Check out what they had to say after the jump.
Did you learn anything about the 60s through the experience?
ALLEY MILLS: That was when I was in high school.
I think the whole point of the period was that this was the beginning of the end of wonder.
Their whole life revolved around whether or not they were about to have their first kiss.
It was just about the loss.
Image via ABC
I didnt have to know very much about the 60s.
Am I doing well in school?
It was about all of those things.
My parents, in the show, separated.
Things like that happen, at any time.
My character was a teenager.
It was like going to college for the 60s.
And then, I readLetters to Vietnam, which is incredibly moving.
It was a really palpable experience for me.
Am I in the right zone?
There was an episode when Karen disappears and goes to Woodstock and the car breaks down.
And there was a scene between myself, Alley, Dan [Lauria] and Fred [Savage].
It was beautiful that those kinds of things were able to be explored without dialogue.
Have you guys missed these characters?
DABO: We do, every day.
Its a part of our DNA, at this stage.
McKELLAR: Well, every day somebody recognizes one of us on the street.
We get to be that character, in some form.
We get to see peoples looks on their faces.
Theyll say, Oh, my gosh, that show meant so much.
My family watched it together.
We get to feel how special the experience was, over and over again.
Was this really a life-changing job for all of you?
I think that every actors dream, and every artists dream.
You want to be part of something thats cyclical and that comes around every 20 years.
Luckily, I think we hit on all of those things with our show.
Its bitter sweet, but there was a lesson in every show that stuck with everybody.
McKELLAR: And now, nobody has to miss the characters because its coming out on DVD.
That was a great gift.
Its so rare that writing can do that.
Its like any great novel.
Its like Shakespeare in the theater.
We were luckier than anything to be a part of that.
I am so thrilled that now my grandchildren will get to see it.
To what do you attribute the ongoing popularity of the show?
Have you watched the show yourselves, over the years?
McKELLAR: I havent watched it for awhile, to be honest.
There were like six takes.
But part of the reason why I think its lasted is the writing.
Why did the show make such a splash?
Why did it resonate so much in people?
Why does it still matter?
This was the first show that had that narration.
Youre not in control of your own life yet.
You cant make your own decisions.
Oh, its puppy love.
Well, we all have memory of those painful early years, and the elation in those early years.
Christmas morning is never the same to an adult as it is to a child.
This show honored them and made them real and valid.
Weve all been there.
All walks of life were moved by this.
Danica, what did you learn from Kevin and Winnies relationship that helped you in your own relationships?
McKELLAR: Well, I had my first kiss on the show.
I learned that things arent straight forward.
Things arent black and white.
Its a beautiful and important message that relationships are not straight forward.
Theyre not black and white.
Sometimes things dont always going in a straight line, and thats okay.
Love can be very confusing.
And then, it showed up in a script, a few weeks later.
There were a lot of blurred lines.
It was fascinating how many parallels there were.
Have you watched the show with your fiance?
McKELLAR: No, I have not watched the show with my fiance.
When we get the DVD box set, well probably watch a bunch of the episodes.
Danica, is it true that you and your sister both auditioned for the role of Winnie Cooper?
I still remember that audition.
We kept going in, and there were fewer and fewer girls in the room.
We went back in again and there were three of us.
And then, there were just the two of us.
It was just a guest spot in the pilot.
That was helpful because it wasnt such a big deal.
It was just a one-time guest role.
She ended up doing nine episodes.
She played Becky Slater, and it all worked out.
Shes a lawyer now.
Shes no longer acting, and I am, so it all worked out.
Shes making all the money.
MILLS: For me, for sure.
I had never played a housewife.
I was shocked when they cast me as the mom.
I was not married.
I could not have children.
I was Karen, in my youth.
I was a hippie.
In the business, I played tough, single women, up until that point.
Id done ten other series that hadnt lasted likeThe Wonder Years, but I was always a rebel character.
So, it was a great experience for me.
I fell in love with this woman, whose priority was her family and not herself.
I had always looked down on that.
My mother was a feminist, and a divorcee who worked.
She was very smart.
They just kept their strength inside and put other people first.
So, I ended up not being a feminist, but Im in love with those women.
DABO: My son loves the show.
And Im still like that.
The casting was just so incredibly well thought out.
I knew it was meant for me.
Id rather wait tables, quite honestly.
Youve made your mark.
Ive been very privileged to go off and do Broadway.
I got to doThe Odd Couple, with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
Thats the kind of stuff that I compared toThe Wonder Years.
A lot of the stuff out there is a pale comparison.
What makes this box set worth the price, as opposed to just watching episodes on Netflix?
DABO: Theres 23 hours of bonus features on 26 of the DVDs.
MILLS: I havent seen some of the cast members for 16 years.
Theyve interviewed our writers and our producers.
Thats what people are going to find amazing to see.
People will really see the other side ofThe Wonder Years.
Theres the six takes of the first kiss, and just the amazing music.
Thats really one of the things thats prevented the show from being released from DVD, up until now.
That stuff is an amazing added plus.
You had families that relocated from the east coast and from Chicago.
I was so proud of them.
We worked so hard to protect their integrity.
We had fantastic teachers.
I was very close to all of their mothers.
And I was just so impressed with these boys that have become these amazing men.
Fred is a formidable director, and a very good man.
Jason [Hervey] has become a glorious guy.
Hes a really cool guy, and the CEO of a company.
Things like that will really interest fans, too.
I was amazed to see what these children have become.
And Danica is a beautiful young woman, whos just phenomenal.
How has the passage of time colored your perspective of your personal experience on the show?
I personally am very worried about the world.
I worry about my grandchildren.
My heart is heavy for what they are facing.
I wish I felt like it was a better world, in some ways.
Theres a lot more information, and thats really great.
It was a show that was so out of the box.
This was not normal.
It was smart, but deep.
It was funny, but moving.
You learned something, every week, about human nature and human life, which was really rare.
The longer we get away from it, the more it packs a punch.
The words disarming and nostalgic come to mind.
Notably, there was very little that was left out.
Its a history lesson to me, as an actress.
This is something to be very, very proud of.
Look at this world, with what was going on politically and socially.
So many things that were born out of that time were documented brilliantly on the show.
Its almost like the way Steven SpielbergsLincolnis a history lesson for young kids.
I feel, comparatively,The Wonder Yearsis a history lesson for young people.
The Wonder Yearscomplete seriesis now available on DVD.
