A well-rounded mother of 3, times 2

Julie Bowen apologizes for conducting an interview from Los Angeles in her car. "This is pretty much the only time I can call," the actress says.

She's driving from home, where she is the mother of three, to her job on the season's breakout comedy, ABC's "Modern Family," on which she plays the mother of three.

"The real-life parenting thing is tough," says Bowen, 39, the mother of three sons under 3 after giving birth to twins this year.

Her pregnancy necessitated concealing a double baby bump when she was first working on "Modern Family," the insouciant, critically hailed sitcom that is averaging more than 10 million viewers a week.

"Did you see the pilot?" she asks. "Every shot is me hiding an 8-1/2-month belly. I was dressed in these massive shawl-like sweaters."

Bowen brings the same extra-sparkly, girl-next-door quality to her new show that she has been displaying since starring opposite Tom Cavanagh in 2000 on "Ed." She went on to "Boston Legal" and recurring roles on such shows as "ER," "Weeds" and "Lost."

How has she managed to be on the tube more than Billy Mays over the last decade?

She cites her obliging spirit.

"I'm happy to read for roles, and I'll jump through hoops for producers and directors so they know it's OK to hire me," she says. "A lot of people reach a point in their careers where they don't feel comfortable auditioning anymore. Not me."

It was that willingness and an unseemly amount of enthusiasm that got her cast as the ex-wife of Jack (Matthew Fox) on "Lost."

"I got that job as a fan," she says. "I was such a 'Lost' geek. I sent out Christmas cards that played the 'Lost' theme. One of them ended up on the desk of a 'Lost' writer."

Bowen, adept at comedy and drama, uses a little bit of both on "Modern Family." As Claire, she acts primarily as the anchor to Phil (Ty Burrell), her flighty, desperate-to-be-hip husband. Addressing his scene-snatching character, Burrell says, "None of my idiocy would land if it wasn't for her being so grounded. The bonus with Julie is she is incredibly funny."

A Baltimore native born Julie Luetkemeyer, Bowen broke into TV with small roles on soap operas. In addition to "Lost," she identifies "So You Think You Can Dance," "The Colbert Report," "Hung" and "Mad Men" as her current favorites. "It's because I have no life," she says. "All I have is kids. There is no event worth paying $100 for babysitters that can't be beat by watching TiVo."

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