Rider Strong, known for his role as Shawn Hunter on the beloved sitcom Boy Meets World, recently opened up about his emotional struggles while filming the episode “Getting Hitched.” The episode, which aired as part of the show’s sixth season, delves into themes of grief and loss, particularly exploring Shawn’s parental loss after the death of his father. Strong admitted that accessing this profound sadness throughout production often made him feel miserable and depressed as well.
As for that dramatic storyline, Fuqua shared his own frustration with it, saying, “I was miserable this week. The burden to represent such world-weariness had a profound impact on him. He recalled a distinct moment during filming where he felt he could no longer hold back his emotions, stating, “I have a distinct memory of breaking down this week.”
In this episode, Shawn spokesperson and co-host Shawn wrestles with the emotional fallout from his father’s death. We talked to Strong about that pressure, and how he and his co-stars Blake and Matt dealt with it going into those heavy dramatic scenes.
The episode does a great job pairing Shawn’s serious, more real-life storyline with a much lighter, funnier B-plot. Cory, Topanga, Eric, and Rachel take the plunge into a side-splitting game show known as The Fiancée Game. This subplot provides comic relief, with Eric—played by Will Friedle—offering laughs through his antics, including a moment where he comically misspells the word “penguin.”
Friedle remarked on the dynamics of filming such contrasting storylines, saying, “I think episodes like this, the thing I remember the most about the funny either B or A story, whichever it was, when the other story was really dramatic, usually the cast that was in the funny story was going nuts that week, making each other laugh.”
Despite the challenges of portraying grief, Friedle believed that Strong’s powerful performances during these dramatic moments could lead to significant recognition, commenting that Strong was “gonna go off and win an Emmy” for his work. Specifically, he pointed out her incredible ability to convey unbridled raw emotion. This particular talent sets him apart from clichéd sitcom “goofball” archetypes.
Strong looks back on “Getting Hitched” and opens up about the heavy price of acting. He rings true the difficulty of facing intense subjects such as death. Maitland Ward, who played Rachel in the episode, contributed to the ensemble’s dynamic as they balanced humor and heartache.
