Danielle Fishel revealed that her decision to set professional boundaries on the set of Girl Meets World led to pushback from producers who labeled her as difficult.
Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence on Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000, returned to executive produce and star in the sequel series, which aired from 2014 to 2017.
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Shift in Mindset
Reflecting on her early years as a child star, Fishel noted that she initially maintained a passive approach during production to ensure she remained easy to work with.
“I had been a real go-with-the-flow, not ruffle any feathers, be so easy to work with, a consummate professional,” Fishel said on the I Choose Me with Jennie Garth podcast.
“And essentially what that meant is the producers felt like they could tell me to do whatever they wanted me to do, and I would never push back.”
As an adult returning to the role, Fishel began speaking up whenever set situations caused discomfort.
“And when we got to Girl Meets World, I think I had been so used to, in my personal life, going away from that, that when we went to the set, and I was now a new person, an adult, a grown-up, who had thoughts and opinions of her own, and wasn't incredibly shy about sharing them,” she stated.
She explained that she addressed issues directly with individuals rather than confronting large groups on set.
