Rider Strong reveals breakdown during emotional role on Boy Meets World.
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Rider Strong broke down on set
Have you ever wondered what happens when actors get fed up with their characters’ storylines? Turns out even famous ’90s stars sometimes hit a breaking point.
Rider Strong, who played troubled teenager Shawn Hunter on “Boy Meets World,” recently opened up about the moment he couldn’t take any more emotional scenes.
“I was completely miserable.”
On the latest episode of “Pod Meets World” (which he hosts with his old co-stars Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle), Strong opened up about losing his temper during Season 6.
“I have a clear memory of breaking down that week,” Strong admitted, talking about rehearsals for the episode “Getting Hitched.”
The timing just wasn’t right. Strong had just finished an emotionally draining episode where his character’s father had died. Then immediately afterward, he had to dive into more grief scenes.
Too much drama, too little fun
While his co-stars were laughing while filming the episode’s lighter storyline — a fun competition called “The Fiancé Game” — Strong was caught in emotional turmoil.
“I was thinking, ‘Why are they putting so much drama on me?'” he confessed, his frustration clearly evident.
“Everyone else was having fun while I was dealing with all this heavy stuff.”
The contrast was clear: Eric (Friedle) was making the audience laugh by spelling “penguin” wrong while Shaun was dealing with his father’s death.
The grass is always greener on the other side
The funny thing is — Friedle saw things completely differently.
While Strong was drowning in dramatic scenes, Friedle felt he was being typecast as the show’s “clown.”
“I used to think Ryder was going to win an Emmy,” Friedle joked, admitting he was sometimes jealous of Strong’s strong characters.
Finding balance
Looking back now, both actors can laugh about it. They realize the show actually gave them both plenty of chances to show off their different acting skills.
Sometimes you have to take a few years away from something to really appreciate the balance that was always there.
What is clear is that bringing these teen characters to life wasn’t always as fun as it looked on screen, especially when you’re the one carrying the emotional burden of the episode on your young shoulders.