episode, wherein the show lost a long-time character. She acknowledged that it even moved her to tears. She also lauded her co-stars' performances, with Ed O'Neil, Julie Bowen, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson all earning special shout-outs from her.
News of the upcoming death had left fans with lots to speculate about as Season 10 got underway. With the passing of that character having been covered, Sarah Hyland can now look to the show's next development, and she recently teased another shocker set to take place in Season 10.
The actress has gone so far as to say that what's on the horizon is even larger than the death. Her tease also hinted that it would involve Haley. Will she be included in a candy-eating contest? One would hope not. Hyland is not the only Modern Family cast member hyping this big event, either, as Jesse Tyler Ferguson has spoken about it as well.
To have another major development occur in the same season is interesting. In its tenth season, it would appear that the ABC show is still going strong. Modern Family is not slowing down on going big with its storylines, either. First a death, and now another shocker is on the way. But, the suspense may be higher regarding the latter incident, as many fans seemed to figure out who would die on the comedy relatively quickly. The wait for this latest mystery, though, will go on a bit longer.
Given that this shocker is set to take place in Season 10, fans do not have an eternity to wait. New episodes of Modern Family air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The series is among a plethora of shows returning with new content this fall, including on ABC's schedule.
