A former Hallmark star recently opened up about how her childhood acting career was never supposed to be a long-term thing. “MatchMakers Mysteries” star Danica McKellar explained it all during a recent appearance on the “Hey Dude… The 90s Called” podcast.
‘The Wonder Years’ Gig Was Supposed to Be Only 1 Episode
McKellar reflected on being a child star and explained how she avoided some of the troubles others experienced. Before doing “The Wonder Years,” she had appeared in a few commercials and a couple of episodes of the “Twilight Zone” reboot.
When the audition opportunity for “The Wonder Years” came up, McKellar’s mom allowed her to audition. Initially, her character, Winnie Cooper, was only supposed to appear in the pilot. Had the role been written as a long-term character, McKellar explained, her mom wouldn’t have gone forward with the audition.
Her mom had said that ongoing roles were a non-starter.
However, “Midway through shooting the pilot, the producers approached my mom and said, ‘We really think that Danica and Freddy have a special chemistry. We want to change our minds and make her a series regular,” McKellar shared.
McKellar’s mom did not immediately say yes. She hesitated and ultimately agreed to let McKellar continue while incorporating a “loophole.”
Producers for “The Wonder Years” wanted McKellar to sign a seven-year contract. What her mom incorporated was that if McKellar ever decided she wanted to be done, regardless of when the contract ended, she could walk away.
The Former Hallmark Star Always Knew She’d Attend College
McKellar never wanted to walk away from “The Wonder Years.” She credited her mother and the moms of other kids on the set for truly watching out for their kids. She explained that, as one example, the moms were always very strict about ensuring filming ended on time. None of them let production run over and keep the kids longer on the set than was scheduled.
McKellar recalled that for her mom, the priorities were “always, it was in order, health, family, education, and then everything else.” She juggled regular school with learning on set, and when “The Wonder Years” ended, she attended UCLA.
“It didn’t even occur to me that I wasn’t going to college, and I just always knew that I was going to be challenging myself,” McKellar said. She added, “I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. Although I wanted to still act…I also just knew there was more.”
