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Danielle Fishel, the actress best known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on the iconic 1990s show “Boy Meets World,” recently shared her struggles with body image during the height of her fame.
In a candid interview, Fishel discussed the challenges she faced growing up in the spotlight and revealed how her self-doubt almost led her to abandon her acting career.
“Even though it was never explicitly said, I understood that those in charge viewed my body as problematic,” Fishel, now 44, told Us Weekly. “I specifically recall the period around the prom episode in 1998, and how there was a reluctance for me to wear sleeveless outfits.”
As the series drew to a close, Fishel struggled with feelings of inadequacy, believing that her weight gain made her less appealing.
“Every day on set was a challenge for me because I was so uncomfortable,” she admitted. “I felt unattractive due to the weight I had gained and wished to be anywhere but there. I probably came across as quite grumpy.”
During the show’s last season, the executives addressed her weight gain in one episode titled, “She’s Having My Baby Back Ribs.” In the episode, Topanga pretends to be pregnant as she struggles with body insecurities.
Now, watching back, Fishel said those feelings of inadequacy almost ended her on-camera career moving forward.
“I feel some cognitive dissonance because I’m aware that what my eyes are seeing doesn’t match up with the way I feel watching,” she admitted. “It just doesn’t feel good. The season 7 episodes are tainted with the feeling of incredible insecurity and fear of being on camera, which was hard for me to shake and probably why I didn’t really want to go forward with a career on camera.”
“I wouldn’t say or do [anything] differently other than be more accepting and loving of myself,” she added.
Fishel became a household name on the hit series “Boy Meets World,” starring as Topanga Lawrence. She landed the role at age 12 and starred in the show for seven years.
The former child star, who recently competed on “Dancing with the Stars,” previously spoke about how her loved ones kept her grounded in Hollywood, despite her childhood fame.
“My family is the thing that keeps me grounded,” the “Boy Meets World” star told Fox News Digital, while standing next to her dance partner Pasha Pashkov.
“My family didn’t need me to have a job, but they allowed me to have a job, because I wanted it. And because of that, they then made sure I still came home from work and picked up the dog poop in the backyard,” the actress said.
“Every morning I still had to make my bed, and they never let me go to like, you know, teen nightclubs,” Fishel explained.
The star said her mom told her, “‘If you don’t want to do this anymore, you just say the word, and I will whip this car around so fast your head will spin.’”
Fishel explained that her mom’s advice would always come to mind when she started taking things for granted.
“My mom would remind me that this was, at one time, a dream for me. And if it no longer becomes a dream, then let it go.
“And then I would think to myself, ‘Is this still a dream? No, it’s still a dream.’ And you just keep going,” the actress said.
During her time on “DWTS,” Fishel said she was feeling “comfortable in my body, more like I kind of know what I’m doing, more familiar with just the space and what the days and nights are like.”
“My confidence has definitely grown each week,” despite how difficult the choreography can be.