As we start 2022 already full of stress, Covid, and the unfortunate return of virtual school and work, we wanted to provide a little relief. So what better way to head into the first weekend of this great new year than to pack it full of nostalgia and fuzzy feelings. We sat down with Danica McKellar (that’s right), to chat about everything from The Wonder Years, math, her new romance film, and more!
First off, like many of our audience, I have to pinch myself a little as I am talking to “Winnie Cooper.” How has it been growing up being associated with such a beloved character?
It’s such a blessing! The nostalgia that Winnie Cooper holds for so many people is incredible, and I believe it enhances the warm & fuzzy feelings people get when watching my movies, like all the Christmas movies I’ve done, and I know it will do the same for my upcoming movie “The Winter Palace” on GAC Family this Saturday. It seems the “Winnie Cooper” factor adds a sprinkling of childhood nostalgia that makes the movies even more special for the audience.
Not only are you an incredibly talented actress, but you are also a brilliant mathematician. What inspired you to study math after you already were so successful in another field?
Coming out of The Wonder Years, I needed to find out who I was outside of “Winnie Cooper.” She was a great character, but at that point in my life, just having turned 18, I needed to discover my identity outside of Hollywood. I got to UCLA and decided to take a break from acting and do something that also got me excited – using my brain to solve puzzles and get a degree in mathematics!
You started writing math books “to show girls that math is accessible and relevant, and even a little glamorous” and to counteract “damaging social messages telling young girls that math and science aren’t for them.” What real life impacts have you been able to witness in girls in math and science since publishing?
I’ve published 10 books since I started in 2007, for ages 0-16 now, and over the years it’s been incredible to receive feedback from kids, teachers and parents alike, citing marked changes both in grades and also confidence in math. I’ve heard so many stories of kids using my middle school books (Math Doesn’t Suck and Kiss My Math) to transition from fear to success within a matter of months, and nothing could be more gratifying! I’ve also heard from elementary school teachers, telling me that “Ten Magic Butterflies” has made their first grade math class so much more fun, or that “The Times Machine” has transformed their 3rd grade multiplication classes into something delightful. But my favorite story was told to me in person at the USA Science Festival in 2014. A young woman told me she’d used my middle school and high school books. She said she’d been incredibly afraid of math (as I had been in middle school – and I tell that story in the foreword of Math Doesn’t Suck), but that she was now in college and interning to be an engineer at NASA – and she credited my books for getting her there! I literally teared up and we hugged – it was amazing!
In an Instagram post just a few days ago (happy belated birthday), you wrote, “If there’s any secret I’ve found to youth, it’s in the attitude… and a healthy, clean lifestyle, of course. 🥰 Our minds and bodies are inextricably connected. I’ve found when I eat well and get enough rest and exercise, I have so much more access to that inner joy that makes life fun! And when I discipline myself to see good (and laugh at the absurdities) in the world, resisting the seduction of outrage addiction, I find I’m more likely to stay in gratitude and make healthy choices.” What actionable ways do you have for our community to best take this advice, especially as we all want to look as good as you do at 47?
Thank you for the birthday wishes! As we get older, it seems to take more energy and resolve to stay positive, but it’s worth it! It can be tough, but disciplining ourselves to look for the good in situations and focus on the positive when something “happens to us” is a skill is very much worth developing. It makes all the difference. Also, practically speaking, I live a very “clean” life, which helps the chemistry of my body to support a positive attitude – our minds and bodies sure are connected! I drink a ton of water and hardly anything else except tea – green or herbal – and my diet is very simple: lots of veggies, clean meats, whole grains (but I stay away from gluten) and I steer clear of dairy, sugar, grease and anything artificial. Of course I splurge from time to time. But you know what? When I splurge too much, my mood suffers for sure, so it doesn’t happen very often. I like to think of fueling my body – what do I want to fuel it with?
You have been known as the queen of Hallmark, yet recently signed a 2 year exclusive deal with the brand new network GAC Family. What inspired you to make the move, and what can we look forward to as you start your deal at GAC with this Saturday’s film, The Winter Palace?
GAC Family is a fantastic new network started by the same CEO who ran Hallmark Channel for over 20 years, Bill Abbott, who is a wonderful human being and a passionate leader. It’s fun to be a part of something from its beginning and help to build it! GAC Family movies are wonderfully warm & fuzzy romantic comedies that uplift audiences, and with my deal, I’m also executive producing in a much more involved way than I ever have been before. It’s incredible to be an integral part of the script rewrite process, help to choose cast members, collaborate with the director and other producers on set, and even participate in the editing. I’ve been in this business for a long time and this first movie on GAC Family, The Winter Palace, has been the most creatively satisfying experience I’ve had to date!
I’m also excited to announce that in addition to the premiere this Saturday at 8pm ET/5pm PT on GAC Family, my charming and hilarious co-star Neal Bledsoe and I will be doing an Instagram Live pre-show for the full hour before the movie, and again after the movie with fun games and even a birthday cake for me, haha (and during the movie we’ll be live tweeting). It’s going to be a fun night!
What other projects can we look out for in 2022?
GAC and I are in talks about what my Christmas movie will be this year – more on that soon! My next McKellar Math book comes out this summer. It’s called Double Puppy Trouble – an adorable, zany story that teaches the concept of doubling (exponential growth) with puppies! Because… puppies! 😉 And I’m also a judge on a new Fox show called Domino Masters, but we don’t yet know when that will be airing – probably Spring.
What’s the first thing you do every morning:
Brush my teeth!
What’s the last thing you do every night:
Take magnesium.
What app can’t you live without:
What book do we need to read:
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
What business or person should we have our eye on: