11 hours ago
Boy Meets World star recalls having a 'breakdown' during emotional rehearsal
Boy Meets World alum Rider Strong is looking back on an emotional time in the seven years he appeared on the sitcom.
Strong, 45, explained to former co-stars Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle in the latest episode of their podcast Pod Meets World why he had a 'breakdown' while rehearsing the season six episode Getting Hitched in 1999.
The episode sees Shawn Hunter, played by Strong, ignore calls from half-brother Jack (Matthew Lawrence), who is seeking help in cleaning out their late father Chet's (Blake Clark) trailer.
Chet, who had a hairy relationship with son Shawn, had previously died of a heart attack earlier in the season. Making things more complicated, Shawn was under the impression that his dad had been paying his college tuition — but he later learned Jack's parents were actually footing the bill.
'Shawn's emotional story is that his dad is never there for him,' Strong noted. 'But if his dad was actually paying for his college in Shawn's story — I believe that the denial is possible. But his dad was taking care of him then, in Shawn's mind.'
Per People, Friedle, 48, who played the character Eric Matthews, weighed in: 'The fact that they played the scene out and Shawn didn't leave and stayed there and had the conversation, I thought was just such a better way to go about it than Shawn just leaving again.'
Eventually Shawn does leave the trailer, and about rehearsing the intense scene, Rider remembered, 'This is where I had my breakdown.'
It was spurred by him being 'really bored by my character.'
'What's funny is, in retrospect, this is actually a well-written episode for Shawn... he's finally expressing something,' Strong acknowledged. 'But I remember during rehearsal, I just lost it. I was like, "I feel like I'm saying the same thing every week."'
He reflected, 'It's interesting because now that I look at it, I'm like, "Actually, my character is finally expressing himself. This is good." But I don't know. Maybe I was just tired of being on the show.'
And the former actor emphasized, 'I was like, "Why [do] they keep throwing drama at me?"
'Now looking at it, this is on the heels of an episode where they killed my father and really put a lot of pressure on us as actors — pressure on [actor] Blake [Sennett] and Matt and me.'
In 2021 Rider told People, 'Boy Meets World is one of those shows that said, "No, no, no, this is an important time of your life."
'That boyfriend or girlfriend, or the friendships or the teacher you have could change you forever and help define who you are. I think that's a really beautiful message.'
'Shawn's emotional story is that his dad is never there for him,' Strong noted. 'But if his dad was actually paying for his college in Shawn's story -I believe that the denial is possible. But his dad was taking care of him then, in Shawn's mind'
In late May Strong took to Instagram to plug the trio's podcast tour.
Sharing with his 273,000 followers on the platform, he uploaded a poster with tour dates and wrote, 'Pod Meets World is hitting the road again this summer for an epic West Coast Tour, kicking off June 4 in Denver!
'We're super excited to see all of you there! Check the link in my bio for ticket details!'
Boy Meets World was on air from 1993-2000, and saw the cast become beloved household names.
A spinoff, titled Girl Meets World, aired from 2014 to 2017 and included future superstar Sabrina Carpenter in the cast.
