Danielle Fishel was an on-screen idol. She was a role model for morals and intelligence. She was an independent female figure and an inspiration for a belief in astrology. For many UCLA students, she lived in our living rooms for seven years as the sometimes-always long-lost, but soon-found lover of the whiney Corey Matthews. She was Topanga.
Though she no longer resides in Los Angeles (“I just wanted to get away from the traffic”), the 25-year-old “Boy Meets World” star still lives in the past.
When she was 10, Fishel decided she wanted to be a model. However, her height was hindrance. “My mom said I couldn’t be a model because I was only 2 1/2 feet tall,” she said.
But then one of her friends told Fishel about her agent, and getting TV roles. “She said, “˜I don’t think you have to be tall to be on TV.’ So I went home and begged my mom for a solid year to let me go into the entertainment industry,”
Fishel started with commercial work and small television roles, but soon nabbed the biggest part of her life as a guest star on “Boy Meets World.” She proved to be perfect spark for the show, and, as Topanga Lawrence, help to carry the TGIF staple through seven seasons of success.
Danielle Fishel once enjoyed the celebrity lifestyle, gracing the cover of magazines and dating pop star Lance Bass, but she is now content with her boyfriend of over two years (they have a cat together), her Chrylser 300B, and the iPod she takes to the gym, on which she listens to “Drop it Like it’s hot” and the entire album of a different former “˜NSync member, Justin Timberlake.
Even in her heyday, she was never a Hollywood party girl. Shopping is her drug. She self-admittedly owns about 130 pairs of shoes.
But today, Danielle Fishel satisfies her shopaholic lifestyle by shopping at Target. In an interview with Devon Dickau, she was unsurprisingly kind and refreshingly down-to-earth.
On Tuesday, Lions Gate will release Fishel’s new movie “Gamebox 1.0,” which won “Best Screenplay” and “Best Visual Effects” at the Horror and Fantasy Film Festival in Malaga, Spain. Also starring Nate Richert (Harvey from “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), the film follows a video game tester named Charlie (Richert) who recieves and tests a mysterious game system after the death of his girlfriend Kate (Fishel) ““ who also manifests as the adventurous “Princess” of the game itself.
Daily Bruin: “Gamebox 1.0″ is a far cry from your past acting roles. Why did you decide to do the film?
Danielle Fishel: It was the third movie I’ve done with the Hillenbrand brothers. And I’m a big video game fan. I grew up in the Nintendo era playing Super Mario Brothers and it was always a dream of mine to be the princess of these video games. Anybody who’s a video game fan should see this movie. Anyone who likes the movie “Tron” or even saw “Tron.” It’s great to see what you can do with special effects.
DB: How was the experience different from projects you’ve worked on in the past?
DF: Practically the whole movie took place in this video game world, so it was on a green screen. Actually, it was more like a green stage. So we spent four weeks, 14 to 18-hour days surrounded by neon green paint. Without an environment to work in, you just really have to rely on your imagination and the actors around you. Also, when I act, I’m really expressive with my face, so the biggest challenge for me was trying to play the part like a video game character. We all know they aren’t very expressive. So I had to put all of my emotion into my eyes.
DB: You also had to wear massive amounts of makeup for the duration of the film to make you seem more “video game-like.”
DF: (Laughs) In person you look like a complete freak.
DB: Do you find yourself fitting better into independent film roles such as “Gamebox 1.0″ or do you hope to make your way into mainstream film?
DF: There are so many more interesting things going on in independent movies. But more than anything I’d like to get back into mainstream television. I don’t particularly like making movies.
DB: What about TV is so much more appealing?
DF: I like to work with the same people over an extended period of time. With movies, indie films especially, you work with a group for three weeks or a month. Then you don’t hear again from them for a year. With TV, you have a different story line everyday or at least every week. There is constant change, but it’s the same people and because your work is so fast-paced the product is almost immediate.
DB: Topanaga on “Boy Meets World” is by far your most famous screen character. Do you feel typecast when you look for roles today?
DF: A lot of casting directors don’t have the imagination we think they do. They might be great at their jobs, but once they see you in a role you’re set. So it is a challenge. I just recently went brunette for the first time and I also lost 25 pounds. So I think that will help.
DB: What are you most proud of in your acting career so far?
DF: I decided to do the National Lampoon movies (“National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze” and “Dorm Daze 2″) because the role was entirely different from Topanga. But overall what I’m most proud of is Topanga.
DB: Do you still stay in touch with the cast from “Boy Meets World?”
DF: We still keep in touch. We are certainly not able to get together because we live kind of spread out. But they are like family to me; they are like my brothers.
DB: How did your experience on “Boy Meets World” prepare you for the future?
DF: In a way, being in a sitcom from 12 to 19 years old kind of changed everything about me. I grew up faster than a lot of my peers. Overall, it just prepared me for all the different walks of life that are out there. I’m certainly a more compassionate person. I realized from a young age how hard it is to work regularly in this industry and I felt very blessed from the time I was young.
DB: Do you feel nostalgic for a childhood you might have missed because you were in Hollywood making a hit show instead of going to school with your friends?
DF: Not at all. I got to experience quite a lot for my childhood. Unlike a lot of child stars, I always went back to my school when the show was on hiatus. I went to every school dance, all the football games. Of course, when you’re working a full-time job it’s hard to be in school also. But the only thing I never got to do was be a cheerleader. I always really wanted to do that.
DB: When you were younger you dreamt of coming to UCLA to study psychology after you graduated high school. What happened?
DF: I would still love to take a psychology course some day – maybe at UCLA. I know everyone says, “You’re never too old to go back to college,” but I would feel pretty ridiculous at 26 years old sitting in the classroom with all the young college kids. When I was 19 (and “Boy Meets World” had just ended), the idea of enrolling in a full-time school when I had just worked my ass off at a full-time job for so long did not seem appealing. It was mostly laziness. So I kind of just took a year off, and that year turned into more time.
DB: But you’re a sports fan. What about UCLA basketball?
DF: Unfortunately, I don’t follow NCAA sports. I know you guys are famous for your basketball. And Jordan Farmar came from UCLA, right? I’m a huge Lakers fan.
DB: What other sports teams do you follow?
DF: I am a number one Dallas Cowboys fan, ever since the Rams left L.A. And of course the Lakers. I watch all the games.
DB: Do you watch TV besides sports?
DF: If I’m going to watch TV I’m going to watch sports. And Oprah.
DB: If you are flipping channels and you see “Boy Meets World” on TV do you stop and watch?
DF: When we were doing the show I just couldn’t watch it. It was like watching an embarrassing home movie of yourself everyday. Now, it’s not on my TiVo or anything, but if I happen to see it at 1 a.m. I’ll watch it. Now it’s like watching a home movie of yourself when you were a baby.
DB: You prefer to act in TV over movies. But what about watching movies?
DF: I don’t really enjoy going to the movies. I’d much rather enjoy a movie at home that I can pause and rewind if I missed what they said. I just got “Half Nelson” from Netflix.
DB: In addition to a few guest-starring roles on television programs, you’ve been working with “The Tyra Banks Show.” Tell me about your work.
DF: I am a correspondent for the show. I do field segment pieces on various issues. It’s always been a dream of mine to be involved in a talk show, and Tyra has some really great messages for women and girls.
DB: Speaking of messages, when you a young Hollywood starlet you were the antithesis of what Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are today. Are you still a good girl?
DF: I don’t party. That’s not to say I never did. But that’s not really my cup of tea. I’ll go out maybe twice a year now and I’d much prefer cooking dinner and watching a movie at home. Or a sports game.
DB: I assume you don’t have the paparazzi on your tail every waking moment, but how often are you recognized on the streets?
DF: Everyday. I don’t mind being recognized at all. Especially when people aren’t rude about it. I’m absolutely recognized for “Boy Meets World” more than anything else, but not many people say, “hey, I saw you on the Tyra Show.” It’s nice when people notice your work. But I definitely don’t appreciate it when people scream “Topanga!” across a restaurant. That’s not my name.
DB: UCLA is full of struggling actors. What advice do you have for someone trying to break into the business?
DF: You’re going to have a lot more rejection than acceptance. Not everyone will think you’re right for a role, even if you think you’re perfect. Sometimes it just takes one good role to make a career.