Rider Strong comments on his involvement with ‘Girl Meets World’

Credit: The Insider

Rider Strong played bad boy Shawn Hunter for seven years on ‘Boy Meets World’, and many were hoping, with the news that Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel had signed on for the sequel series, ‘Girl Meets World’, he would not be far behind. The actor, now 32, spoke to The Insider about the possibility of his involvement with ‘Girl Meets World’, and the series in general.

Rider says, “Years ago, I was on a train in Spain. It was four in the morning, and I was traveling by myself from Salamanca to Madrid.

“A young man approached me and began talking rapidly. I don’t speak Spanish. He didn’t speak English.

“I couldn’t figure out what he wanted. We went back and forth for awhile in a stumbling, half-sign-language conversation. Finally, right when he was about to give up, he got an idea. He pointed at me and said one word.

“‘Topanga?’

“Call it the universal language of Boy Meets World.

“For more than two-thirds of my life, I’ve had the good fortune to experience the incredible support of Boy Meets World fans. Complete strangers hug me on the street. I’ve been mobbed by school children on the subway. I’ve had tow-truck drivers recognize me and refuse to let me pay. I’ve had people buy me drinks in Louisville, in Hyderabad, in Accra…

“And that’s just the people I’ve met in person. I can’t express enough gratitude to the BMW fans, who not only watched our show when it first aired, but who continue to watch it, spread the word, and even introduce it to their children. It’s an overwhelming feeling to have that kind of support for something we did over a decade ago. When I opened a Twitter account, I thought maybe I’d get a few hundred followers. It wasn’t long before thousands of people were checking in and sending me messages.

“Boy Meets World was a defining aspect of my life, and I cherish those seven years. It was never just a job — on a personal level, many of my best memories and friendships were formed because of it.

“So I am extremely happy for Ben and Danielle to be able to continue the story. At this point, I have no official involvement in Girl Meets World. There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, it’s own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters.

“It’s the next generation.

“And I, for one, can’t wait to see it evolve.”

As a self-avowed Shawn Hunter fan, I wouldn’t be at all opposed to simply a guest spot. I know it’s a series that’s meant to stand on its own, and not serve as simply a cast reunion, but much of ‘Girl Meets World’ is going to trade on the nostalgia of the original series, so they might as well milk it in the early-going. I can’t be the only one who’d be interested by the prospect that Mr. Feeney still hasn’t retired, or that Eric is still a lovable moron. Nostalgia goes a long way when you were born in 1985.

Full story: The Insider