Danica McKellar, the star of "Wonder Years," disclosed that she traded her title as "America’s Sweetheart" for a life of relative obscurity, driven by a sense of being "very constrained" after the show wrapped up in 1993. Speaking on Tuesday’s episode of the "Hey Dude.. The ’90s Called" podcast, she shared, "I needed to discover who I was beyond just Winnie Cooper. Being on such a wildly popular show was a blessing, but as an 18-year-old, it felt incredibly restrictive."
"Everywhere I went, people would say, 'Hey, aren't you that girl—you know, the one who played Winnie? Aren't you that girl from TV?'" she recounted. "It was constant. You're at an age where you're trying to figure out your identity, and yet everyone else is dictating who you should be."
McKellar, now 50, also opened up about her feelings of insecurity following her time on the ABC series. "When you achieve so much success early on and then it fades, you start questioning, 'Who am I now? Where do I find my sense of self-worth?'" she mused. "I had to step away from all that and discover who else I could be."
This introspection led her to enroll in classes at UCLA. "I'd go to campus with no makeup, wearing a backpack and a T-shirt, my hair thrown up in a ponytail," she shared. McKellar went on to describe how she fell head over heels for her higher education journey after acing a calculus test, which propelled her into a new kind of spotlight as her peers recognized her intellectual prowess rather than her acting credentials.
"It was the most amazing feeling... It was just me," she explained. "It had nothing to do with the superficiality of Hollywood or all the talented writers, sound designers, and everyone else who helped craft Winnie Cooper into who she was. This was purely about me and my brain."
After graduating from UCLA with honors, McKellar pursued a career as a mathematician and launched her own website, where she offered math advice to students. Eventually, she decided to return to acting, driven by a longing for the "connection with people" that the profession offered. She went on to star in numerous Lifetime and Hallmark films, as well as a stint on "The West Wing."
In 2009, McKellar tied the knot with composer Mike Verta, and the couple welcomed a son in 2010. However, their marriage ended two years later. She later found love again and married Los Angeles attorney Scott Sveslosky in 2014.
