Actress Danica McKellar has moved to Tennessee. In a recent interview, the Hallmark and Great American Family star said she and her family have left Los Angeles to live on a rural homestead an hour north of Nashville.
“My husband and I have been wanting more nature for a long time,” McKellar told People magazine. “We were kind of ready to not be in a city anymore.”
In an Instagram post, McKellar said she feels like a character in one of the romantic-comedies she stars in.
“Yep, my Christmas movie characters are definitely rubbing off on me,” she wrote. “Big city life traded in for the country!”
The actress added, “I’ve lived in beautiful California my entire life; in Los Angeles since I was 7 years old. And I’ve never been happier. Excited for the seasons, too!”
Danica McKellar has moved to Tennessee
Tennessee has a special place in McKellar’s heart. Soon after she started dating her husband, Scott Sveslovsky, she had to shoot a movie on location in Kentucky. They missed each other so much that he flew to Nashville to see her and she drove an hour-and-a-half to see him. They spent a romantic weekend in Nashville and fell in love with the city.
“Memphis and Nashville are both entertainment cities. They’re known for music,” McKellar said. “Being from L.A. and being an entertainer, it’s nice to have creative people around.”
Career move
McKellar made headlines last year when she announced that she had signed an exclusive contract with Great American Family, a new network started by Crown Media Family Network’s former CEO Bill Abbott. As part of the deal, she will star in and executive produce four movies for the company.
One of these films, Christmas at the Drive-In, will premiere as part the network’s Great American Christmas lineup.
Though she is a fan of romantic comedies in general, she loves Christmas movies.
“…I think what audiences love about Christmas is this feeling of nostalgia and family and traditions and warm fuzziness,” she said in an interview. “Really, what we want is that warm fuzziness.”
A Californian born and bred, McKellar first appeared on the small screen as Winnie Cooper in the ABC program The Wonder Years, which ran from 1988-1993. After finishing the series, she went on to study mathematics at UCLA.
In her work as an undergraduate, she helped author a mathematical-physics theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem. She has written 11 books about math and runs a website devoted to the subject.
She continued her acting career as well, making guest appearances on The West Wing and the The Big Bang Theory. Over the years, she has appeared in the Hallmark romcoms Crown for Christmas (2015), Christmas at Grand Valley (2018), and Christmas at Dollywood (2019). She also starred in Crown Media’s Matchmaker Mysteries series.
New place
McKellar is now living on her homestead with her husband, her son, Draco, (whom she shares with ex Mike Verta), and her mother, Mahalia. They have begun renovating their new home and they hope to eventually put in a pool, though McKellar is enjoying the trampoline they have too much to make serious plans.
The actress said she loves being around nature and her family.
“I am just loving the fact that my Christmas movie characters have rubbed off on me,” she said. “I think it’s just a wonderful example of life imitating art.”