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Danica McKellar credits finding balance in her life for keeping her centered during her heyday as a child actress.
When speaking with Fox News Digital at the 33rd Annual Movieguide Awards, the 51-year-old actress shared how she managed to avoid the devastating downfall experienced by most child stars when they get older.
“Focusing on education,” she said. “When I got done with ‘The Wonder Years,’ I graduated from high school within a couple months, went to UCLA, got a degree in mathematics, and that’s why I write math books in addition to continuing to be an actress.”
The actress has written many math books, including “Math Doesn’t Suck,” which focuses on middle school level math, “Kiss My Math,” for those looking for help with pre-algebra, and more advanced books such as “Hot X: : Algebra Exposed” and “Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape.”
McKellar credits her focus on education as the reason she didn’t go down the same path as many other child stars. (Michael Simon/Getty Images)
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McKellar was only 12 years old when she was cast as Winnie in “The Wonder Years,” and says her parents played a huge role in keeping her grounded through the course of the show.
“I had no idea really the magnitude of the show,” she explained. “I was wandering back to school, going back and forth between school and set, and so it wasn’t like I was caught up in the Hollywood scene at all—it’s just the opposite.”
She shared similar sentiments in a previous interview with Fox News Digital in March 2023, saying her parents “never overemphasized the importance of Hollywood” and her acting career was looked at as a “fun” thing she did.
WATCH: Danica McKellar recalls how her parents kept her grounded when she starred on ‘The Wonder Years’
“The Wonder Years” first premiered in 1988 and ran on ABC for six seasons before coming to an end in 1993. While McKellar experienced immense fame during that time, she told Fox News Digital at the award show that it never felt overwhelming.
“The Wonder Years” aired on ABC for six seasons from 1988 to 1993. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“I don’t think I’ve had that moment because I’ve always balanced it with doing something else too. For me, it’s been math,” she said. “First, to get a degree in math and then writing books. So, in between acting projects, I’m focusing on something very grounded—the very opposite of Hollywood—and that helped me stay balanced for sure.”
McKellar was nominated at the award show for her role in “Have We Met This Christmas,” her 12th holiday film, which was also her debut as a screenwriter.
The film starred McKellar as a real estate exec who loses her memory following a car accident and takes refuge at an inn in a small town. While there, she falls in love with the innkeeper’s son, unaware that they have history and that she once said she never wanted to see him again.
“We have the choice about what we put out there in the world, and there’s a lot of stuff out there in the real world that is pretty negative,” she said about her work with Great American Family and faith and family-based programming.
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McKellar feels like it’s a privilege to be able to create positive content “to help lift people up.” (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
She added: “So I feel like it’s a privilege to be able to focus on positive programming and help to lift people up and show them that they’re not alone, and show them that there’s a way that people can be good people and not just show stories about people who are cheating each other and lying and all the bad stuff.”
The 33rd Annual Movieguide Awards are set to air on Great American Family on March 5 at 8pm ET.
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