When it came to discussing his role in "No One Would Tell," Fred Savage was a master of understatement.
"It really shows me in a different light," Savage said. "I don't think a lot of people have associated me with some psychopathic killer."Ummmm . . . no.
But it's true. Savage, who spent 51/2 seasons as everyone's favorite sweet, teenage boy in "The Wonder Years," plays an abusive boyfriend in tonight's made-for-TV movie (8 p.m., Ch. 5).
And it's not just anyone he's abusing. His girlfriend/victim is played by Candace Cameron, who spent eight seasons as everyone's favorite sweet, pre-teenage girl on "Full House."
And Fred Savage abusing - and ultimately murdering - Candace Cameron is not exactly what viewers might expect.
"That's one of the reasons why I took this project," Savage said in a recent telephone interview. "The interesting thing about this character is that he's not just a crazed person. He's very controlled. I think what makes him interesting is that he's not this innately evil, purely bad guy. He's a normal kid. He's a popular guy in school. He's on the wrestling team. He has a lot of friends. He just suffers from this horrible temper that gets out of hand."
And this is one of those TV movies with a message. A lot of people around these two teenagers were aware that the abuse was going on, but "No One Would Tell" because of misplaced loyalties.
As for Savage, he quickly demonstrates that he's fully capable of playing more than just Kevin Arnold. He's convincing as a seemingly normal teen with some seri-ous problems.
It's still somewhat of a shock to see Savage acting so, well, savage. The 19-year-old college sophomore has filled out quite a bit from his days on "The Wonder Years," but he's instantly recognizable as the boy millions came to love.
Savage fully recognizes that "No One Would Tell" will surprise some of his fans. As a matter of fact, he experienced some of that reaction while on location shooting the TV movie with some of the local residents looking on.
"They felt, I don't know, betrayed," he said. "They'd look at me and say, `Oh, you're Kevin Arnold. You're so nice and sweet. We can't believe you'd do something like this.' . . . And I got a kick out of that, because that's what I'm trying to do - create this other image."
While the role was quite a departure for Savage, he found it a surprisingly easy one to slip into. He even found the scenes in which his character displays physical violence less than difficult.
"I actually enjoyed doing them, because it's fun to get angry," he said. "We all get really angry occasionally and keep it inside. And it was just great to air it out. To get mad. It was exhilarating. . . . Especially when the physical aspect was added to it. When you actually got to have an outlet for your anger and you got to push someone or throw them. It was actually kind of exhilarating.
"You know, I'm not going to go out and do it every day, but it was a fun little outlet while I had it."
More difficult than the role was trying to fit the production of the TV movie into his current scheduled as a sophomore at Stanford University. The three-week shoot overlapped the first two weeks of Stanford's winter quarter.
"I was constantly on the phone with professors at school, trying to make up some sort of schedule so the professors would permit me to miss the time I was missing," Savage said. "It was kind of hectic, but I got back into the swing of things a couple of days after I got back to school. But it took some adjustments. . . . I'm well experienced at missing high school, but this was actually the first time I missed college."
Of course, the life of a TV star/-college student isn't always easy.
"I have a midterm tomorrow, and I'm on the phone all afternoon doing interviews," he said.
Don't think that Savage is trying to turn his back on either his image or "The Wonder Years" by taking on this role. He's still the same nice, polite young man he always was when he was starring in the weekly series. As a matter of fact, he's almost apologetic about being a happy, well-adjusted guy.
"I always feel bad when people ask me questions," Savage said. "I always felt that I was a terrible interview because I don't have any problems with anyone and I don't have a terrible past. Or I don't have any terrible problems to talk about that would make interesting articles."
And he has absolutely nothing bad to say about his years on "Years."
"I look back on that with such fond memories," Savage said. "I mean, that was such a great time in my life. . . . When the reruns are on, I love being reminded of those times. I love when people come up and talk to me about them. I look back on those with the same fondness that a lot of people look back on their high-school years. Those were the same years for me."
The 19-year-old seems extraordinarily level-headed about his future, too. While he certainly could have found work had he decided to after "The Wonder Years" went off the air, he never considered not going to college.
"It wasn't a career-influenced decision at all. It was a personal decision," he said. "It was always important to me to get this education."
He's an English major at Stanford, although he does plan to return to show business. As for his grades . . . "they're doing OK."
"I'm taking advantage of the pass/fail option they have. You don't have to worry about grades too much," Savage said. "But my parents are catching on to that. My dad just said as I came back to school this quarter that (pass) is a pretty nebulous grade, so I started taking some classes for a letter."
He's getting background in a few other subjects. That midterm the next day is in economics.
"I'm an English major, but my dad - he's a businessman. He can't stand all this literature stuff. He wants something more practical," Savage said. "So I figure if I take some econ classes and some accounting, I'll make him happy."
And he insists that on-campus he's a pretty normal guy. He's in a fraternity, he goes to the games, he hangs out with his friends, he plays sports, "which is kind of humorous to anyone who really knows my sports prowess, which is not good," Savage said with a laugh.
"Not being able to take advantage of a lot of things that high school had to offer, the things that college has to offer are just so overwhelming. I want to get my hand in a little bit of everything before I leave."