Fred Savage on "Wonder Years" famous first kiss: "I can't imagine I was good"
It's been two decades since they "got by with a little help" from their friends, but the stars of The Wonder Years haven't skipped a beat. The main cast members reunited in New York City on Monday and immediately began gossiping about Kevin and Winnie's famous first kiss!
"I can't imagine I was a very good kisser," says Fred Savage, who played the show's young protagonist Kevin Arnold. "But we were very nervous and excited."
They may be older and wiser, but some of the "wonder" is still there, especially for the actors who played the preteens in puppy love.
"I did have a crush on Fred, in the beginning," admits Danica McKellar, who played Savage's love interest -- and generational dream girl -- Winnie Cooper.
Since the show, all three stars have remained successful, though not necessarily in front of the camera. Savage is primarily a director now, having helmed shows on Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel as well as episodes of "Modern Family," "Party Down" and the feature film "Daddy Day Care." He credits family support for keeping him and the other "Wonder Years" actors from succumbing to the pressures and pitfalls that can cause problems for other young stars.
"We all benefited from really supportive parents who valued our growing up into productive adults and our education as more important than anything," explains Savage, who graduated from Stanford after the show ended.
Education is still an important part of McKellar's life -- and portraying a girl brainiac clearly had an impact. In addition to acting and appearing on last season's "Dancing with the Stars," the UCLA grad has also authored four books aimed at making math more fun and accessible for girls.
Josh Saviano, who played Kevin's nerdy friend Paul, attended Yale University and was admitted to the New York State Bar. He is currently a partner in a law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property.
Saviano has only acted once since "The Wonder Years" wrapped, in a 2014 episode of "Law and Order."
"A friend of mine, a showrunner for 'SVU,' wrote a role and I did it," he says simply.
"The Wonder Years" complete series is now available online and the first season DVDs are in stores now.
"Those are the two questions everyone asks me," Savage says. "'How's Danica?' and 'When are the DVDs coming out?' We're as eager as everyone else."