Danica McKellar Recalls Time on Hit Series THE WONDER YEARS
By Movieguide® Contributor
Danica McKellar shared some memories of her time on the 1988 hit TV show THE WONDER YEARS.
The specific memory McKellar shared was the very first episode of the show and the highly anticipated “first kiss.”
She admitted that she had a huge crush on Fred Savage, who played Kevin Arnold, the boy McKellar would kiss.
“When I first saw him at the audition I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh that guy is so cute,’” McKellar said.
“And here we were shooting this episode and I knew I would be kissing him. I was really really excited and really nervous because I’d never kissed anybody in my whole life before,” she added.
McKellar then went on to explain what happened in the first take of the scene. She explained that the scene was very sad and somber because her character just found out that her brother died in Vietnam.
“How many people have their first kiss with 50-100 people standing around and just watching? So, I smiled, which I shouldn’t have been doing because it wasn’t that kind of scene. I couldn’t help it though; I was about to have my first kiss!” McKellar concluded.
THE WONDER YEARS is a popular American television series that aired from 1988 to 1993. Created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black, the show was set in the late 1960s and early 1970s and depicted the coming-of-age experiences of a young boy named Kevin Arnold, played by Fred Savage.
“The Wonder Years” received critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of adolescence and the universal challenges of growing up. It won several awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, and launched the careers of its young cast members. The show resonated with audiences, particularly those who grew up during the same era, and it remains a beloved and influential series in television history.
Movieguide® previously reported on THE WONDER YEARS:
Former child star Danica McKellar recently opened up about why she decided to step back from acting for awhile after her star-making turn on THE WONDER YEARS.
“I went to UCLA, but when I got to school, everywhere I went, people all over campus would shout across campus, you know, ‘Hey Winnie!’ [or] ‘Hey, loved you on THE WONDER YEARS!’” McKellar saidduring an interview with her 11 year-old son. “I couldn’t get away from it.
“I needed to find out how I was valuable outside of Winnie Cooper, and math was challenging and I did well at it,” the actress explained. “And I love this feeling that my value, the important stuff, had nothing to do with how I looked or television.”
McKellar went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, as well as a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago.
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