Modern Family: Fans Think Lily's Dryness Was Intentional (& Not Just Bad Acting)
"Modern Family" featured a large cast of eclectic characters. However, one star who took a bit of heat for her portrayal was Aubrey Anderson-Emmons. The child actor was just 4 years old when she joined the cast of the ABC sitcom in Season 3, and early on, her acting ability was heavily scrutinized by fans. Anderson-Emmions' Lily Tucker-Pritchett character had a dry, deadpan delivery that was often discussed by viewers on social media.
A Buzzfeed roundup named Anderson-Emmons as miscast, with one fan noting that many of her lines seemed flat and that she was too young when she was cast for the role as Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker's daughter. In addition, a Reddit thread described the young star's acting as monotone and questioned why she delivered her lines with no inflection in her voice.
But now that the show is done and fans have had a chance to do a thorough watch –- and perhaps, rewatch –- some think Anderson-Emmons was the perfect choice to play the character. Reddit user u/kneesgocrazy did not agree with viewers who dissed Anderson-Emmons' acting. "I think her lack of emotion is a nice pair with her parents, especially Cam," the Redditor wrote.
"I agree," wrote u/ Independent_Ad 3850. "I thought her deadpan delivery was a perfect compliment to her fathers' over-the-top personalities. Her timing was great."
Others felt the Lily character was intentionally dark. "That's her personality. She's a goth type girl," added u/AlertAd2930. "She has this subtle dark humor...It would be weird if she was bubbly or outgoing."
"I think it went with her character, because I believed that Cam and Mitchell's constant drama made her desensitized and she wasn't really expressive as normal kids," wrote u/Sad_Specialist_9893.
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons revealed she was truly playing a character who was nothing like her
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is the first to admit she doesn't remember her early days on "Modern Family." In an interview with Girls Life, she revealed that she started acting at 4 years old and that "Modern Family" was not only her first job, but it was also her first audition. She also admitted that she didn't relate to her bratty character at all — because it truly was an acting job. "I don't roast my mom 24/7 or walk in the room and do a line and walk out," she said of Lily. "She's definitely a character!"
Anderson-Emmons told Smashing Interviews that she never took acting classes but that she did go to a musical theater camp. In a separate interview with Grumpy Magazine, she revealed that as a child actor, she had to put in a lot of effort to really learn her craft. The "Modern Family" star hinted that she would be game for some on-the-job training in other acting genres moving forward. In the 2018 interview, Anderson-Emmons said she would be interested in a dramatic role or work in a movie. "That would be a totally new kind of acting experience for me,” she said at the time.
As for those who ever doubted her acting ability, Anderson-Emmons earned a big bragging right: She became the youngest recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work as Lily on "Modern Family," per her bio for ABC.