2 Julie

Lucas eagerly went to the audition location for "Modern Family" at the New Amsterdam Theatre. He was so excited that he had trouble sleeping the night before. He even asked his friend Paul Sterling a few times if it was okay to pursue this opportunity, but Paul assured him that he had landed a role in a "Law & Order" TV series.

This reassurance made Lucas feel better, thinking that if Paul believed in the potential success of "Modern Family," he might later regret missing out. As Lucas arrived at the theatre, he noticed a significant crowd already gathered.

Lucas was about to take a seat when he spotted a woman who seemed familiar. In shock, he wondered, "Isn't she Claire?" Indeed, in a nearby seat was the blonde woman who portrayed Claire Dunphy, but that wasn't what shocked Lucas. He was taken aback because the actress who played Claire Dunphy had a visibly pregnant belly.

Yes, she was pregnant. Lucas scanned the room to see if any other actors or actresses from "Modern Family" were present, but all he found were unfamiliar faces.

As a result, Lucas felt a bit disappointed, but he decided to approach the blonde woman. As he neared her, she seemed slightly surprised but nodded and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

Lucas shook his head and inquired, "May I sit here?" gesturing to the unoccupied seat next to her, to which she simply nodded.

She replied, "You don't need my permission; I don't own this place."

Lucas smiled and responded, "True, but I thought it might be considerate to ask, in case it makes you uncomfortable."

She smiled back and said, "Not at all."

Lucas nodded and shifted his attention to the stage where the auditions were currently underway. He noticed a man with glasses, an older man, and another man who appeared to be in his thirties, among a few others, sitting with their elbows on a table, strategically positioned to assess the auditioning individuals.

Turning to the blonde woman, Lucas asked, "Are you here for an audition?"

She chuckled and replied, "Isn't it obvious?"

Lucas, feeling a bit embarrassed, ventured, "Let me take a guess at the role you're auditioning for..."

The woman chuckled and said, "Go ahead, give it a try." She watched as Lucas stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought.

Lucas, with an expression of sudden realization, remarked, "You're auditioning for the lead female role, aren't you?"

The woman appeared somewhat surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

Lucas interrupted her, responding, "How did I know? Well, considering the circumstances, most of the actresses here are probably trying out for the main role, right?"

She chuckled and replied, "You might have a point there." Then, pausing thoughtfully, she added, "Let me guess your role. Are you auditioning for the main role as well?"

Lucas promptly shook his head and said, "No, I'm auditioning for a supporting role."

The woman was a bit disappointed that she had guessed incorrectly. Both she and Lucas were in the dark about the other characters in the script since the "Modern Family" producers had only provided a script for the character they were auditioning for.

Realizing they hadn't introduced themselves yet, Lucas spoke up, "I forgot to introduce myself; I'm Lucas Knight."

She nodded and introduced herself, "I forgot to introduce myself as well." Pausing for a moment, she reflected that despite appearing in several series, she was still relatively unknown. She suspected that Lucas recognized her, which might explain his approach, but she shook off these distracting thoughts and said, "My name is Julie Bowen."

Lucas glanced at her pregnant belly and inquired, "You're pregnant?"

Julie blushed slightly and confirmed, "Yes, I'm eight months pregnant." Observing the concern on Lucas's face, she continued with a slightly downcast tone, "Honestly, I'm not sure if the producers will choose me because of this..."

In a confident tone, Lucas assured her, "Don't be discouraged. I'm sure you'll get the role." In truth, he knew that she would indeed secure the role.

Julie assumed that Lucas was merely offering her words of comfort, so she gave a grateful nod and continued, "I've actually auditioned for this role a few times already..."

This revelation surprised Lucas, and he responded, "You have?" He had been unaware of this.

Julie nodded and added, "I'm really fond of this character."

Lucas acknowledged her passion and engaged in a conversation with Julie for a while. Eventually, it was Julie's turn to audition, and Lucas wished her, "Good luck."

With a nod, Julie made her way to the stage, gently cradling her pregnant belly.

In the theatre, a few people couldn't help but notice Julie's prominent pregnancy, and whispers spread through the audience.

Lucas, wearing a puzzled expression, scanned the room and then observed Julie taking the stage as she portrayed the role of 'Claire Dunphy.'

"I doubt she'll be accepted with that noticeable baby bump," a distant voice scoffed.

Lucas chose to disregard the people gossiping, fully confident that Julie Bowen would secure the role regardless of their opinions.

On the stage, Julie stood before the director, writers, and producers of "Modern Family." She greeted them with a smile, saying, "Hi, I'm Julie Bowen. I'm here again to audition for the role of Claire Dunphy."

One of the writers, a 30-year-old man named Steven Levitan, responded, "I know," with a chuckle. "You've already auditioned quite a few times."

Julie blushed and nodded, admitting, "I really like the role, after all."

Her words caught the attention of an older man, Christopher Lloyd, who spoke up, "Well, even though you've auditioned several times, I still want to see you perform the script you haven't used in your previous auditions." He placed the script on the table and said, "You can start now."

The director, Jason Winer, handed Julie the script, and she began to read. After a while, she returned the script.

Steven Levitan then suggested, "You can take a seat; there's no need to remain standing as per the script we provided," casting a glance at Julie's pregnant stomach.

Julie nodded and settled into a seat on the stage nearby.

She fell into a brief silence as she fully immersed herself in the character of Claire Dunphy. With confidence, she delivered her lines, "I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a career woman. And I am juggling it all. But I wouldn't have it any other way," all while the camera captured her performance.

Then, Julie turned to the camera and declared, "I'm Claire Dunphy, and this is my crazy life."

Lucas observed Julie's audition and expressed his approval with a nod, convinced that Julie was undeniably destined for the role of 'Claire Dunphy'.