Modern Family star Ariel Winter poses as a 12-year-old to catch child predator in ‘scary' undercover operation

Hindustan Times

16 hours ago

Actor Ariel Winter is putting her acting skills to some great use. The 27-year-old, who is best known for playing Alex Dunphy on Modern Family, recently posed as a 12-year-old girl to lure and catch a sexual predator. The actor teamed up with a non-profit organisation for the sting operation.
The nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) produces a true crime docuseries called SOSA Undercover, which streams on YouTube. One of the recent episodes had Ariel Winter on the show, wherein she posed as a 12-year-old girl to lure in a predator in Oklahoma City. The actor wore a blonde wig and FaceTimed a 31-year-old child predator in the episode. The actor stayed in a child-like room for the 'performance' and even used a different voice than hers. The episode shows her talking to the man and eventually confronting him with the authorities present.
Speaking about the experience in an interview with the Daily Mail, Ariel said, 'It's definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference. It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children.'
Ariel said that she drew from her own experiences as a child actor for the show. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save. It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life,' she said.
Ariel began work on television at the age of 6, first appearing in commercials, followed by minor roles in TV shows like Listen Up and Freddie in 2005. The same year, she made her film debut with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. After several episodic roles on TV and cameos in films, Ariel found her breakthrough playing Alex Dunphy on Modern Family from 2009-20.