Ellen DeGeneres (and a Giant Lizard) Scare the Bejesus out of Julie Bowen! Is Sofía Vergara Next? Watch Now!

Modern Family actress reveals her idea of pranking co-star and fiancé Joe Manganiello at their upcoming wedding

By Rebecca Macatee Feb 25, 2015 5:18 PMTags

In real-life and on Modern Family, Julie Bowen has three children, so she's generally used to loud noises coming from surprise places.

That said, Ellen DeGeneres managed to scare the bejesus out of the 44-year-old actress—with just a little help from a giant lizard!

Julie had just finished telling a story about her home visit from a reptilian intruder when Ellen, a friend of PETA's, started giving her tips for what to do the next time she encounters a creepy crawler. Julie focused in, listening to Ellen's every word, and was completely oblivious to the 6-foot lizard (which was actually a person in costume) creeping toward her.

So when the lizard pounced, there was quite a reaction! The Modern Family star screamed, jumped out of her chair and fell to the floor. "Literally how did I not see that coming?" she asked Ellen, laughing at herself. "You love animals! I thought you were really schooling me!"

Julie couldn't be too upset about Ellen's little stunt, though—after all, she might be playing one of her own on co-star Sofía Vergara! The 42-year-old Colombian beauty and fiancé Joe Manganiello are "either gonna run away and elope," Julie predicted, "or they're gonna invite 1,000 people."

Now if Sofía and Joe pick the latter option, one hopeful bridesmaid has a prank of her own in mind. So what is it Julie wants to do at the wedding, even though she knows Sofía "would never allow it"? Watch the clip above to find out!