Yahoo Lifestyle Danica McKellar Says She 'Questioned' Her 'Value' as “The Wonder Years ”Came to an End
The actress played the role of Winnie Cooper on the ABC series, which aired from 1988 to 1993
Danica McKellar is getting real about her previous struggles with self-identity.
Speaking on an episode of Cheryl Burke’s Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast, released Monday, Nov. 18, the actress, 49, revealed that she questioned her value after her sitcom The Wonder Years came to an end.
The coming-of-age series, which followed grown-up Kevin Arnold as he gave humorous commentary on his adventures as a teenager, aired from 1988 to 1993 on ABC.
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“I had friends in the business whose parents were so overly impressed with everything that was going on with their kids that it puts too much pressure on the kid,” McKellar, who played the role of Winnie Cooper, said. “You know? It's like Yeah. I dealt with enough of that when the show was over.”
She continued, “When The Wonder Years was over, and I went to UCLA. It all happened around the same time. For me, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Who, what would my value be if I didn't have this show?’ ”
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Despite McKellar’s questions, the star revealed that she never doubted what her value would be to her parents if she didn’t have the show.
“I questioned what my value was in the world. So that's a big difference,” she said. “My grandmother, though. My grandmother, she would literally introduce me as — I love her. I mean, I love her so much.”
McKellar continued, “She lived to be 99 years old. She's like, ‘This is Danica from The Wonder Years.’ Not, ‘This is Danica, my granddaughter.’ It was hilarious. She was just proud.”
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Danica McKellar as Winnie on 'The Wonder Years' in 1992McKellar’s comments come after she had a reunion with her Wonder Years castmates back in July.
Sharing snaps on her Instagram Stories, the star had a luncheon with her former colleagues at the Fanboy Expo in Knoxville while fans asked for autographs.
"So great to be with my Wonder Years family this weekend!,” she wrote at the time. “Sure, we've all seen each other through the years (just saw Dan & Josh last month, in fact!), but we realized this particular grouping hadn't been together in well over 20 years...!”
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty
Danica McKellar at 90s Con on March 18, 2023The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Sitting by the table, costars Dan Lauria, Josh Saviano, Alley Mills and Jason Hervey were present for the occasion.
Lauria, 77, played the role of John, while Mills, 73, played his wife Norma. Saviano, 48, played Paul and Hervey, 52, portrayed Wayne. Fred Savage, who played Kevin, was not present for the reunion.
