Danielle Fishel Replaced Bonnie Morgan in Boy Meets World

Danielle Fishel was an integral part of the beloved sitcom “Boy Meets World,” playing quirky classmate turned love interest Topanga Lawrence. The Arizona native grew up on-screen alongside co-stars Ben Savage and Rider Strong, with the series running for a total of 7 Seasons in the ’90s. While there are some things that only adults notice about “Boy Meets World,” even long-time fans might not realize that Fishel wasn’t the first pick for the iconic role.

On the “Pod Meets World” podcast, Fishel, Strong, and Will Friedle interviewed Bonnie Morgan, the actor that was originally cast in the role of Topanga. Morgan, who made guest appearances on shows like “Sister, Sister” and “Blossom,” shared her experience of being caught in a “power struggle” between series director David Trainer and co-creator Michael Jacobs. This ultimately led to her heartbreaking dismissal after her first day on-set. The professional contortionist explained, “I truly believe that David Traynor decided the minute the phone call was made that he was going to get rid of that kid, come hell or high water.”

While a battle of wills might’ve been at the heart of Morgan’s dismissal, there was another reported reason. “It came out very quickly to my agent that the director didn’t think I was pretty enough,” Morgan said. “So that meant that a grown-up, a man, a boss, could lie about me and tell me I was untalented because the fact was he didn’t think I was pretty.”

Bonnie Morgan opened up about being cast in the role of Topanga on “Boy Meets World” during her “Pod Meets World” interview. She revealed that she felt the character was being developed alongside her auditions. “I had three callbacks,” she explained. “Weirdly, every time I’d audition, we’d talk a lot. I’m a loquacious fellow and every time I’d come back, the script would change slightly–it seemed [that the script changed] to what we had talked about.”

While Morgan ultimately landed the role of Topanga, her first day on set didn’t go well. “It was the weirdest day of my life,” she said. “The table read was great, fun, it was all there… The minute I was separated out, it was another story.” Morgan recounted negative interactions with the wardrobe team, who dressed her in an out-of-character outfit, and both Ben Savage and director David Trainer.

“Ben started kind of poking at me a little bit,” she said. “He would make faces and try to break me, and it worked. At this point, I was becoming a nervous wreck… And David was just like, ‘Get it together.'” She also remembered Trainer repeatedly urging her to say a line more sweetly, getting really close to her in a way that intimidated her. “I was so tiny at that moment,” she said. “I was amazed and knew not what to say.”

Bonnie Morgan was fired after her first day on “Boy Meets World,” with the production team already looking for her replacement following the initial rehearsal. On “Pod Meets World,” Danielle Fishel and director David Trainer recounted how the role went to Fishel. “I had auditioned for the role of Topanga, and I did not even get a callback,” Fishel recalled, noting that she was instead cast as one of Cory and Shawn’s classmates. In this way, the Arizona native was on set when production began looking for a replacement.

She and Marla Parlor, another actor on set, were asked to each read a scene before going home. “I don’t remember what scene it was, but all of a sudden, it was apparent that Marla and I were re-auditioning for this other character,” Fishel said. Parlor reportedly auditioned first, with Fishel and her mom overhearing the success of the screening as they waited outside the room. By the time her own audition was over, Fishel was sure that her castmate was going to get the role.

“I walked out, and I burst into tears,” she said, revealing that she was tearfully sharing the bad news with her dad on the car phone when he received a call on the other line. “Then my dad comes back and says, ‘That was someone named Sally Steiner, and she told you to come back on Monday as Topanga,'” Fishel said. “And I just screamed. My mom looks at me, and I go, ‘I got it!’ [and] we just start screaming in the car.”