'The Wonder Years' alum Danica McKellar shares what kept her grounded after becoming a child star

foxnews.com:

Danica McKellar became a household name at the age of 13 after landing the role of Winnie Cooper in beloved family sitcom "The Wonder Years." The nostalgia-driven ABC dramedy series was a ratings hit and critical darling when it premiered in 1988. "The Wonder Years," which ran for six seasons until 1993, also made child stars of its young actors, including McKellar and series lead Fred Savage.

Now 35 years later, the 48-year-old actress reflected on how she was able to stay grounded despite her early fame — which she attributes to the influence of her parents, Christopher and Mahaila. "I'm very fortunate to have two parents who never overemphasized the importance of Hollywood or my acting career," the actress explained in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her appearance at 90s Con.

She continued, "It was just a fun, cool thing that I did. But family, health, education all came first. Always. Never a question about that." McKellar and her younger sister, Crystal, began acting at the ages of 9 and 7, respectively.The siblings both auditioned to play Winnie, who was the neighbor and on-and-off girlfriend of Savage's Kevin Arnold.

Originally, Winnie was a one-off character who was set to only appear in the pilot episode. However, the show's producers offered McKellar a series regular role after noticing the strong chemistry that she had with Savage.