For nearly a decade from 1993 to 2000, Danielle Fishel portrayed the lovable Topanga Lawrence on the hit sitcom, Boy Meets World. Originally, Topanga was a free-spirited pre-teen who took pride in her unique personality. However, as the show progressed, Topanga became a smart and funny teenager who easily won the affection of her longtime friend, Corey Matthews. Corey and Topanga’s relationship quickly became the show’s focal point, and television loving millenials everywhere wished that one day they would find such an incredible love. When the show ended after seven seasons, fans were forced to face a world without Corey and Topanga. Fortunately for Lawrence, the show’s popularity helped catapult career and she made several on-screen appearances since the show’s end. However, it was difficult for viewers to see her as anyone other than Topanga. However, Fishel has shared that she doesn’t mind being remembered as Topanga.
In a recent interview, Fishel shared: …people didn’t want to see me as anything other than Topanga…But I can’t really say that frustrated me. Because the way I’ve always looked at it is that actors work their entire lives to be remembered for just one role. So the fact that I was lucky enough to do that for seven years, I always looked at that as, yeah, could it frustrate me that no one wants to give me another job, or would I rather look at it and say I was lucky enough to play a character that resonated with people?” Luckily for Fishel, she was able to reprise her famous role on Disney’s new sitcom, Girl Meets World, a spin-off which features Corey and Topanga’s young daughter, Riley Matthews; giving a whole new generation a chance to witness the greatness that is Corey and Topanga.
Although Fishel has now been reintroduced to the world as Lawrence, time has revealed that her and her on-screen persona really aren’t very much alike. While they are both lovable and lovely women; here are five differences between Danielle Fishel and Topanga Lawrence.
5. Danielle Fishel never dated Ben Savage.
During Boy Meets World’s original run, rumors began to surface that Danielle Fishel and her on-screen boyfriend and co-star, Ben Savage, had started an off-screen romance. However, Fishel later revealed that the two never dated in real life, stating: “That rumor was entirely my fault because I once said, on ‘The Tyra Banks Show,’ that Ben and I went on a date, and that turned into ‘Danielle and Ben dated…We went on one date, when I was about 15, and by the time the dinner was over we realized mutually that we were more like family than lovers.”
4. Danielle Fishel went to prom with Lance Bass from N’SYNC.
Fishel may not have dated Ben Savage, but she did date another well-known celebrity, N’SYNC’s Lance Bass. From 1999 to 2000, Fishel and Bass were in a relationship, and the couple even went to prom together. Fishel, who thought Bass would be performing overseas at the time of her prom, was surprised when Bass sent her a dozen roses with a note that read: ““Will you go to prom with me? Check yes or no.”
3. Danielle Fishel has been arrested.
In 2007, Danielle Fishel surprised Boy Meets World fans everywhere when she was arrested on a drunk driving warrant in California. Fortunately for Fishel, she was released from jail shortly after her arrest; however, many fans felt like their childhood had been tainted by Fishel’s behavior which completely contradicted that of her well-known character.
2. Danielle Fishel attended California State University.
Topanga, who was portrayed as a good and responsible student, attended college immediately after high school at Philadelphia’s fictitious Pennbrook University; however, in real life, Fishel took a much different path. At the age of 27, she decided to attend school at California State University, Fullerton. After graduating, Fishel shared her struggles with going back to school as an adult, stating: “I had attempted to go a couple times before then, even going so far as to take my placement exams and sign up for classes, but I could never follow through and actually go. I was too afraid of being the old lady in class, of being whispered about, and especially of not remembering how to do simple math equations…After my 27th birthday, I made the decision to stop letting fear be a factor in fulfilling my dreams and living the life I wanted, so with a little encouragement from friends and family, I enrolled. And I went. I went every day and took copious notes and studied my little old lady heart out. Yes, I was sometimes the oldest person in class, I was whispered about many times, and I did forget how to do a few math equations. But I persevered and sometimes I wasn’t the oldest person in class, some of the whisperers became good friends, and I did so well in math, I even became a tutor. And that is how I met my fiancé.”
1. Danielle Fishel wasn’t the first choice for the role of Topanga.
Imagine what the world (and, if you’re under 30, your childhood) would be like if Danielle Fishel was never cast as Topanga Lawrence. Surprisingly, that was almost the case. In her memoir, Normally, This Would be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness, Fishel reveals that after a terrible audition, she was not offered the role of Topanga. However, Fishel was called in to play another character. Luckily for Fishel, the girl who had been chosen to play Topanga had some difficulties taking direction on set and was let go after just one day. The producers then gave Fishel another chance to audition for the part, and the rest is history.
(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Tacori)
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