Nolan Gould, who played the lovable and quirky Luke Dunphy on the hit show Modern Family, is reflecting on his childhood years in the spotlight. While grateful for the opportunity to star in the beloved sitcom for 11 seasons, Nolan admitted during a recent appearance on former costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s on Me” podcast that there were challenges that came with being a child star.
Growing Up in the Spotlight
At just 25 years old, Nolan Gould has already experienced more than most people do in a lifetime. Landing the role of Luke Dunphy at such a young age meant that his entire childhood and education were shaped by the demands of Hollywood. In fact, he revealed that he "never went to school a day in my life" because he was homeschooled from the start of his acting career. This unconventional upbringing gave him a unique perspective, but it also came with its own set of drawbacks.
During the podcast, Nolan shared a story about how he once took a public speaking class at a community college. While this was a step in the right direction, his ultimate dream was always to attend film school. Unfortunately, when Modern Family continued to thrive on ABC and was picked up for two additional seasons, Nolan had to put his education on hold. He deferred his acceptance into film school twice, but eventually, the school informed him that he'd have to reapply if he wanted to return.
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The Struggles of Transitioning to Adulthood
Nolan opened up about the difficulties of transitioning to adulthood after spending most of his life in the entertainment industry. By the time he was 21, he had developed a certain mindset about his future. "At that point, I was like, 21, and had a chip on my shoulder," he confessed. "I was like, I’m not going to reapply to film school and so just like never went. … It closed a lot of doors to the kind of 'traditional lifestyle.' … I find it hard to bond with people about the things that everyone went through like, what was high school like?"
Starting his acting career at the tender age of 5 and being homeschooled before joining Modern Family at 10 meant that Nolan missed out on many typical childhood experiences. By the time the show wrapped up in 2020 after 11 seasons, he was 21 years old and ready to take some time for self-reflection. "I just had so much time to sit and think about my life and how a lot of it was kind of decided for me in a way," he said, reflecting on his post-show mindset.
Finding Himself After the Show
Instead of jumping straight into another project, Nolan decided to take a break and explore the world. He spent time backpacking and immersing himself in the great outdoors. "You learn as a child actor what to be and how to behave, and this isn’t just about Modern Family," he explained. "I think we had an incredible set. If you were going to be a kid growing up in the industry, that was the set to be on, but you get off and you start to unlearn all of these things, like, hopefully if you go through this process [you] learn who you are."
Despite the challenges, Nolan remains grateful for his time on Modern Family. "So I don’t know. I’m happy with where I’m at now and I’m so glad I got to be a part of the show," he said. "I wouldn’t change that." While he wouldn't trade his experience for anything, Nolan admitted that if he ever has kids, he might steer them away from the world of child acting. "I probably wouldn’t let my kids do it," he said. "Although no shame to people who do, right, because I’ve obviously found a lot of joy and love through it, and it opened up a lot of really incredible doors, and also closed a lot of meaningful ones."
