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A ‘Blessed’ Alley Mills Looks Back On The Wonder Years

Published by

Diane Brounstein

2 years ago

alley mills recalls her time on the hit series the wonder years

The Wonder Years was a show that appealed to more people than you may think, despite being set during a certain moment in time — and GH and B&B star Alley Mills, who played Kevin Arnold’s mother Norma for its entire run from 1988-1993, reveals why.

Alley Mills Looks Back On The Wonder Years

At a recent Coastal Entertainment fan Zoom gathering with General Hospital co-star and onscreen daughter Avery Kristen Pohl (Esme), Mills was asked what it was like to be on such an amazing and iconic show that was beloved by so many.

“The truth is when you are in something well written — or in a play by Tennessee Williams-well written — that show was so beautifully written,” Mills shared, the memory obviously emotional for her. “Every half hour made me cry, and it was so universal. I can’t tell you the tendrils that that show touched.

“I spoke to an all-black school in New Haven, Connecticut of young kids,” she went on to explain. She had worried that they might not relate to the 60s-set show. “I thought this is like the white bread show of America. Not true. These kids said things like, ’It reminds me of a time when I’d come home from school…’ and like reminds me of a time when they didn’t know that time. But he said, ‘It reminds me of the time you come home and smell cookies baking…’ and he didn’t have cookies baking.

“The third kid said, ‘Reminds me of a time when you come home, and you didn’t have to duck from the window because of the gunshots,” she added. “And those kids were watching the Wonder Years, and I was just like, wow, you know, it’s hitting such an enormous range of people. That was the beauty of that show for me.” Being a part of something that meant so much to so many people was an incredible experience for Alley Mills.

“I felt so insanely blessed to play that character for seven years,” she enthused. “I loved it. I loved every second of it. And the cast was just like, we’re all really good friends. Most of them were nine [and they’re] grownups now. I loved it.”