Random Dark Stories From Behind-The-Scenes Of 'Boy Meets World' (17 items)

(#15) Rider Strong And Will Freidle Had To Be Separated On Set

Normally when you're separated on set it's because you can't stand each other. That couldn't have been further from the truth for Rider Strong and Will Friedle. The pair was actually the best of friends and couldn't stop laughing when they worked together.

This slowed down production, so writers rarely put the characters of Shawn and Eric in scenes together.
(#13) Rider Strong Hated Being A Teen Heartthrob

Rider Strong is Cory's best friend on the show, the lovable bad boy Shawn Hunter. Though Rider's role on the show quickly escalated him to teen heartthrob status, he was never comfortable with it and hated being in the spotlight.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Strong describes his fame as sort of unsettling:

Somehow it was me, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and a few other guys that were on safe shows, but our characters were relatively edgy. And while our characters weren't doing drugs or anything provocative, we were portrayed as angsty rebellious teenagers that teen girls went crazy for. It would just be weird to go somewhere and have groups of girls scream and hyperventilate in front of you.
(#5) Eric And Alan Matthews Were Also Fired

For some reason, Boy Meets World had trouble finding actors that were a fit for its characters. The show not only recast Topanga and couldn't decide on Cory's missing BFF, but they also recast Eric and Alan Matthews after the pilot episode. Originally, Eric and Alan were played by Harry Barandes and Matt McCoy.

They were replaced with Will Friedle and William Russ respectively.
(#6) Rider Strong Stole Shawn's Iconic Leather Jacket, Then Someone Stole It From Him

There's no denying that Rider Strong looked amazing in Shawn Hunter's iconic leather jacket. It suited him so well that he swiped it from Disney when he left to attend school in New York. Strong continued shooting Boy Meets World while attending classes, and his beloved jacket was stolen out of his car.

It was never supposed to leave the set, so to avoid getting into hot water, he replaced it with a look-alike. Disney execs never knew the difference.
(#14) Rider Strong Hated His Haircut

Shawn Hunter's haircut was almost not a thing – in fact, he hated it. If Rider Strong didn't inadvertently walk into the audition with his new hairstyle (a suggestion of some girls at a sleepover), Shawn Hunter might have looked a little bit different.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Strong admits that he was stuck with his horrible hairstyle until the show was canceled. He told them:

I hated my hair. I came to the audition with that hairstyle, got the part, and the director Michael Jacobs never let me cut it from there on out. A bunch of girls at a sleepover told me to wear my hair like that — parted down the center — and I was 12, so I listened. It was my version of Christian Slater. But my hair is wavy and they would straighten it on the show and it would take forever. I wanted to cut my hair so bad, but the only time I got to was when we found out the show was going to be canceled.
(#3) So Many Child Actors Were Fired From The Show, The Cast Made A Joke Of It

Cory was originally supposed to have a second best friend, but none of the actors seemed to work out. One was fired after the next. Because Cory's second best friend always sat in a specific seat in the cafeteria, it was dubbed "the death chair" by the rest of the cast.

Eventually, the writers just gave up on filling the role.