Okay, we’re gonna let you in on a secret: We love Danielle Fishel. Like, a whole lot. From the time we first saw her as Topanga on the hit ABC series Boy Meets World, we’ve not only loved the character of Topanga (a dyed-in-the-wool feminist and independent thinker if ever there was one), but we loved Fishel’s depiction of her from the get-go. So naturally, following Fishel over the years and watching her grow as a television actor and eventually move into the director’s chair has been exciting to watch. It’s been one heck of a career journey and one we’ve always wanted to know more about.
Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Fishel and discuss not only her career, but also her latest directing gig on Disney Channel‘s new series, Sydney to the Max. The show follows 7th grader Sydney and her single dad, Max, as Sydney comes of age in the modern world while flashing back to Max’s own coming-of-age story set in the early ’90s. Considering Fishel’s own career, which also began in the early ’90s, we knew there would be tons to talk about.
In our talk, Fishel got candid and in doing so, gave us some wonderful insight into everything from Topanga’s lasting impact to the first big surprise about pregnancy to directing young female actors. Check out what she had to say.
SheKnows: Watching you on Boy Meets World as Topanga was definitely a positive and impactful experience. In the years since you were on the show, have you met other fans who’ve also felt this way? What has that been like?
Danielle Fishel: Certainlyovertheyears, Topangawasaveryimportantcharacterwhentheshowwasoninthe ‘90s,butit’samazingtomehowrelevanthermessageswere and hercharacterisstilltoday. SomanyofthescenesandsomanyoftheclipsofyoungTopanga, strongfeminist thatshewas, getbroughtuptodayareexactlythesame subjectmatter we’retalkingabouttoday. Ithinkshewasaveryprogressivecharacter.Shewasabsolutelysomebodytoaspiretobe.She’swhoIaspiretobe. Ithinkabouther messagesalot andIdohearaboutthatalotfromfemalefans. It‘sthethingactuallythatmeansthemosttome. Therearealotofwonderfulthingsabouthavingdone Boy Meets World butknowingthatsheleftalegacythatyoungwomenandgirlsareabletolearnfrominsuchapositiveway, by beingapositiverolemodel, is somethingthat’sbeenveryimportanttome,bothinmypersonalandmyprofessionallife. KnowingthatevenjustacharacterthatIplayedwassoimpactfulinpeople’slivesisthenumberonethingthatbringsmehappinesswhenitcomestothisjob.
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SK: You mention there are lessons that you’re still learning from Topanga even today. What lessons are you connecting to specifically?
DF: There’sthatfamousquoteshehaswhereshe says, “You are you and I am I […] andif, intheend,weend uptogether, then it’sbeautiful.”Like, it’s about reallyrecognizingpeopleasindividualsandnotastohowtheyrelatetoyoudirectly.It’ssomethingIthinkweallhaveahardtimewith.Youknow,ifyourfriendorsignificantotherbehavesinacertainwayandyoufeellike, “Well,thatlooksbadonme.”They’renotyou.They’renotthesameperson.Everybody’sentitledtotheirownbeliefsandtheirownopinionsandtolivetheirlifethewaythattheywant.Ithinkaboutthatmessagealotbecauseshewassomuchmoreadvanced, certainly morethantypicalteenagersare,thatevenasa37-year-oldwoman,Isometimeshearherinmyhead andIthink, “Gosh,Istillhavesomuchtolearnfromthat 14-year-oldgirl.”
SK: You’re currently pregnant with your first child. Has therebeenanylearningcurves thatyouandyourhusband [writer and comedian Jensen Karp]arecurrentlyexperiencingasyou goonthisjourneytogether?
DF: IrecentlydiscoveredthatI spentmywholelifethinkingsomewhereinthefuture,atsomepoint,Iwouldhaveachildandthattherefore, inaperfectworldforme,Iwouldthenbepregnant.IhaveneverreallyfullywrappedmyheadaroundwhatitwouldfeelliketohaveyourbodykindoftakenoverandtonothaveasmuchcontrolasInormallyhave. IcanhonestlysaythatanytimeI’veeverseenapregnantwoman,Ihavethoughttomyself, “Ohmygosh,howbeautiful.”Likejusthandsdown, whatamiracle, sogorgeous. I’veneveroncelookedatapregnantwomanandthought, “Ohwow,shelooksoverweight.”
NowthatIampregnantmyself,ithasbeensurprisinglyharderthanIevercouldhaveimagined. Toseethenumbersonthescalegoup,tofeelmyclothes gettingtighter. Allofthathasbeensurprisinglyhardforme. Tobehonest,there’sapartofmethatfeelsashamedaboutit.Like,howcomeI’mnotjustlovingeverysecondofthisandhowcomeI’mnotfeelingas beautifulasIthinkotherpregnantwomenlook? I’vehadtodealwiththat.There’sbeenalotofemotionaldayswhereI’vehadtoremindmyselfthatthisisanaturalprocessand it’sokayandthatIcan’tbeincontrolofthis. And Idon’tfeellikeenoughwomen talk aboutit,sothat’swhyIbringitup.
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SK: Have any of your Boy Meets World cast members reached out to you about your pregnancy?
DF: Theyallhaveactuallyin theirownways. Rider [Strong] isafatherhimselfand hasbeen the kindofapersonI’vebeenabletogotoandsay, “Tellmeabout whenAlex [Barreto, Strong’s wife] waspregnantatthisstage.” And Will [Friedle] livesveryclosetomeandwillcheck inonme.Heandhiswifecheck onmeaboutonceaweekandsay, “Isthereanythingwecandoforyou?Doyouneedustopickanythingupforyou?”
Then, lastweek,Ben [Savage] sentJensenandme the baby’sfirstgift. It’sthisadorable spinninglight lantern thathasfishalloveritbecause Jensen’s last name is Karp and my last name before I was married was Fishel which, you know, “fish” and “carp” [connect in that way]. SofishmakeBenthinkofthetwoofus andsohesentuslikeanightlightthathasspinningfishandit’ssocute.
SK: How did you get involved with Sydney to the Max as a director?
DF: I was luckyenoughtobeabletostartdirecting on Girl Meets World.Disney issuchanamazingcompanyabouttryingto [give people opportunities] whenpeopleshowaninterestinsomething. Isaid, “I really want to keep doingthis.Ilovedirecting.” Theywerereallygoodaboutkeepingmeinmind.
Whenthisshowcameabout,theyagreedwithmethatthisshowseemslikeitwouldbesomethingthatwouldberightinmywheelhouseandthey gotmeameetingwiththeexecutiveproducer, Mark Reisman. IwentinandIsatdownandtalkedwithhimandwereallyconnected. Basically,justoutofthegoodnessofhisheart,decidedthathewantedtogivemeanopportunitytodirectinthe firstseason whichisabigdealbecause [Sydney to the Max] ishisbabyandhewantsittobethebestthatitcanpossiblybe andI’manewdirector. Iwassogratefulthathedid.
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SK: Howdidyouapproachdirectingthe young female leads of the show [Ruth Righi and Ava Kolker] girlsandwasitdifferentfromyourapproachwith other actors?
DF: ThegoodnewswasIhadalreadyhadsomeexperiencedirectingyoungfemaleactors [series leads Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter] whenI [directed episodes of] Girl Meets World. It’sdifferentdirectingkidswhohave alotontheirshouldersandtheyknowthatthis is theirshowbuttheyhavealotofpressurebecausethey’restillinschool. ThegreatthingaboutmeasadirectorcomingfromtheexperienceofbeingachildactormyselfisIknowexactlywhatthatfeelslike.Ihavespentalotoftime makingmyselfgoodatknowinghowtotellthemwhatI’mlookingforoutoftheirperformanceandhowtochangethingswithoutthemfeelinglikeitisajudgmentorthattheyjustdidsomethingwrong. Iwantedallofthekidstorealizethatthisisasafespace,thatthey’relearning,they’relearningtheirchops; they’reallyoungactorskindofjustgettingstarted.So,Iwantthemtohavethefreedomtotakerisksandtotrythings. Maybeit’sgoingtowork andmaybeit’snotgoingtowork — andeitherway, it’stotallyfine.
Sydney to the Max airs every Friday at 8:30/7:30c on the Disney Channel.
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