“The Wonder Years” actress Danica McKellar said her parents kept her from experiencing issues other child stars endure by keeping her “grounded” even though she was famous.
McKellar, 48, spoke with Fox News Digital about how her parents ensured she had a normal childhood despite being a working Hollywood star.
“I’m very fortunate to have two parents who never overemphasized the importance of Hollywood or my acting career,” McKellar told the publication ahead of her scheduled appearance at 90s Con in Connecticut over the weekend.
“It was just a fun, cool thing that I did. But family, health, education all came first. Always. Never a question about that,” she said.
Both Danica and her younger sister, Crystal, worked in Hollywood in the 1980s and ’90s. But the former child star said her family prioritized quality family time over glamorous industry events.
For example, when “The Wonder Years” was nominated for an Emmy Award after its first season, McKellar missed the show to go on a previously planned family vacation.
“I remember the first year that ‘The Wonder Years’ was nominated for best comedy series, and the only year that we won, we had a trip scheduled with my dad and my sister and me,” she said. “The three of us were going to go on this river rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon, and we did. It conflicted with the Emmys, so we didn’t go to the Emmys, we went on the trip.”
“My dad’s work schedule was tough, so it really wasn’t a question,” McKellar continued. “I was like, ‘Yeah, of course we’re going to do that. That’s more important.’ And I remember watching the Emmys from our tiny little motel room in Oregon the night before we hit the river.”
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The actress recalled watching the ceremony on TV. “So, we were staying in this tiny little place, watching ‘The Wonder Years’ win the Emmy for best comedy series. We were jumping up and down on this tiny bed, can’t believe we didn’t break it, [cheering] ‘Yay, we won!’ And then next morning, we got on the river and had the trip of our lives.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” competitor said moments like that established the importance of family time over work.
“I had a lot of core memories from that trip, and just the fact that my parents made that decision, and it was a clear choice,” she explained. “That type of thing, that’s just indicative and representative of how they treated me and my sister growing up.”
McKellar said she was treated like any other normal kid when it came to her home life.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, Danica is on the show.’ No, I had chores when I came home, and I was a regular kid and that kept me very grounded, and it kept me in touch with where my value is. And that makes a big difference,” she said.