Danielle Fishel felt 'awkward' over weight-gain storyline
TV star Danielle Fishel felt awkward about her weight being the inspiration for a storyline.
'Boy Meets World' star Danielle Fishel felt "awkward" about her weight-gain being the focus of a storyline.
The 43-year-old actress - who played Topanga Lawrence on the teen sitcom - has recalled reluctantly agreeing to star in an episode in which her real-life weight would form a central part of the plot.
Danielle said on the 'Pod Meets World' podcast: "They called me into the office to tell me they were going to [write about it] - it wasn't really like they asked.
"Obviously, it was Will [Friedle, her co-star] and I. Will had gained some weight. I had gained some weight. [And the writers said], 'Obviously, you guys have gained a little bit of weight, so we're gonna write an episode about it. And we just wanted you to know. And here's what it's gonna be. It's gonna be really funny.'"
Danielle and her co-star both felt uncomfortable about the idea but they still agreed to go ahead with it.
She recalled: "Will very much was like, 'Oh, yeah. I'm totally fine with it.' Just immediately. Which, I know now, he was very insecure, and it was really painful for him.
"And for me, it was more like, 'Oh, wow.' Like, I didn't - no one had said anything to me about it. I had been aware that I had gained weight, but I was still you know, I was a size 4.
"And so, I remember thinking, wow, these people think I've gained enough weight [that] we have to write an entire episode about my weight gain ... And I have to say I'm fine with it, because they didn't even present to me another alternative. And even if they did, I probably wouldn't have felt comfortable being like, 'Yeah. I don't wanna do that.'"
Danielle can still recall feeling under intense pressure when the idea was presented to her.
She said: "It's such a weird situation, so much pressure."
