'Boy Meets World' cast talks 25th anniversary, the surprising impact of social media

The cast of 'Boy Meets World, Will Friedle, Daniel Fishel and Ben Savage, talked about the show's legacy at New York Comic Con

It’s been 25 years since the intrepid cast of ABC’s “Boy Meets World” appeared in the premiere. Now, the cast is both thanking social media for its resurgence in popularity, as well as expressing how thankful they are that it wasn’t around in the 90s when the show was on.

Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle took to New York Comic Con to celebrate the show’s big milestone and discuss what has kept its fan base engaged even after all these years. During a panel discussion, they commented on how social media has played a big role but could have also ruined them.

“I think I had the feeling that we were just doing the show for our grandparents,” Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence, said Friday. “It was pretty crazy that, years later, when social media was kind of huge, that we realized ‘Oh, people are still watching, and people were watching them and we just didn’t know.’”

She continued: “I’m actually really thankful we didn’t know too many people were watching because I think it made us just so comfortable being ourselves and learning our characters. I think, if I knew that people were watching, I might have been self-conscious and not been as myself in the role.”

(ABC)

Savage, who played Cory Matthews, echoed those sentiments noting that the lack of public engagement in the show and its stars helped them focus on their craft.

“We were able to just have fun with each other and kind of explore our characters. We weren’t checking out Twitter feeds to see what people thought. I think that allowed our characters to just grow and change. I think we just had a really fun time on the show.”

As fans may know, the reinvigorated interest in “Boy Meets World” that social media brought about led to the Disney Channel spin-off “Girl Meets World,” which ended after three seasons. While working on that show, Savage and Fishel were able to see the completely different environment that young stars live in now.

For Savage, he finds it significantly more difficult.

“The girls that were on our show, there’s so much pressure on them. We grew up without social media, so we got to be a kid a little more and hone our acting skill and grow up,” he said. “Now there’s so much tremendous pressure on young actors because they not only have to do well on screen but they have to live perfect flawless lives off screen and that’s hard. Being a kid is about making mistakes.”

However, even though the world is completely different for America’s youth now than it was 25 years ago, the stars believe that part of what’s allowed the show's 7 Seasons and 158 episodes to endure is the fact that creator Michael Jacobs told stories that resonate no matter the generation.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that they were orchestrated, but there were things that he knows are universal subject matters. That, no matter what time period you’re going to watch them, there’s going to be things that you can relate to,” Fishel said. “Even though it was a kids show, he never wrote a show where kids were being talked down to.”

Freddie noted that one example of Jacobs’ storytelling that stands the test of time is an episode that tackled body positivity. It commented on the fact that he and Fishel had gained weight and saw their characters trying to diet. However, he notes that she bore the brunt of that message in the public eye.

“I think you had put on eight pounds,” he told his costar. I put on 40 and there were articles about how Danielle had put on weight. I remember thinking, ‘she put on eight and I put on 40, and no one mentioned that I was the big guy?!”

As far as what the past 25 years have meant to the cast, Savage took a moment of sentimentality to note that it was his on-screen family.

“The people to my left are very important to my life and whether I’m working with them or not working with them, they’ve really left a mark on my life and who I am," he said. "They’ve shaped who I am and they’re always going to be part of my family.”