5 things we learned about ‘Modern Family’ from oral history book on long-running show

Marc Freeman’s “Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television’s Groundbreaking Sitcoms” (St. Martin’s Press, $29.99) explores the making of the hit ABC-TV show, which recently finished its 11-year run.

The oral history of the TV “mockumentary” includes new interviews with the stars, creators, crew and some famous faces who were in the running but got passed over in casting.

“We were a show that was able to bring people together,” Sofia Vergara (Gloria) told him. “Men would watch, gay people would watch. I think that’s what made it so special. I don’t think there are that many shows written that can bring the whole family together.”

Here are five of the most interesting things we learned:

These stars got passed over

Most of the main characters got at least 1,000 audition submissions. Big stars who were considered or in the running for roles but got passed over:

• Jay (Ed O’Neill): Craig T. Nelson.
• Claire (Julie Bowen): Lisa Kudrow, Leah Remini, Debra Messing, Rachael Harris, Constance Zimmer.
• Phil (Ty Burrell): Matt LeBlanc, Joel McHale, David Harbour.
• Cam (Eric Stonestreet): Tony Hale, Josh Gad, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (who went on to play Mitch), Kevin Daniels (who went on to play the couple’s friend Longines).
• Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson): Matt Oberg, Mo Rocca.
• Haley (Sarah Hyland): Skyler Samuels.

These story lines didn’t make it

The series’ creators considered making it about three families living on a cul-de-sac or separate households going through similar struggles. The idea of three households in the same family ultimately won.

These story lines got pitched but never made it to air:

Originally called “My American Family,” the show would have been a docuseries created by a character named Geert Floortje.

Haley could have gotten pregnant much earlier: The reveal ended up happening in Season 10, but the writers considered introducing that story line as early as Season 5.

Claire could have had another baby, too: Writers wanted one character in Season 4 to welcome a new bundle of joy and debated whether to add another Dunphy kid before deciding Gloria would get pregnant.

3 stars struggled with health, body image

Sarah Hyland, 29, has been open about struggling with kidney dysplasia and endometriosis. There were plenty of times she didn’t feel well on set — she’d often choose for Haley to lean against a wall or table in a scene because standing up straight was too painful.

“You could see she wasn’t feeling good,” O’Neill said. “And you felt so bad. . . But she was there. She showed up, all the time, unless she was in the hospital.”

Ariel Winter, 22, struggled with negativity online —she “developed much earlier than a lot of other girls,” and commentary on her body has continued since then.

“It happens to all people in the public eye,” Winter said. “But when you’re a child, it’s worse because you’re trying to figure out who you are, trying to navigate the world, with everybody else trying to navigate it for you.”

Nolan Gould, 21, revealed to Freeman that he had a human growth hormone deficiency while growing up on camera.

“I ended up having to give myself human growth hormones,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons you’ll notice there’s this one season where I go from a baby to a weird man-child with a deep voice and facial hair.”

Fred Willard’s character’s death was especially tough

“Modern Family” characters said goodbye to comedy great Fred Willard’s character Frank Dunphy in Season 11. Losing a character in the final season represented the cast’s first of several goodbyes for the longtime co-workers. The book’s arrival followed shortly after Willard’s death.

“The scene where Phil offers a toast to his dad was very moving,” Freeman writes. “Ty shed a tear, and it was impossible for everyone else not to at that point. Yes, we were saying goodbye to Frank, but there was also a harbinger of the end of the series in there, too.”

Co-creator Steven Levitan told Freeman: ”Willard will never stop being one of the most brilliant improvisational comedians of our or any other generation’s list.”

Young stars marked their heights on a TV set wall

Each house was decorated to make it appear the characters really lived there: Photos were hung on the walls and updated over the years (designers would later add candid shots from travel and graduation episodes).

And just like in real homes, the actors playing the Dunphy kids marked their growth on the kitchen set.

“They would mark their heights as they grew season to season,” production designer and art director Claire Bennett said. “It’s a nice touch that will never make it to camera.”