Michael Strahan 'Live with Kelly and Michael': $4 million per year
SYNDICATION

Michael Strahan 'Live with Kelly and Michael': $4 million per year
SYNDICATION

Photo: Jeff Neira / Disney-ABC

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Sharon Osbourne 'The Talk': $1 million per year
SYNDICATION

Sharon Osbourne 'The Talk': $1 million per year
SYNDICATION

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Aisha Tyler 'The Talk': $1 million per year
SYNDICATION

Aisha Tyler 'The Talk': $1 million per year
SYNDICATION

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ABC didn't want this `Modern Family' cast

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The Internet is filled with stories of actors who turned down what became iconic roles on TV and in movies: Thomas Jane passed on Don Draper … Ray Liotta could’ve been Tony Soprano … Michael Keaton turned down the role of Jack Shepard … Matthew Broderick as Walter White?? 

Add to that list of missed opportunities several of the roles on “Modern Family.”  It’s no secret that ABC originally wanted Craig T. Nelson, not Ed O’Neill, to play family patriarch, Jay Pritchett, but the paycheck wasn’t big enough.  Casting director Jeff Greenberg and O’Neill, the actor once best known as Al Bundy, elaborated on the elaborated on the process to E!: 

“When I read it I thought, ‘Oh boy, this is pretty good,'” the 67-year-old (O’Neill) recalls. “ And I called my manager and he said, ‘Well, they’re out to Craig T. Nelson.'” … 

“(We) chose Craig T. Nelson,” Greenberg says. “ And so the first offer went out to Craig and we couldn’t make a deal.  He wanted to do it, but financially we were just too apart.” … 

About a week later, they called and said, ‘We’re back to you,'” (O’Neill) says. “ So I said, ‘Make the deal.'” 

The E!  special, which featured interviews with the stars and a behind-the-scenes look at the show, revealed more surprises about the cast ABC originally wanted.  The Huffington Post points out that the network had its eye on Golden Globe-winner Matt LeBlanc, not Ty Burrell, to play Phil Dunphy.  Kristen Johnston and Lisa Kudrow were the first choice over Julie Bowen for the role of Claire Dunphy.  And Jesse Tyler Ferguson was originally picked to play Cam instead of Mitchell. 

The comedy, which is a hit with both critics and viewers, returns for its fifth season at 8 p.m. on Sept. 25.  Episodes of the show begin in syndication on Fox on Sept. 16.