The Topanga Lawrence depicter on the ABC sitcom details the humiliating experience in a new episode of her 'Pod Meets World' podcast alongside director David Trainer and co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle.
- Jul 29, 2022
AceShowbiz - Danielle Fishel recalled being humiliated by "Boy Meets World" creator Michael Jacobs on her first day on the set. The actress, who played Topanga Lawrence on the ABC sitcom, detailed the bad experience in a new episode of her "Pod Meets World" podcast alongside director David Trainer and co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle.
Danielle, who was only 12 at the time, revealed that after she first auditioned for the role on the ABC sitcom, she never received a callback. However, she was asked to read for the part again when the original actor didn't work out. She noted that she spoke very fast when she was young and she worked hard on it all day during rehearsals.
"I had never been a part of his marathon notes session. This was my first one because it was my very fist week," the 30-year-old actress shared. "Michael starts off the notes by saying, 'Danielle, I'm going to give you your notes all at one time, at the end and I'm going to give everyone else their notes now, because if I made everyone sit here through all of the notes I had for you, we would all be here for hours and no one would ever get to go home. So you're just going to wait for the end.' "
She went on to recount, "From that moment on, my eyes welled up because you know, I'm now in front of everybody - all the producers, all the writers, all the cast and all eyes are on me for a second."
Michael then called Danielle's mother down from the audience to join the two of them at a table on set after he finished with all the others' notes. "He went through every single one of my lines and what he wanted and what I wasn't doing right and how slow I needed to talk," she said, adding that she's sweating while recalling the moment. "What I know specifically was said is, 'All I know is, if you don't come back tomorrow doing this entirely differently, you are also not going to be here,' referencing the girl I had replaced."
David then chimed in, saying, "I worked for Michael for years on multiple shows. This is a hateful story." He acknowledged, "There's many wonderful things about him, but there's hateful things. This is one. To hear this, you're sweating? I'm really pissed. It's enough to make me want to sign off of this podcast. I don't want to be associated with anything that guy is associated with. This is just not how you do things. I'm glad it became a hit, but this is disgusting."
The director continued, "Everybody who worked with Michael understood, implicitly or explicitly, whenever Michael lurched to one side of the boat, everybody went to the other side to keep it from going under … The job was - and that's why I hated it ultimately - was to do your job but to also prevent swamping and drowning."
Danielle later shared that the next day, Michael surprisingly praised her for doing a good job. He allegedly said, "Let's give Danielle a round of applause, you did exactly what I asked of you. Thank you, thank you. Congratulations, it was wonderful."
"He gave me some praise about some specific things and then, he started notes. There were no more threats of being fired, I had done the work and I had shown him that I was worthy," Danielle divulged, adding, "It totally sets up that you go after that every week. You're chasing the dragon of Michael approval." Will, however, noted, "He set it up in such a way that for now when he gives you the standing ovation, it's like the sun is shining on you. It had nothing to do with your acting. It was just, make Michael feel good."
