Robert Ashcroft via Getty; Aubrey Anderson Emmons/TikTok Aubrey Anderson-Emmons recalls being called a "bad actor" as a child star The actress starred onModern Familyfrom the age of 4 to the age of 12 Despite having a positive experience on set, she has spoken out about children not acting until they're old enough to choose the career for themselves Aubrey Anderson-Emmonsis opening up being a child star onModern Family. The young actress is 17 now. However, she rose to fame at the age of 4 when she made her debut as Lily Tucker-Pritchett on the popular ABC sitcom in 2011. Anderson-Emmons remained on the show through its conclusion in 2020. As Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet)'s daughter Lily, Anderson-Emmons became famous for being able to hold her on with the adult actors as she delivered hilariously deadpan line readings. Five years afterthe show came to a close, Anderson-Emmons reflected on her experience as a child actress in a video shared on TikTok. "Have some tea and chat with me about how I grew up on a TV show and what my plans are for the future and my projects that I'm working on now," she told her fans in aTikTokposted in early May. Aubrey Anderson Emmons/TikTok She then reminded her followers that she spent eight years onModern Family. "People ask things like, 'Oh, how did you know that you really wanted to do that? When you're 4, how do you know that you love something when you're so young?' " she shared, adding, "The truth is... You don't." Anderson-Emmons stressed that she "was not forced into" doing the show and that her experience on set was a safe one. "No one was like, 'You're gonna do this' and whatever. It was not like that. And I was not abused on set or anything like that. I swear to God," she said. "But it's true; you don't know what you're getting yourself into as a 4-year-old when you sign a contract to be on a show for a series regular." Another common question that people want to ask is what her experience was like growing up in Hollywood, and Anderson-Emmons explained that it was a tough question to answer because, "That's all I knew." One drawback to her experience is that "people really took a dig on my acting choices or thought I was a bad actor." Looking back now, Anderson-Emmons said that she doesn't feel the need to "prove myself to other people." Eric McCandless via Getty Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I think it was just really hard for me to grow up with so many people's opinions around me," she admitted, adding that it got worse for her when she started auditioning for roles afterModern Familyended. "Once I got a bit older, I started auditioning again, and it's just not something that I had mastered when I was young. And I slowly began to realize I was very sensitive at that age. That I could not handle that type of rejection," she said. While she decided to step back from acting for a while, Anderson-Emmons fell in love with the career again after getting involved in the theater program at her high school. Since then, she's gotten back into the audition process. Eric McCandless via Getty The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! That's not all that Anderson-Emmons is up to, either. She also teased the arrival of original music, starting with her single "Telephones and Traffic," which is set to be released on May 23. "I'm grateful for all thatModern Familyhas given me and you wonderful people," she concluded the video. "And it's time to move on to another chapter of my life where I get to share who I am." In November 2024, Anderson-Emmons made a case for children tostay out of Hollywoodduring an appearance on theJust Trishpodcast. Although she said that she felt "grateful" forModern Family, she shared the advice she'd give to parents who have young children wanting to act: "I would say wait 'til they know what they want to do." "Modern Familyhas brought me so many blessings into my life, and I'm forever grateful. But I think kids need to have a normal experience and I don't know if that's the way to do it. And I feel like I definitely was more troubled when I became older because of the show," she explained. Read the original article onPeople
