Neither of the actors who played Kevin’s parents had children of their own.
For this reason, Lauria and Alley Mills (who played Norma Arnold) were seen as parental figures for many of the kids on set. They created a tight family unit unlike the cast of any other sitcom!
Scenes Were Often Filmed Separate
Since most of the show’s main characters were children, they were often in school. To work around their hectic schedules, they would often film shared scenes separately.
One famous scene that fans were shocked to learn was shot individually was the first time Kevin and Winnie express their feelings to each other. The actors revealed that after Kevin climbs into Winnie’s window and they say “I love you” for the first time, they’re each speaking to the air!
This Star Was the Opposite of His Character
Even though Saviano played a stereotypical nerd on the show, he was actually a varsity athlete in real life. With a room full of trophies and awards, the actor was even called out while filming a scene playing basketball for being too coordinated!
He’s not the only star who didn’t share many similarities with their character though. While Winnie was portrayed as being quite athletic, McKellar was always more of a bookworm. She even went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics!
The Bar Mitzvah Episode
In season 2 of "The Wonder Years", Paul turns 13-years-old, making him a man according to Judaism. The episode, “Birthday Boy”, follows the boys as Paul prepares for his Bar Mitzvah.
With their birthdays just two days apart, Kevin is conflicted with the fact that they won’t be celebrating their birthdays together as they always had in the past. To make matters worse, Paul’s big celebration is being held on Kevin’s birthday. The episode is renowned as one of the first depictions of Judaism on mainstream television.
Kevin’s On-Screen Reactions
If you’ve seen a few episodes of the show, then you know a large part of Savage’s role is to react to the voiceover.
To make this easier on the young actor, someone was on set reading the narrator’s part. This allowed Savage to react to the narration on cue and with a more natural response.