Danica McKellar Opens Up About Struggling With Self-Identity After ‘The Wonder Years’

Danica McKellar from The Wonder Years appeared on a recent podcast episode of Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans hosted by Cheryl Burke, with whom she discussed facing life after the series. Danica McKellar played Gwendolyn Winnie Cooper on the ABC sitcom, which ran from 1988 to 1993.

Danica McKellar admitted that she dealt with identity issues after The Wonder Years, particularly when she left for the University of California. She watched her co-star’s parents bask in their kids’ star status, thereby putting pressure on them.

Danica McKellar wondered who she was beyond ‘The Wonder Years’

Unlike some of her castmates, Danica McKellar was confident about her value to her parents; however, she struggled to grasp what she would have been like in the real world without Winnie. She acknowledged her grandmother, who made it a point to introduce her as “Danica, my granddaughter,” instead of “Danica from ‘The Wonder Years.’

Danica McKellar found it difficult to transition to an adult actress, but she mostly guest-starred in TV series before playing Elsie Snuffin in two seasons of The West Wing. She explored other areas of showbiz, like video vixening and voice acting for animations like X-Men Legends, the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series, and Young Justice.

Danica McKellar reunites with her ‘The Wonder Years’ costars

Danica McKellar reunited with her Wonder Years costars in July at the Fanboy Expo in Knoxville, and she shared the wholesome moment on her Instagram stories. Dan Lauria, Josh Saviano, Alley Mills, and Jason Hervey joined her, while Fred Savage was nowhere in sight.

Aside from onscreen life, Danica McKellar is a mother of one, Draco Verta, whom she had with her first husband Mike Verta. She married Scott Sveslosky two years after her divorce from Verta in 2012. The 49-year-old is good friends with Candace Cameron Bure of Full House, who she credits for influencing her Christian values.