How Hallmark’s Danica McKellar almost lost the role of Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years to her sister

During an interview with TV Insider, Danica McKellar recalled getting the role of Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. The actress revealed the role was meant to be a one-episode role only, which her mother had strict rules about. “My mother had a rule. That would just remain a hobby. No regular auditions for series and no auditions for feature films that would take us out of town,” she recalls. However, after landing the role, the character of Winnie became a regular on the show, which helped Danica’s career skyrocket.

McKellar admitted that both she and her sister, Crystal McKellar, intended for the role of Winnie and went through several auditions before becoming the only two girls left. They were both asked to read with Fred Savage, and the showrunners chose Danica for the role. “Four days into filming, the producers approached my mother and said, ‘We think Danica and Fred have this amazing chemistry. We want to offer her a regular role in the series. “The network approved it,” she explained. “My mom was like, ‘Oh, we’re not doing that.’ I said, ‘Please, please, please!’”

However, Crystal was not left out in the rain. The producers liked her so much that they wrote a role just for her.