Star Students

When you grow up on television, it's pretty hard to stay out of the spotlight. And those who get in trouble with the law get a lot of press, like Todd Bridges from "Diff'rent Strokes," who's had a number of highly publicized drug problems and weapons charges, and Danny Bonaduce of "The Partridge Family," who was once convicted of beating a transvestite. One quieter, more ambitious group of young TV actors may not be the subject of too many stories. These days they're more likely to be writing stories themselves, in college English classes. Several well-known actors - including Fred Savage and Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years"), Kellie Martin ("Life Goes On"), Sara Gilbert ("Roseanne"), Scott Weinger ("Full House") and Joey Lawrence ("Brotherly Love") - have put their Hollywood careers on hold, at least temporarily, to attend college either full- or part-time.

"I think it's very important for us personally, but it's also important for breathing life back into this terrible child-star image that developed earlier on," said Savage, an English major at Stanford. "I think this is setting a good example. It was never an option (for me) not to go to college. It was always very important to me to get this education and have this. If it meant taking four years off of work, then that's what I'd have to do."

Martin, an art history major at Yale, admitted that her decision to attend school came as a shock to many fellow actors and friends.

"People were surprised," she said. "I was working, basically, when I left. Mostly I don't work now - only on my breaks. That's kind of scary for an actor, but everybody supported me and I think, I know in the long run I will be so happy to have this degree. I've promised myself I'll graduate even if it takes me a little bit longer."

Moving from being a major player on studio back lots to a face in the college campus crowd is one of the biggest challenges. "The toughest thing to adjust to," said Weinger, a Harvard sophomore (who is dating Martin), "is going to class instead of going to my job."

Many are finding time to squeeze in both. Martin has been the busiest, doing several TV movies (most recently for NBC and Lifetime) during school breaks. This summer she's even shooting an NBC pilot.

"If it goes to series, it'll depend on how many episodes they pick it up for," she said. "If it's for six, I could do it over the summer. If it's for more than that, I may miss next semester."

But not too many professors, regardless of the excuse, take kindly to students who don't get their work done on time. That's a lesson these Hollywood expatriates have learned well. Savage, for example missed two weeks earlier this year when the filming for his NBC movie, "No One Would Tell" (which ran earlier this month), ran over his winter break.

"I was constantly on the phone with professors trying to make up some sort of schedule so that they'd permit me to miss the time," he said. "Between those phone calls and calls to the student bookstore to send me my textbooks so I could keep up with the work, and getting notes, it was kind of hectic."

So phones and faxes can ease some of that separation anxiety, but what of that final arbiter, grades? Ah, like most of their fellow students, that's a bit of a sore subject.

"I'm taking advantage of the pass/fail option," said Savage, "but my parents are catching on to that. My dad said when I came back to school this quarter, 'You know, that's a pretty nebulous grade.' I should start taking some classes for a letter, and I am. I'm doing okay, well enough to show something for my time here, I think."

Martin, whose GPA hovers in the high 3s, noted: "I don't get straight A's, but I can't expect to 'cause I do too much. But that's the way I want it to be. If I actually thought I could be successful just as an academic, that's what I would do. But I know I'm not that kind of person. I would rather get up and talk to the class as opposed to write a paper."

And what of the infamous price of fame? These stars-turned-students each claimed that they're far more impressed by the caliber of people they meet at school, not vice versa.

"There are a lot of people here who have done a lot of very interesting things," said Weinger. "Most people don't expect to see somebody from TV walking down the street. In L.A., it's something you expect, but around Harvard nobody's really looking for somebody that they recognize. It's rare that somebody will even say anything."

Martin, who trades friendly barbs with her boyfriend over the Harvard/Yale rivalry, agrees with him on this point. "If anything I'm more impressed with the people I've been meeting here than they are impressed by me," she said. "I mean, I'll meet someone who speaks Japanese, French and German. That astounds me!"

Hollywood student roster
Here's a sampling of some young actors hitting the books:

Sara Gilbert ("Roseanne") - Yale
Melissa Joan Hart ("Clarissa Explains It All") - NYU
Joey Lawrence ("Brotherly Love") - USC
Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years") - UCLA
Kellie Martin ("Life Goes On") - Yale
Irene Ng ("The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo") - Harvard
Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years") - Stanford
Scott Weinger ("Full House") - Harvard

Written by Harvey Solomon
for Boston Herald, 05/26/1996