Boy Meets World Cast Says William Daniels Is 'Still Giving' Them 'Pearls of Wisdom' Today

Dory Jackson
Updated ·4 min read
Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and William Daniels
Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and William Daniels

Tommaso Boddi/Getty, Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

Art intimates life!

Boy Meets World fans are no stranger to the guidance that William Daniels' character, Mr. Feeny, often shared with his young students. But according to series alums Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle, their former costar is still advising them to this day.

"He's still giving [advice]," Friedle, 45, tells PEOPLE exclusively while promoting the trio's new Pod Meets World podcast. "95 years old and he still shoots out the pearls of wisdom. His wife, Bonnie, as well. Talking to them is still magical."

Fishel, 41, says that she even got to ask the longtime couple, who appear on the podcast, for their advice on "how to make a marriage last that long."

Related video: Trina McGee says 'Boy Meets World' stars have apologized for racism on set

"His advice was actually just really great for all relationships. He said open communication and honesty and respect. I was like, yeah. I think that's exactly why the three of us have remained this close over the course of 30 years," she explains, referencing her friendship with Friedle and Strong. "So if you're willing to listen, Bill is dropping gems left and right."

RELATED: Boy Meets World Star William Daniels 'Very Content' at 95, Shares Secret to 70 Years of Marriage

BOY MEETS WORLD -
BOY MEETS WORLD -

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Both Friedle and Strong also agree that Daniels "was just a model of professionalism on the set" of the 1990s hit. As a result, the young cast was able to learn from his example.

"When we were kids, goofing off and having a good time, he was very much a Feeny-like presence, even when the cameras weren't there, in terms of knowing his lines, being a complete professional, being on time," Strong, 42, explains. "Those were things that we needed to see, and had to learn to emulate in order to be professionals in the industry."

Friedle was in agreement with his costar. "That's basically what I got from him too," he says. "He really taught me how to be a professional actor, and that matters."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Adding to Williams' praise, Fishel recalls how Williams shared on the podcast how he navigated working alongside the young cast.

"He mentioned how much he really was hands-off with us, as far as him not giving us a lot of direction or advice. He really treated us as his equals, as far as being an actor," she says, recalling Williams' comments. "Which, when I look back on it, I remember feeling like, it was out of a little bit of disdain, 'I can't deal with you because you guys are children.' And I felt like maybe we were unruly."

"And now, I recognize that it was actually a huge form of respect. That he knew we were professionals, we were going to get it done, we had a different process than he did because we were 12 and 16, or 12, 13, 16, but he was going to let us come to it honestly," she continues. "I think that's something that I really learned from him now in my relationships with young actors. I direct for children's TV almost exclusively now, and I treat them as if they were any other peer or equal of mine. I think I really learned that from Bill."

RELATED: See the Stars of Full House, Boy Meets World, Family Matters & More Together Again at '90s Con

Pod Meets World Podcast Art
Pod Meets World Podcast Art

Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio

The trio's love and appreciation for Williams is among a plethora of subjects that will be discussed on their new iHeartRadio podcast, Pod Meets World.

Fishel, Rider and Friedle will be rewatching all seven seasons of the beloved sitcom, which ran from 1993 to 2000. They will share their favorite memories from that time as well as behind-the-scenes moments.

Along the way, series alums like Williams, Trina McGee and Matthew Lawrence will stop by to reminisce about their time on the show.

Strong says listeners can expect "so much" from the podcast. "I think on the surface level, they can rewatch Boy Meets World and hear us talking and enjoying the world for the first time, and sort of just going back and revisiting scenes," he says.

"Hopefully, we have some good behind-the-scenes stories to pepper in," he continues. "Then, I think there's another level, which is kind of like this memoir project where we are going to be constantly reflecting on our own lives and how the things we don't remember or do remember are now being sort of reevaluated."

The first episode of Pod Meets World is available now wherever podcasts are streamed.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Bitter neighbour boundary dispute been settled in court - after raging for DECACES

    A bitter neighbour boundary dispute has been settled in court - after raging for DECADES. The row between two warring pensioners revolves around a quarter of an acre of disputed territory - with both parties saying it has cost them tens of thousands and affected their mental health. Angela Coupe, 70, claims she first bought 1.5 acres of land in 1972, a five minute drive from her detached bungalow in Chesterfield, which she used for horses in 1974. She built a wooden post along a concrete boundary which she said had been there since the 1930s. The retired social worker and former Marie Curie nurse said she was “horrified” when she caught her neighbour Ian Revell, 66, and his late father moving the posts in her field in the mid 1990s and approached them. She claims that she is entitled to 1.5 acres, and that the Revell family sold a quarter of an acre in 1945, leaving them with 0.77 of an acre. However, Mr Revell has refused to budge and hit back at her claims. He claims they are each entitled to one acre, meaning that Angela is currently encroaching by taking half an acre more than she is entitled to. For nearly 30 years the two families have been at loggerheads, but Southern Derby Magistrates Court has now ruled in favour of Mr Revell with a judge ruling his adversary had lied about putting up a fence. Following the verdict, Angela said she was "appalled" while Ian said it was only right as he claimed the plot had been in his family for years. Angela has levelled the land she believes she owns and placed the good soil inside her boundary for further use for the land. She has also now claimed Mr Revell trapped the top soil in when he moved the fence. She uses the land for her animals, including four rescue pigs.

  • Springwatch's Chris Packham and stepdaughter Megan McCubbin unite for heartwarming cause

    The duo are raising money for the Bat Conservation Trust and the Helping Rhinos charity as part of Big Give's Green Match Fund campaign

  • KPMG hires former prisoners amid battle to reduce crime

    One of Britain’s Big Four accountancy firms is hiring former prisoners as part of the Government’s push to cut reoffending rates.

  • Former Labour minister Frank Field dies aged 81 after cancer battle

    Frank Field was director of the Child Poverty Action Group between 1969 and 1979, and the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead between 1979 and 2019

  • Q1 2024 Nucor Corp Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Nucor Corp Earnings Call

  • Ofcom issues warning over politician presenters ahead of general election

    The regulator said breaches could result in sanctions.

  • Yen's slide toward 160 level could trigger action, says senior ruling party official

    Japan's ruling party is not yet in active discussion on what yen levels would be deemed worth intervening in the market, though the currency's slide towards 160 to the dollar could prod policymakers to act, party executive, Takao Ochi, told Reuters. "There is no broad consensus right now, but if the yen slides further toward 160 or 170 to the dollar, that may be deemed excessive and could prompt policymakers to consider some action," Ochi said in an interview on Tuesday. Right now, however, there has been little active discussion on what yen levels would be deemed appropriate for such action, said Ochi, the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) research commission on the finance and banking systems.

  • Lloyds profits drop 28% after bumper 2023

    The banking group's results showed it had made less money from loans and mortgages compared with last year.

  • Shogun, review: historical epic shows others how it’s done with a finale of grace and guile

    The original 1980 Shōgun mini-series was a romping epic featuring gratuitous beheadings and a hunky Richard Chamberlain wandering around looking confused. Disney+’s new adaptation of James Clavell’s best-selling chronicle of dynastic rivalry in 17th-century Japan is far more sparing in its use of violence. The only ones likely to be stumbling around perplexed, meanwhile, are viewers who failed to give this dense but ultimately gripping historical drama the necessary attention.

  • Brokerage Haitong removes long-term Hong Kong unit chief Lin, appoints new head

    Chinese brokerage Haitong Securities removed Lin Yong from chief executive of its Hong Kong-based offshore unit, according to an internal memo and a company source with knowledge of the matter. Lin, who had been Haitong International Securities' CEO in Hong Kong since 2007, was removed from the top post, according to the memo reviewed by Reuters. He is one of the longest-serving helmsman at any Chinese investment bank in Hong Kong, leading the offshore unit to become one of the banks that issued the most offshore high yield bonds of Chinese companies in the last decade.

  • Pensioners' fears over income tax burden

    Charities report heightened concern among pensioners who fear being dragged into paying income tax.

  • Famous garden's cherry blossoms reveal hidden secret

    Stunning images show Alnwick Garden in full bloom – as social media users say the aerial shots reveal a saucy secret. The garden's famous cherry blossom orchard boasts the largest Taihaku orchard in the world with 329 trees. Amazing aerial photos and video show that despite the wet spring, the blossom has finally bloomed. Once the blossom falls, the tens of thousands of petals will be used to flavour a £35-a-bottle Cherry Blossom gin.

  • Dow Jones Futures: Market Rallies, Tesla Soars As Elon Musk Touts 'Affordable' EV, Robotaxi

    The rally attempt is gaining steam. Tesla soared as Elon Musk said "affordable" EVs will come in 2025 and touted robotaxis.

  • 'It's Not New': Sally Nugent Leaves Grant Shapps Squirming Over Sunak's Defence Spending Pledge

    Experts say the extra spending is £55 billion less than the PM claimed.

  • Devil's Bend to stay shut into summer after Bramcote wall collapse

    Investigations are needed to be carried out before weeks of repairs could begin, a councillor said.

  • Baby Reindeer's Jessica Gunning Has A Message For People Trying To Work Out Martha's Real Identity

    "It's a real, real shame, because it shows that they haven't watched the show properly."

  • Amnesty denounces 'ongoing erosion' of human rights in France

    French authorities in 2023 imposed excessive and illegitimate restrictions on people’s right to demonstrate, the rights group Amnesty International said in a report published Wednesday. It pointed in particular to clampdowns on protests that saw arrests and the use of force during rallies against issues such as the government’s unpopular pensions reform, plans to build “mega-basin” water reservoirs in rural France, and the war in Gaza. Amnesty's 2023 annual report accuses the government of syste

  • ClearSign Technologies Corp (CLIR) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript Highlights: Significant ...

    Discover how CLIR's innovative strategies and financial achievements in Q4 2023 are setting the stage for future success.

  • Enova International Inc (ENVA) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript Highlights: Strong Growth and ...

    ENVA reports significant revenue and earnings growth, with a focused discussion on capital returns and operational efficiencies.

  • Stride Inc (LRN) (Q3 2024) Earnings Call Transcript Highlights: Robust Growth and Strategic ...

    Stride Inc reports significant revenue and net income increases, with strategic plans for further expansion and operational enhancements.