Danica McKellar Says Christmas Movies Provide ‘Escape From This Crazy World’

Danica McKellar is no stranger to Christmas films and has watched as the genre’s popularity continues to rise in recent years.
“More than an escape, it provides a reminder of what human nature can be,” she said. “We need that. We need that reminder. We need, yes, the feeling of comfort, but also ideas for how to move forward in a wholesome, earnest kind of way.”
McKellar stars in the upcoming film “A Cinderella Christmas Ball,” which follows her character’s search for her birth father. Similarly, she explained that while the characters in the Christmas movies may not appear especially dramatic, they are always dealing with genuine struggles.
“It’s painful, it’s scary, but what you see is a character in earnest really doing her best, pushing through and trying to make good choices along the way,” she said of her character. “So that’s what we can model for people in the midst of just giving them, yes, comfort food around the holiday season, which it’s important to feel those warm and fuzzy feelings around the holidays.”
The actress has starred in Christmas movies since 2012, from “Love at the Christmas Table” to 2023’s “A Royal Date for Christmas.” However, McKellar says “A Cinderella Christmas Ball” holds much more meaning for her than the others.
“It’s much harder than they show in the packages because it would bum people out to see how stressful it is,” McKellar told host Cheryl Burke of the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. “It just wouldn’t be as fun anymore for people.”
“Failure was not an option,” she added. “So I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to try and fulfill it, and it broke me. I was in tears because I didn’t know how to handle that kind of pressure.”
While the actress loves dancing, being in the competition show complicated her relationship with the sport.
“I remember telling somebody it was like if you love chocolate and somebody puts you in a vat of chocolate and then holds your head under it,” she explained. “That’s what ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is like. And every now and then, you get a breath. It’s unrelenting.”
Born on Jan. 3, 1975, in La Jolla, California, McKellar launched her acting career when she got the role of Gwendolyn “Winnie” Cooper on ABC’s hit coming-of-age series “The Wonder Years.” The show premiered in 1988 and ran for six seasons until ending in 1993.
McKellar has also starred in a number of Hallmark films, including 2015’s “Crown for Christmas,” 2017’s “Campfire Kiss,” 2018’s “Love in Design,” and 2020’s “Christmas She Wrote.”
The actress married Scott Sveslosky in 2014 and celebrated their 10-year anniversary this month.
“Ten years has flown by, and I feel like the luckiest woman on the planet! Happy 10 year anniversary, my love!” she added.
McKellar’s latest project, “A Cinderella Christmas Ball,” premieres Nov. 29.