Will Friedle and Rider Strong say Carpenter’s screen presence made the spinoff feel “hugely unbalanced.”
Sabrina Carpenter didn’t play the girl in Girl Meets World.
But according to the stars of Boy Meets World, she certainly knew how to own the screen.
Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong recently revisited the first episode of the Disney Channel spinoff on their podcast Pod Meets World. Offering a surprisingly candid assessment of the show’s young cast.
Their verdict? Sabrina Carpenter, who played Riley Matthews’ best friend Maya Hart, had an undeniable star quality that overshadowed Rowan Blanchard, who played the titular Riley.
“She steals every scene she’s in,” Friedle said.
“She steals the episode,” Strong agreed.
Carpenter’s career has obviously come a long way since Girl Meets World.
Strong argued that Carpenter’s presence created an imbalance in the show, but stressed that Blanchard wasn’t to blame.
“It’s not Rowan’s fault,” he said, arguing that the show simply failed to give its lead enough material to make Riley as compelling as Maya.
Friedle agreed, calling the dynamic “hugely unbalanced” and pointing out that Carpenter was three years older than Blanchard.
“Rowan is adorable, and she is great,” Friedle said. “But Sabrina gets on screen, and you’re like, ‘That’s the star.’”
Strong also felt the writers gave Maya a much clearer character arc in the opening episode, while Riley’s character felt less defined.
“You’re clearer who she is, you’re clearer how it changes,” he said of Maya, while describing Riley’s writing as “mushy.”
“She was originally up for the Girl,” Strong revealed.
Fishel, who played Topanga on both shows, added that Carpenter and Blanchard had actually auditioned for each other’s roles.
Ultimately, the casting team chose Blanchard as Riley and Carpenter as Maya.
With hindsight, though, Girl Meets World accidentally gave the world an early glimpse of a future pop superstar every time Sabrina Carpenter walked onto the screen.
