Danielle Fishel Says She Was Called Crazy on Set After Setting Boundaries
The actor reveals friction with colleagues during Girl Meets World, including complaints about her refusal to hug and her pushback on storylines.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Danielle Fishel says she was told on the set of Girl Meets World that she was being called crazy by other cast members. She disclosed this in a new excerpt from a book about the original sitcom Boy Meets World.
The book, titled Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World, is written by Fishel, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and Emily Longeretta. It goes on sale November 10. Fishel was the only series regular from the original show to return for all seventy-two episodes of the spinoff alongside Ben Savage.
Fishel explained that she entered the partnership with Savage with a favored-nations contract, meaning both actors received the same salary. She wanted to serve as a professional role model for the younger cast. However, she felt her maturity clashed with the energy of her peers. She noted that while she had grown up, Savage retained the same vibe he had as a teenager.
The friction began when Fishel established personal boundaries. On Boy Meets World, the cast often tackled each other playfully. By the time she returned at age thirty-two and was married, she asked that her coworkers stop hugging her. She cited a Disney policy against hugging on set and her own discomfort with the physicality. She said some people thought her husband was jealous, which was not true.
Fishel said the reaction to her boundary was strong. She felt colleagues rolled their eyes when she raised her hand to make a note. She knew they were dismissive of her. Later in the second season, she learned that creator Michael Jacobs was telling others on set that she was crazy. She described the environment as exhausting because of the gossip among adults.
Fishel also said she frequently pushed back on storylines she felt were not appropriate for the Disney Channel audience. She urged Jacobs to improve the material, reminding him that it was his legacy. She said this approach sometimes worked. The book details these internal dynamics as the cast navigated the return to television fourteen years after the original series ended.
