10 Disregard

After the awkward moment between Lucas and Christopher, the director and the two writers then discussed with the casts of "Modern Family" of their characters. And that, of course, included Lucas...

The casts can suggest their opinion about the character, though, but the writers actually wrote the character of Phil Dunphy according to Ty Burrell himself. As a result, Ty Burrell doesn't have to act complicatedly, since the character is basically written for him.

When Ty Burrell heard that from the writers, respectfully, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, two people that are quite influential in Hollywood, Ty Burrell felt honored.

To be honest, Ty Burrell was quite grateful towards Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. If not for them, he would not even be casted... Ty Burrell still remembered that the ABC Network wasn't really leaning towards him previously. However, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd convinced the ABC Network, and to convince them, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd set up mocking scenes of Ty Burrell and Sarah Hyland, the father and daughter scene. Only then did the ABC Network trust the vision of the two writers...

While Ty Burrell seriously yet lightly discussed his role with the two writers, Lucas has been quietly observing...

From what Lucas heard during the discussions of the "Modern Family" characters, the writers admired Ty Burrell's determination and were inspired by his energetic and optimistic personality. As a result, they rewrote the character of Phil Dunphy to be just like Ty Burrell. The writers were really impressed by Ty Burrell, and hearing that Ty Burrell, initially considered for a different role, captivated the show's creators with his comedic timing and improvisational skills during the audition process. This led them to see his potential beyond the original character they offered him.

While the creators of "Modern Family" didn't specifically look for A-list actors and actresses, they aimed for a cohesive ensemble cast. The goal was to have actors and actresses who could naturally portray the quirks and dynamics of their characters within the family unit. Finding individuals who genuinely embodied the characters' personalities and had chemistry with each other was paramount.

During the discussions, Lucas felt somewhat left out, to be honest. The writers primarily engaged with the main cast, including Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, and the one young actor along with two young actresses.

Considering Ty Burrell's pivotal role as Phil Dunphy, the writers sought his suggestions and ideas to further shape the character into a nuanced and relatable figure. The same approach extended to Julie Bowen's role as Claire Dunphy and the three young talents—Ariel, Sarah, and Nolan.

While Lucas was seldom to say his opinion, it appeared that the two writers didn't regard his role as highly as the main roles. Even when Lucas tried to join the discussion by offering ideas from his perspective of "Modern Family" in his previous life, his suggestions were welcomed, but he still felt more like an outsider or a spectator. This feeling arose because his role wasn't as central as the main roles.

While Lucas didn't particularly feel good about it, he swallowed his discontent. After all, he was in a supporting role and didn't require as much in-depth attention compared to the main characters. Additionally, Lucas didn't have much say in the production, and it seemed like the director and writers were treating him merely as an extra.

This experience wasn't unfamiliar to Lucas; he had encountered similar feelings in his previous life. As a small-time actor on set, he often felt overlooked, with the crew, directors, or writers treating him indifferently. In those situations, he would be given orders as if he were in a military setting, and his opinions were deemed irrelevant.

Even in his previous life under an agency, with a manager and agent, the treatment from the production made him feel as though he were not truly acknowledged as an actor.

And right now in this life, Lucas didn't even have an agency yet, no agent, and no manager. He was basically just like an extra at this time. The treatment he received as a small-time actor in his previous life was much worse compared to now, that's why Lucas didn't react negatively too much about the director and writers basically ignoring him most of the time in the discussions. And to be asked of his opinions or suggestions once in a while made Lucas feel a bit better, and at the same time, he wasn't too surprised by the treatment towards him anyway.

As the network behind "Modern Family" just gave Lucas a contract limited to the pilot episode.

Which means, that even if the "Modern Family" became quite successful, it was unsure whether he'll receive a full-time contract, since the character may not appear in future episodes since the extent of his role, the character "Marshall Dylan" hasn't been fully mapped out yet, and the network or the production was still thinking whether "Marshall Dylan" will be as much relevant as the character was written, as the character was quite relevant in Haley's storyline, but that still depends on the audience response to the character of "Marshall Dylan" and that's why the production writers held their regard on the supporting character, as everything hasn't been quite finalized yet.

But Lucas was quite sure that "Marshall Dylan" would be well-received as a character in the successful pilot of "Modern Family," though ABC, the network behind "Modern Family," and the production obviously weren't aware of that.

What Lucas didn't know was that, as the writers or creators of "Modern Family" had actually been rejected by other networks, they tended to be careful yet creative in their work. They were doing their best as they had been accepted by ABC, aiming to stay on the channel. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd had already modified the scripts several times to ensure the show's best outcome.

For instance, the initial focus of the TV series "Modern Family" was the crew of the mockumentary living in Jay's family. The fictitious filmmaker would gradually document his family, but the two writers felt the plot was off, so they revised it.

Meanwhile, Lucas mostly observed the discussions of the director, writers, and main cast members. Nolan, surprisingly, provided his own suggestions and ideas, and to Lucas's surprise, even the kid seemed to have more influence than him, as the two writers took the kid's suggestions seriously.

Afterward, the crew prepared, and the discussions ended. It seemed like the filming was about to begin. Seeing this, Lucas also prepared himself.