Highlights
- Danielle Fishel resented starring in Boy Meets World during the show’s final seasons.
- Fishel had negative experiences, including creepy interactions with an executive.
- Despite her negative experiences, Fishel has embraced the Boy Meets World fan community and isn’t bothered by being associated with her character, Topanga.
Since some TV stars have made more than $1 million per episode, it certainly seems like headlining a successful show would be amazing. While there is a lot of truth to that, the reality is that some TV stars have grown to resent the shows they are associated with.
In the case of Boy Meets World, there is more to the show’s cast than their most famous roles. After all, Will Friedle may have pitched the idea for a successful Disney movie and William Daniels isn’t stuffy like Mr. Feeny. Given how different Boy Meets World’s stars can be, it is fascinating to look at whether Danielle Fishel resented being so closely associated with the show. So much so that she momentarily wished the show would end.
Did Danielle Fishel Want To Leave Boy Meets World?
When Danielle Fishel appeared in her first episode of Boy Meets World, she came across as wise beyond her years. Despite that, it is worth noting that Fishel was only 12 years old when she was first cast as Boy Meets World’s Topanga Lawrence.
After making occasional appearances during Boy Meets World’s early seasons, Fishel would become one of the show’s main characters. As a result, Fishel worked on all seven seasons of Boy Meets World before the show ended.
How old is the cast of Boy Meets World now according to Famous Birthdays?
- Danielle Fishel is 42
- Ben Savage is 43
- Rider Strong is 43
- Matthew Lawrence is 43
- Maitland Ward is 46
- Will Friedle is 47
- Trina McGee-Davis is 54
- Anthony Tyler Quinn is 61
- Betsy Randle is 68
- William Russ is 73
- William Daniels is 96
Given the timing of when Fishel was cast, she spent her teen years starring in Boy Meets World. As everyone knows, teens can be less than thankful for the blessings they have in their lives. As a result, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Fishel came to resent starring in Boy Meets World.
In 2022, Fishel was interviewed by Jamie Kenney from Romper. According to what Fishel said during the resulting conversation, she grew to resent Boy Meets World as she filmed the show’s final seasons.
“I had been in school full-time, working full-time. I started to feel like I just want my life back.”
As Fishel went on to explain, she regrets that her desire to be free of the pressures tainted her experience filming the final seasons of Boy Meets World.
“The last several years, I feel like were tainted by my own feeling of wanting it to be over. And now, I would do anything to go back and have those moments back.”
How Does Daniell Fishel Feel About Boy Meets World Now?
On June 26, 2022, Boy Meets World fans all over the world got the chance to know the show’s cast better. On that date, the first episode of “Pod Meets World” was released, a podcast about Boy Meets World that is hosted by Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong.
Thanks to the success of that podcast, Strong, Friedle, and Fishel have been able to give Boy Meets World fans a new view of the show. Unfortunately for Friedle, Fishel, and Strong, the truth is that all three of them have some very negative memories of their experience on the show.
In Fishel’s case, the most upsetting part of her Boy Meets World existence involves creepy men. A truly disturbing example of that is the extremely creepy interaction Fishel had with an executive behind Boy Meets World when she was only 16 years old.
As Fishel explained to the podcast audience, reflecting on how she was made “an object of desire at such a young age” really bothers her. Fishel brought up the time an executive behind Boy Meets World told her he had a calendar of her on his bedroom wall as an example of that.
“Even directly to me, I had people tell me they had my 18th birthday on their calendar. I had a male executive, I did a calendar at 16, and he specifically told me he had a certain calendar month in his bedroom.”
Fishel also explained that her experiences up until that point made her think that interaction was okay back then. “And at the time, my first thought was a little bit like … oh … but the immediate thought after that was, ‘Yes, because we are peers and this is how you relate to peers.’”
On several other occasions, Fishel has revealed some extremely unfortunate behavior that went on behind the scenes. Most notably, Fishel has described how the young female cast members were habitually played against each other.
While Fishel has revealed the dark side of her Boy Meets World experience, she questions doing that at times. When Fishel spoke to People in 2023, she revealed that she and her co-hosts worry about their podcast ruining Boy Meets World for fans.
“We were worried we might ruin the show. We don’t want our criticisms or our critiques or our experiences to in any way change what your opinion of the show is. They’re just our honest opinions, and we can’t do it if we’re not going to be honest.”
Based on what Fishel has said during a slew of interviews, the reason why she worries about ruining Boy Meets World is obvious. Fishel has become very grateful that she got to be a part of Boy Meets World. After all, during Fishel’s aforementioned Romper interview, she spoke about wishing she could go back and experience the last seasons of Boy Meets World with gratefulness.
“Any time in my life, both personally and professionally where I have felt like I’m starting to take something for granted, I remind myself, ‘You did this with the end of Boy Meets World. Don’t do it now, because one day you’re going to look back and you’re going to wish you had those moments back.’”
How long was Boy Meets World on the air according to TV Guide?
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Premiered on: |
The finale aired on: |
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Fri, Sep 24, 1993 |
Fri, May 5, 2000 |
On top of comments like that, it has to be noted that Fishel has fully embraced the Boy Meets World fan community. Between doing meet-and-greet sessions and putting on live shows with her “Pod Meets World” co-hosts, Fishel interacts with fans regularly.
Of course, it could be argued that Fishel only interacts with fans for money. However, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Fishel has a $4 million fortune so she shouldn’t be desperate for money. On top of that, Fishel has spoken about being open to fans politely speaking to her in public. Most importantly, Fishel explicitly told Maxim in 2016 that she isn’t bothered by being associated with her Boy Meets World character.
“It’s easy to remember. That’s part of the reason why it’s never surprised me or bothered me that somebody doesn’t know my real name. What’s easier to remember, Danielle Fishel or Topanga? Topanga sticks with you.”
Source: NewsFinale
