While most people want their first kiss to be memorable, the reality can often be different. Danielle Fishel falls into this category as she didn’t really enjoy her first kiss. If given the chance, the actress wants to go back and change those circumstances. Fishel was a teen icon in the 90s when she starred in ‘Boy Meets World‘ alongside Ben Savage. Both of them were ruling television with the characters of Topanga and Cory, respectively. The hit show had one of the most adorable scenes ever which turned out to be frightening for Fishel back then, as she was asked to kiss Savage.
It also, however, turned out to be Fishel’s first kiss. But the fact that it occurred in front of a live studio audience wasn’t really an exciting experience for her. In fact, it was the opposite.
‘Danielle Fishel Was ‘Uncomfortable’ While Shooting Her Kissing Scene In ‘Boy Meets World’
The TV personality portrayed Topanga Lawrence in the classic 1993 sitcom. She also reprised her role for its 2014 spin-off ‘Girl Meets World.’ Recently, Fishel recalled a moment from the show in an episode of Brian Baumgartner’s podcast ‘Off the Beat.’ The scene was with her co-star Ben Savage during season 1’s ‘Cory’s Alternative Friends’ episode. There, Topanga had to smooch Cory (Savage) against a locker.
The model specifically remembered the nervousness surrounding the scene. “Not only had I never kissed anybody before, but I had certainly never kissed anybody in front of a live studio audience that’s also housing my grandparents and parents,” she told ‘The Office‘ alum Baumgartner. “Like, everyone is there.”
“We didn’t rehearse the actual kiss throughout the week because we were 12 and I don’t think anyone felt real comfortable with like, ‘Yeah, just all day today, you guys are just going to kiss against this locker for as many times as we’re going to rehearse it,'” Fishel continued. The producers wanted that “nervous energy,” and Fishel was convinced she would pee her pants once filming day rolled around. “I was so nervous,” she said.
Ben Savage previously shared similar sentiments. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2018, he mentioned harboring the same nervous energy. “That was my first ever TV kiss, and I was very nervous because we did that scene in front of a live audience,” he said. “I was nervous! Pretty girl, tons of people watching, there’s a locker. I didn’t know what to do. But it was fine, it was fine.”
Fishel Accuses The ABC Show Of Not Portraying Body Positivity
The ‘Peter Pan‘ star also opened up about facing body issues and the role ‘Boy Meets World‘ played in instigating them. She told Insider in a joint interview with Will Friedle and Rider Strong that she doesn’t think the hit sitcom addressed body image in a “positive” way.
The now-turned director also spoke about facing similar issues while filming the show. “I was terrified to eat,” she told the magazine at the time. Fishel weighed only 89 pounds when she was 16. At times, she would take laxatives and eat a diet of only iceberg lettuce to try and lose weight.
Fishel told People that when she collapsed on set one day she “realized this was not a game. I’ve learned to be comfortable in my own skin.” It’s unclear when the incident in question happened even though ‘Boy Meets World‘ was promoting questionable messages about body image in its final season as well, which aired in 2000.
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