Shameless isn’t exactly a show about a typical family, and that is part of the reason why so many people love to watch. It seems that each of the characters is always up to something, and it’s usually not anything good.

Some of the things that the characters do on the show are pretty questionable. After all, this show is about a drunken father and his six children, according to imdb.com. While Shameless does show each of its’ characters taking part in some very interesting scenarios, that is nothing compared to some of the things that have happened behind the scenes of the show. Here are just a few of the fascinating secrets that the cast of this show doesn’t want everyone to know about.

20 Ethan Cutkosky Was Driving When He Wasn't In The Right State Of Mind

 According to tmz.com, actor and Shameless star Ethan Cutkosky got into some legal trouble while he was driving a few years ago. The star admitted to smoking a certain substance, and he was only 18 years old when this happened. It seems that real life isn’t always so different from what happens on television since his Shameless character, Carl Gallagher, has also been in serious trouble before.

19 Jeremy Allen White Played A Junkie In A Film That Flopped

 Before actor Jeremy Allen White starred on Shameless as Phillip “Lip” Gallagher, he played a role in a film called Twelve. According to imdb.com, a lot of very well-known stars were a part of the cast, including actors Chace Crawford and Rory Culkin. Nevertheless, the movie did not receive much praise.

18 Some Of Them Have Dated One Another

Co-stars date all the time, so it is really not surprising that a few of the Shameless cast members have done the same thing. The actors who play Lip Gallagher and Mandy Malkovich, Jeremy Allen White and Emma Greenwell, didn’t just date onscreen. They also dated in real life as well, according to therichest.com.

17 Some Parts Of The Show Are Based On True Events

There are lots of scenes in Shameless that are extremely hard to watch, but most of them are not based off of something that really happened. However, there are some parts of the show that actually are based on events that happened in real life. The creator, Paul Abbott, had some terrible things happen to him in his youth, which seems to be what inspired him to create the original version of the series, according to therichest.com.

16 The Rest Of The Cast Played A Cruel Prank On Emmy

 The cast of Shameless once decided to pull a pretty cruel prank on actress Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona Gallagher on the show. After she had finished working for the day, she discovered that there was a long line of people outside of the door of her trailer. When she went inside, she saw that her restroom had been used as a public restroom all day, and that is because one of her co-stars put up a sign saying that it was okay for the public to use it, according to vulture.com.

15 Shanola’s Dad Doesn’t Approve Of Her Being On The Show

 Those who have seen actress Shanola Hampton on Shameless may be surprised to know that her father is a pastor. Shanola plays Veronica Fisher, who is a character that has definitely taken part in some mature things. According to therichest.com, Hampton’s dad is not exactly happy with the fact that she plays a character like that, but he accepts her choices.

14 The Actors Have To Memorize Their Lines Before Entering The Set, Since Scripts Aren’t Allowed

 Sometimes memorizing a script is pretty hard for a person to do, even if they have as much access to it as they want. But it is a bit harder for the cast of Shameless. According to hollywoodreporter.com, the actors are not allowed to bring any of their copies of the scrip on the set at all.

13 Emmy Fought For A Higher Paycheck

 When Rossum found out that actor William H. Macy, who plays Frank Gallagher, had been making more money than her a few years ago, she demanded a high paycheck. According to people.com, that caused a delay in the filming of the eighth season of the show. She wanted to make more money than Macy since her paycheck had been lower than his up until that point.

12 The Gallagher House Really Exists, But You Can’t Go Inside

 According to theodysseyonline.com, many of the scenes in Shameless are filmed in a television studio. However, there are some scenes that show the outside of the houses some of the characters live in.

The Gallagher house really exists, but no one can go inside of it because someone (who is not affiliated with the show) lives there. The cast and crew of the series only visit when they want to film some scenes outside.

11 Emmy Lost Her On-Screen Mom And Her Real Grandmother In The Same Week

Mourning a family member is one of the hardest things a person can go through, and Rossum had to experience it twice in one week. According to screenrant.com, the actress lost her grandmother during the same week that she filmed the episode of Shameless where Fiona, her character, loses her mother.

10 William H. Macy Almost Didn’t Get To Play Frank

 It seems that Macy was born to play Frank Gallagher, but things were almost a lot different. According to nickiswift.com, actor Woody Harrelson was originally going to play Gallagher. However, Harrelson decided that he did not think he would be able to play the role as well as David Threlfall, who plays him in the original version of the series.

9 The Show’s Creator Wasn’t Always Interested In Doing A Second Version Of Shameless

 Initially, Paul Abbott was not a fan of creating another version of Shameless. But after he took a look at the script and got a good idea of what the show was going to be, he saw how amazing was going to be. According to screenrant.com, both versions of the show have managed to be massively successful.

8 Sheila Was Recast

 Actress Joan Cusack does a remarkable job playing Sheila Jackson on the series. However, in the pilot of the show another well-known actress played her. According to nickiswift.com, actress Allison Janney played the character in the show’s pilot episode. But, she left because she was also working on another project at the same time.

7 Justin Chatwin Wasn’t Supposed To Be On The Show After Season 3

 Actor Justin Chatwin’s character, Jimmy Lishman, was supposed to leave the series for good much earlier than he actually did. According to msn.com, the writer’s decided that they were not very fond of that idea, so he appeared in a few episodes that aired after the third season was over. He and Fiona had quite a rocky relationship, which still had some unresolved issues, so getting rid of him in season three probably wouldn’t have been the best idea.

6 Cutkosky Asked To Be Written Off Of The Show

 Carl Gallagher has one of the best character arcs in the show. According to nickiswift.com, he went from a troubled young child to a person who is good friends with a police officer, as well as someone who is attending military school. The character got sent off to military school because the actor who played him asked to be written off of the show so that he could have a normal childhood.

5 One Scene In Season 4 Scared Emmy

 Shameless is a show that definitely doesn’t hold back. It features a lot of mature scenes, and one of them appeared to frighten Rossum a bit. According to nickiswift.com, Fiona gets arrested in the fourth season of the show, which leads to one of the hardest scenes Rossum has had to film. “I had a complete panic attack,” said Rossum.

4 Elliot Fletcher Has Dealt With Mental Health Issues

 Actor Elliot Fletcher, who plays a character named Trevor on the show, has had to deal with some really tough mental health problems over the years. According to nickiswift.com, he even wrote an essay about this, which is pretty brave. Fortunately, it seems as though he is doing a lot better these days, and he is even inspiring others who are in similar situations.

3 Ian And Mickey’s Romance Almost Didn’t Happen

 One of the best parts of the show is the romance between Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich, so it is hard to imagine that their relationship almost did not happen. Noel Fisher, the actor who plays Mickey, already had a successful career in movies, so he was only supposed to stick around for a few episodes. But he ended up being on the show for a much longer time, according to hollywoodreporter.com.

2 Emmy Almost Didn’t Even Get The Chance To Audition

 According to complex.com, Rossum nearly missed out on playing Fiona because she was considered to be too attractive for the role. She wasn’t even allowed to audition for the part until after she recorded a video of herself in character. Even after that, the actress still had to go to three auditions before she was cast.

1 Filming Ian’s Struggle With Mental Health Has Been Hard

 According to nickiswift.com, Ian Gallagher’s struggle with mental health has been a challenge to film. Firstly, the actor who plays him has to make sure he does a great job of showing viewers what it is really like to deal with bipolar disorder. Secondly, the writers have to make sure they do not exploit his struggle with mental health.

References: IMDb, TMZ, TheRichest, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, People, Odyssey, Nicki Swift