Boy Meets World Stars Say Sabrina Carpenter “Stole” Girl Meets World From Rowan Blanchard

The stars of Boy Meets World are looking back at the first episode of its spinoff, Girl Meets World, and they have some strong opinions about who stole the spotlight.

On their podcast Pod Meets World, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong discussed the premiere of the Disney Channel series. The trio agreed that Sabrina Carpenter, who played Maya Hart, immediately stood out on screen and appeared more naturally comfortable than Rowan Blanchard, who played the lead character, Riley Matthews.

“She’s a star. She steals every scene she’s in,” Friedle said of Carpenter, who went on to become a major pop star with hits including “Espresso.”

Strong agreed, saying, “She steals the episode.”

The former Eric Matthews actor praised Carpenter’s natural presence and ability to entertain. “She’s so comfortable on screen,” Friedle said. “This is what she’s supposed to do. She’s born to entertain.”

Strong, however, said Carpenter’s presence created an imbalance in the show. He stressed that the issue was not Blanchard’s performance, but rather how the two characters were written.

“It’s not Rowan’s fault,” Strong said. “They’re not giving Rowan much help here in terms of character.”

According to Strong, Maya was given a clearer story and more emotional development in the first episode, while Riley’s character felt less defined.

“You’re clearer who she is, you’re clearer how it changes,” he said of Maya. He also praised a scene between Carpenter and Ben Savage, who returned as Cory Matthews, calling it an “earnest moment and a revelation of character.”

By comparison, Strong felt Riley was not given the same depth. “The way they wrote her character is mushy,” he said.

Friedle also pointed out that Carpenter was about three years older than Blanchard, which he believed could make a significant difference when both performers were teenagers.

“An entertainer at 15 is a hell of a lot different than an entertainer at 12,” he said. “Rowan is adorable, and she is great. But Sabrina gets on screen, and you’re like, ‘That’s the star.’”

The podcast hosts also revealed that Carpenter was originally considered for the role of Riley. Fishel said both actresses auditioned for both parts, while Strong recalled that Carpenter was “originally up for the Girl.”

In the end, Blanchard was cast as Riley and Carpenter as Maya, giving the series two central young characters whose friendship became one of its main storylines.

The former Boy Meets World stars also wondered whether Carpenter’s appearance and stronger on-screen edge influenced the casting decision. Friedle said he understood why the producers chose Blanchard for the lead, describing Carpenter as having “more edge.”

Although the actresses shared much of the spotlight throughout the series, Fishel noted that Girl Meets World ultimately became heavily focused on the friendship between Riley and Maya.

Despite their criticism of the show's balance, the Boy Meets World veterans had plenty of praise for its young cast. In fact, they agreed that Blanchard, Carpenter and their fellow actors were more accomplished child performers than the original cast had been when Boy Meets World began.

“I think as a cast, they were better as child actors than we were at the start,” Friedle said.

“100 times,” Strong agreed.

Fishel took it even further: “A million percent.”