She may have already been a working actress long before Modern Family happened, but Ariel Winter certainly shot to fame after being cast as Alex Murphy. Throughout the show’s 11 seasons, fans saw Winter go from a young child actor to a bonafide star (in fact, the actress shares four Screen Actors Guild awards with fellow cast members).

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And while Winter was praised for her performance on Modern Family, there’s also reason to believe that involvement in the sitcom has done her more harm than good.

After She Auditioned For Modern Family, Things Progressed Rather Quickly

Having spent most of her early years working in Hollywood (she landed a small part in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang then scored a recurring role in ER a few years later), Winter was no stranger to auditions by the time Modern Family was putting its cast together. In fact, she came in feeling confident when she read for casting director Jeff Greenberg. That said, Winter wasn’t convinced she nailed it.

“I've always done pretty well in auditions. I just go in and give it my best shot,” the actress told Backstage. After her initial audition, Winter also attended a producers’ session and a network casting. And even though she’s already attended multiple meetings for the show, she didn’t think she’d get the job. “The funny thing is, I didn't even think the network liked me,” Winter revealed. “I got in the car and told my mom I didn't do my best. I said, ‘I'll try harder next time.’” After conveying a similar message to her agent, the actress learned that she, indeed, got cast on the show.

She Dealt With A Lot In Her Personal Life While Working On The Show

Working on a popular show certainly helped Winter do more in Hollywood. During her time in Modern Family, she also worked on various other projects. For the most part, she dabbled in voice acting, working on ParaNorman, Phineas and Ferb, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, and of course, Sofia the First. And while things were going well in her career, Winter was dealing with a lot back home.

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As a young actress, she continued to work under the supervision of her mother, Crystal Workman. She would later take her mother to court, accusing Workman of “slapping, hitting, pushing,” and putting her through emotional abuse. At the same time, Winter accused Workman of sexualizing her when she was just a young girl, dressing her in “the smallest miniskirts, sailor suits, low-cut things, the shortest dresses you’ve ever seen.” “People thought I was 24 when I was 12,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “If there was going to be a nude scene when I was that age, my mother would have a thousand percent said yes.”

While working on Modern Family, Winter’s relationship with her mother became more strained. Workman also reportedly forced an unhealthy diet on her daughter, causing her to struggle to sustain her energy while on set. “I would order a couple lunches in my name so Ariel could eat one of them,” Sharon Sacks, Winter’s teacher on set recalled. “I could tell she was hungry. Boiled chicken and cucumbers isn’t going to do it for a growing kid.” Over time, Winter knew she needed a better home environment for herself and asked Sacks to call child services. The actress was then placed under the custody of her sister, Shanelle Gray. In 2015, Winter officially became emancipated from her mother, a moment that Julie Bowen, her tv mother celebrated. “I'm really proud of her,” Bowen even told Us Weekly. “She's really become a very responsible young woman, and that was a very trying time.”

Here’s Why Modern Family May Have Ruined Her Hollywood Career

Sure, Modern Family is one of Winter’s most successful Hollywood projects to date. However, because she had to grow up (and experience puberty) on camera, Winter’s visibility on the show also made her a target of several internet trolls. And while she tried to shrug them off, the mean comments got to the young actress at times.

“People on the internet really suck. It bothered me for so many years — I mean, it still does. It never goes away,” Winter told Teen Vogue. “When someone calls you a ‘fat s***,’ you’re not feeling happy about it. It doesn’t matter what you look like now, it doesn’t matter what you looked like then. You’re still going to read that and be like, ‘Oh, that sucks.’” Of that experience, Winter also admitted, “I feel like that [pain] never goes away.”

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While speaking with E! News in 2016, Winter also admitted that it was “really difficult to grow up in the spotlight.” And perhaps, that is why she hasn’t been keen on joining major Hollywood projects as of late. While Winter has said that she’s “ready to work,” she seems to have chosen indies over films that would yield more exposure. At the moment, she’s been attached to three relatively small film projects – Pools, Don’t Log Off, and Crimelands. Perhaps, Winter is happy to get back to work. But at the same time, it seems she would also prefer not to get so much (unwarranted) public attention for a while.

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