10 TV Scenes You Didn't Realise Were Tricking You
5. Julie Bowen Hides Her Pregnancy In Episode One - Modern Family
No matter how meticulously a studio and team behind an incoming small screen project plan their next TV endeavour, life has a funny ol' habit of forcing an unforeseen change of direction from time to time.
That's something the folks behind ABC's eventual long-running hit sitcom Modern Family found themselves coming to terms with early on in the show's existence, with Claire Dunphy actor Julie Bowen begging and pleading to appear in the future sensation despite the fact she was very much pregnant with twins at the time of auditioning.
The reality of her perhaps missing out on the role due to her "humungous belly", as she told People, resulted in her shedding many a tear as she finally made it home from the meeting in question.
However, clearly sensing they couldn't miss out on casting Bowen in the part, the show opted to not only bring Bowen in for the role of Claire, but they also went to some rather ingenious lengths to ensure fans were left unaware of the fact she was eight-and-a-half months pregnant during the pilot.
Baggy clothes, cushions, and cleverly positioned cereal boxes all helped keep Bowen's bump out of the public eye...