Former Boy Meets World series star Maitland Ward has been sharing her own stories via a new book Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me From Hollywood and interviews related to its release. Recently, she spoke out about playing Rachel on the popular TGIF series. While the redheaded character was definitely memorable through the show’s college years, not everything was great for Ward on set, and she’s spoken out recently about being pigeon-holed into “sitcom characters” and, particularly, sex symbols. Now, she’s recounted some particularly unsavory experiences from her time on Boy Meets World.
Maitland Ward was sharing about how her porn career has led to a boon in finances when the topic of Boy Meets World came up. While she’s said in the past she was “sexualized” on the set of Boy Meets World, she’s opened up in her book about exactly how that came about.
I was asked to try on lingerie for [BMW] producers in the office. This happened more than once, as Rachel was the only character to consistently take off her clothes. An assistant would gather me from my dressing room and take me upstairs where I’d be provided with a series of options, some playful and girlish, some so provocative I knew that Disney would never approve them, but still I would try them on. I’d strip down behind a curtain so thin I’m sure they could see the silhouette of my naked form.
Her character, the roommate of two boys, Jack and Eric, on the show, was a character who was seen as the “sexy roommate” type. The guys – Corey and Shawn included – would often oggle over her when she walked into a room. I particularly remember one scene in which she wanders in in teeny-tiny pajamas and Corey and Shawn both take a break from making out with their characters' girlfriends Topanga and Angela to sigh “ay.”
This scene still lives on on the interwebs, so it’s clearly a portion of the TGIF series that is remembered by fans. Years later the thought of an actress on a show with an intimacy coordinator, like House of the Dragon for example, modeling underwear in a small office away from set in front of producers or putting leads in other uncomfortable situations is seemingly happening less and less. But in the ‘90s Maitland Ward admits this type of thing was par for the course for her and she writes even famous showrunner Michael Jacobs was involved, per Rated X:
As I changed, I could hear the group of them — mostly men — making small talk and laughing as an audience would before a show. When I stepped out, I was directed to stand in the center while they’d make their judgments on whether it showed too much or not nearly enough to get the boys excited. ‘You’re like a daughter to me,’ Michael [Jacobs] said, shaking his head, with a laugh of embarrassment.And then I’d be directed to try on something else.
The Boy Meets World cast has been in the public eye in general a lot lately, as a new podcast has looked into behind-the-scenes memories from set from Mr. Feeny himself William Daniels and main leads like Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong . Ward, too, has been open about her time on the show and her relationships with the Boy Meets World cast after it ended. She’s said Will Friedle, in particular has been supportive of her career path after the show ended.
These days Ward has more control over her career and her choices. Working in porn and on OnlyFans has opened doors for her where she says acting never did and she seems to be in a pretty good place. Though, she’s not above calling out Disney for not asking her back when Girl Meets World was casting returning actors.
