A lot has been said in the past few months about the classic ABC sitcom, Boy Meets World. The renewed interest in the show mostly stems from Pod Meets World, the new podcast leading audiences through a systematic rewatch of the old series.
The podcast is hosted by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, all of whom played roles in the main cast of the show by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly.
So far, a good number of secrets have been let out of the bag, including the fact that Strong wanted nothing to do with the show, or with castmate Ben Savage in the very beginning.
The three hosts have also had the occasion to address a darker history of Boy Meets World, where Trina McGee had to endure racist incidents from her colleagues. The actress – who played Angela Moore starting Season 5 – was led to believe that the rest of her co-stars asked Jacobs not to have her in the series finale in May 2000.
During an episode where McGee was a guest on the pod, her former cast members assured her that this was not the case. So, what else has Pod Meets World revealed about the crew and cast?
8 William Russ Struggled With His Job
William Russ featured in Boy Meets World as Alan Matthews, father to Cory, Eric and Morgan Matthews. Although he had been working in Hollywood since the ‘70s, the ABC sitcom was the first time he got to work in the genre.
As the very first guest on Pod Meets World, Russ explained how difficult that was for him, saying that he “never understood it.”
7 William Daniels Avoided Mingling With The Rest Of The Cast
The main setting of Boy Meets World was a classroom, with the central cast consisting of students and one teacher: Mr. George Feeny. This role was played by veteran actor William Daniels, who also got to appear on the podcast recently and reminisce.
Being so much older than his co-stars, Daniels explained that he would mostly barricade himself in his dressing room and only emerge when it was action time.
6 William Daniels Also Nearly Quit The Show
Another thing to come to light when William Daniels made a virtual visit to Pod Meets World was the fact that he nearly quit the show even before it had begun.
It was Rider Strong who recalled how after the first table read, Daniels was upset about Mr. Feeny’s portrayal. He reportedly threatened to walk away altogether, and Michael Jacobs was forced to rewrite the script.
5 Director David Trainer Once Lost His Temper With Lily Nicksay, Who Played Morgan
52 out of the first 55 episodes of Boy Meets World were directed by TV specialist David Trainer. Will Friedle recalled a time when the director was helping Lily Nicksay (Morgan Matthews) through a scene.
The then-child actress was struggling with her delivery, which involved throwing away a doll. With Trainer frustrated at the numerous takes, he took the doll to demonstrate but ended up throwing it through a window.
4 Danielle Fishel Lied About Having A Side Hustle
In one Pod Meets World episode, co-host Danielle Fishel took the opportunity to vent her frustration at how actors are treated – in not being allowed to have other jobs or interests.
In the conversation, Fishel (Topanga Lawrence in Boy Meets World) revealed that she used to work as a gift wrapper, but would always lie about it to avoid any potential punishment.
3 Will Friedle Specifically Asked For A Scene With William Daniels
The relationship between Will Friedle’s Eric Matthews and Mr. Feeny would become one of the core pillars of Boy Meets World as the show progressed. That wasn’t always the case, however, with Eric’s brother Cory starting out more as the teacher’s pet.
For the Eric-Feeny bond to be born, Friedle disclosed on the podcast that he went to Michael Jacobs and shakily asked to have one scene specially written for him and William Daniels.
2 Danielle Fishel And Lance Bass Are Working On A Movie About Their Love Story
In what Danielle Fishel referred to as a “podcast exclusive,” she revealed that she is working with musician Lance Bass on a film about their “love story and prom experience.”
While Bass was not part of the Boy Meets World cast, he dated Fishel while she was working on the show and even accompanied the actress to her high school prom.
1 Betsy Randle Had “A Huge Crush” On William Russ
Betsy Randle played Amy Matthews in Boy Meets World, as Cory, Eric and Morgan’s mother, as well as wife to William Russ’ character. When quizzed on Pod Meets World whether she had a little bit of a crush on her co-star, she said: “A little? A huge crush!”
She did, however, go on to explain that it was not “out of control,” and had more to do with the chemistry that she and Russ had on set.