Sometimes I try to figure out how old you people are. All of you, reading and commenting. Are you of the generation that remembers Wonder Years? Or do you remember the original, called “the sixties”? Or do you have no idea what am I talking about because you’re too busy playing a new-fangled video game? Well, I remember Wonder Years. It was good television! And little Winnie Cooper made an impression on me, mainly because at that age, my hair was almost identical to hers – straight and really, really long. After Wonder Years, boys stopped teasing me about my long hair.

Anyway, the actress who played Winnie Cooper, Danica McKellar, is all grown up. She was actually on several episodes of The West Wing, if anyone remembers her from that great show. She also wrote a book about math, and Danica has, like, a Masters or PhD in something math-related. So… smart girl. Except that she’s posing in Maxim in her underwear. Ugh. Oh, and she’s pregnant too! Winnie is all grown up.

Did you have fun at your Maxim shoot?
Are you kidding? So much fun! There was a smart-and-sexy schoolgirl theme going on, so it was awesome playing dress-up.

How did you go from child actress to math goddess?
When I got to college, I was intending to study film. But I found that my brain was feeling mushy, so I took a few math classes. I started doing really well at them, and solving equations was this, like, drug rush.

A drug rush from math?
It’s true! Then, after graduation, an article came out about a paper I’d coauthored in which we proved a new theorem. From that, I was approached to write books, and I knew I wanted to help girls not be afraid of math. My latest, Hot X: Algebra Exposed!, is coming out in August.

That’s quite a 180 from The Wonder Years.
I realized I needed to find out who I was outside of that show. My whole life people called me Winnie Cooper, and it was important for me to find out what else I had to offer.

Can math be sexy?
Totally! If a guy is skilled at anything, that’s attractive. There’s something very primal about that, and, sure, it can be as simple as figuring out the tip quickly.

What else turns you on?
Confidence is one of the sexiest things in guys and girls. Look at Michelle Pfeiffer: My God, she’s 50 years old, but she is still so sexy. If I were into women, I would be totally into her.

Now, everyone remembers when Winnie and Kevin first kissed. Was that your actual first kiss?
It was, yeah, for both of us. I was 12, and he was 11. That was only about a week after we’d met, and we totally had crushes on each other. But we never kissed offscreen, ever.

You must meet guys who hit on you because of your famous role.
I’ve always been really cautious about guys who have a Winnie Cooper fantasy, and I’m so glad about that. I mean, I can count on one hand the guys I’ve been with. It was really challenging, but I never gave it up too soon, if you know what I mean.

[From Maxim]

Okay, Hot X: Algebra Exposed! is maybe the funniest book title ever. I think it’s the exclamation point that kills me. I also love “I never gave it up too soon, if you know what I mean.” She’s a funny little thing, isn’t she? Or am I laughing because I’m sick as a dog, drugged up and repeating “Hot X! If you know what I mean”? Chuckle… no, that is funny. Anyway, last point: she’s so pretty! I wish she wasn’t posing in her underwear. I wish she was like “You know what? I’m smart, funny and gorgeous, so I’m keeping my blouse on, thank you very much.”

Photos courtesy of Maxim online.