Will Friedle had no intention of claiming “yes” to joining the Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World — especially after producer Michael Jacobs told him he couldn’t write for the show. Thankfully, something modified.
“We made a deal,” Friedle, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly on the Doc Meets World premiere red carpet on the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, June 6. “If I got here back on camera and did three episodes, then I could write it. So, we did somewhat, somewhat trading.”
Friedle, who did find yourself writing a pair episodes of the show, recalled the moment he learned of the Boy Meets World spinoff.
“I wasn’t going to do it, and never only due to acting [and my anxiety] but I discovered about GMW when, like, CNN called and asked for a comment,” he explained in Doc Meets World. “And [Jacobs] said you’ll be able to do whatever on the show, and I said, ‘I would like to be a author,’ and he was like, ‘You may’t try this.’”
Greater than a decade after Boy Meets World got here to an end in 2000, the spinoff premiered on Disney Channel and followed Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel)’s daughter, Riley Matthews. Girl Meets World ultimately aired from 2014 to 2017.
Five years later, Friedle teamed up with Fishel and Boy Meets World costar Rider Strong for a podcast titled “Pod Meets World.” The group rewatches episodes of Boy Meets World, providing commentary alongside various guests — including their former costars.
Days before the Tribeca Film Festival, Friedle got candid about having a “crush” on Fishel.
“I told you, years later, I had a crush on you, Danielle,” Friedle said in the course of the Thursday, June 4, episode of their “Pod Meets World” podcast. “Years later, I almost asked you out.”
Boy Meets World became a family sitcom phenomenon during its seven-season run on ABC from 1993 to 2000. Created by Michael Jacobs, the show followed the life and life lessons of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) from home with parents Alan (William Russ) and mother Amy (Betsy Randle) to high school with neighbor and forever-teacher George Feeny […]
Fishel, nevertheless, shared that she “never knew” about Friedle’s crush before he admitted his feelings to her.
“This was like … 2005, [2006], something like that. It wasn’t long after Boy, and we were all hanging out again somewhat bit,” Friedle clarified of what he felt with Fishel.
“I remember there was one time where we were hanging out, and … I used to be single and Danielle was single. I used to be like, ‘Oh, that is likely to be interesting to entertain,’” he continued, sharing that he never pursued a relationship with Fishel. “There would have been a weirdness to it.”
After Strong told his podcast cohosts that their lack of relationship was for the very best, Friedle agreed.
“It will have been a complete different podcast, I’m sure, at that time,” he said. “And he or she wouldn’t have met [her husband Jensen Harp], and I wouldn’t have met [his wife Susan Martens]. And, yeah, we wouldn’t have been pleased.”
With reporting by Proma Khosla