She may have won America’s hearts as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years, but Danica McKellar wanted more for herself than Hollywood.
In a revealing interview with Closer Weekly, the actress explained why she chose to explore alternative career paths after her time on the beloved show was complete.
“When I finished ‘The Wonder Years,’ I went to UCLA to get a degree in mathematics,” McKellar told Closer. “I stopped acting for four years. I just needed to find out who else I was.”
It was by ditching Tinseltown and working toward a college degree that McKellar, now 50, discovered a whole new life outside of Hollywood.
“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. What would my value be if I didn’t have this show?'” Looking beyond the sphere of acting, McKellar found out that her potential was significant.
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“For me, the way I could find out was just to do something else and really exercise my brain and let go of all the glamour and superficiality of Hollywood,” McKellar continued. “That was really empowering to me.”
McKellar, who starred alongside Fred Savage on the beloved family series from 1988 to 1993, did do some acting work outside of her titular role. However, she didn’t find a ton of fulfillment from it initially.
“I was doing all these independent films that weren’t very good,” she admitted. “Then I started getting some traction. I did The West Wing for a season.”
Related: Danica McKellar Captivates With ‘Amazing’ Dancing Skills From 50th Birthday Celebration
Despite looking to greener pastures, McKellar does occasionally return to performing. She became a mainstay in Hallmark movies like Swing Into Romance and A Cinderella Christmas Ball, and eventually moved on to produce her own films for Great American Family.
