The Wonder Years’ Fred Savage is back
Fred Savage talks to TV Times about the magic of The Wonder Years and his unexpected comeback…
My very first kiss was on The Wonder Years Fred Savage
ack in the late 1980s, youngster Fred Savage won our hearts as winsome teenager Kevin Arnold, who we watched growing up in 1960s-set comedy The Wonder Years.
Now aged 41, Fred has no regrets about growing up on screen. The role of Kevin won him numerous awards and he remains firm friends with his fellow cast members, including Josh Saviano, who played Kevin’s nerdy best pal Paul Pfeiffer.
‘It’s almost 30 years since the show started, but it still feels fresh. I look back on it all fondly and I wouldn’t be who I am now without those experiences,’ says Fred, who is now married with three children.
BLike many child actors, Fred found it difficult to move into older roles when the show ended in 1993, but he’s since directed and produced shows such as Modern Family and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
This week Fred is back in front of the camera as he stars in new Netflix comedy-drama Friends from College.
The eight-part series follows a group of former university friends as they reunite in New York after two of the gang – neurotic writer Ethan and his lawyer wife Lisa (Keegan-michael Key and Cobie Smulders) – relocate to the city.
As well as trying to pen a hit novel and conceive a child, Ethan is hiding a long-running affair with another college friend, interior designer Sam (Annie Parisse). Meanwhile, Fred plays Ethan’s long-time friend and agent, Max, who struggles to balance his career and his relationship with partner Felix (Billy Eichner).
‘The show deals with friendships, love, betrayal, heartbreak and hope – all the major themes that are pretty universal for adults,’ says Fred.
The college crew also includes slacker Nick (Nat Faxon), aspiring actress Marianne (Jae Suh Park), and cameos from Ghostbusters’ Kate Mckinnon and actor Seth Rogen.
Fred will forever be linked with The Wonder Years and it also gave him his first experience of the opposite sex. Kevin’s first kiss, with his on-off girlfriend Winnie (Danica Mckellar), was Fred’s first smooch in real life.
‘Yes, my very first kiss was on The Wonder Years,’ he laughs. ‘I wasn’t a very good kisser, and it was terrifying. We were both scared and nervous and didn’t know if we were going to do it right.’