Rider Strong Admits He Didn't Feel 'Empowered as an Actor' Until After “Boy Meets World:” 'My Job Was to Be a Puppet'
Rider Strong Admits He Didn't Feel 'Empowered as an Actor' Until After “Boy Meets World:” 'My Job Was to Be a Puppet'
Tereza Shkurtaj, Raven BrunnerSat, June 13, 2026 at 10:58 AM UTC
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Rider Strong in March 2026Credit: Anna Webber/Variety via Getty -
On June 6, 2026, Rider Strong attended the world premiere of Doc Meets World in New York City, along with fellow costars Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle
During a live show that marked the final stop of their "The Kids Wanna Jump Tour," Strong reflected on the challenges of growing up as a child actor
The former Boy Meets World star said the '90s show ultimately made it difficult for him to grow into future acting roles
Rider Strong is best known for playing Shawn Hunter on the hit coming-of-age sitcom Boy Meets World, a role that made him one of television's most recognizable young stars during the 1990s.
Decades later, Strong is reflecting on what that experience was really like behind the scenes. While attending the world premiere of Doc Meets World in New York City on June 6, the actor spoke candidly about growing up in the entertainment industry and the challenges he faced as a young performer.
"I never felt empowered as an actor until I was in my 20s, and that's too bad," Strong, 46, told the audience.
(L-R) Ben Savage, Will Friedle, Danielle Fishel and Rider StrongCredit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Boy Meets World became the breakout role for then-13-year-old Strong and introduced him to a massive audience when it aired in 1993. Cast as Shawn Hunter, the rebellious best friend of Ben Savage's Cory Matthews, he spent seven seasons on the show as the character evolved from a troubled teen into a young adult.
Despite the success of the series, Strong said he often felt limited creatively during those formative years. Reflecting on his mindset as a young actor, he explained that he believed his responsibility was to simply deliver what was expected of him rather than develop his own personality in front of the camera.
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"I felt like my job was to be a puppet," he admitted. "That there's a right way to read the lines and any choice that I would make just had to make the right way, and it just is not good acting."
Ben Savage and Rider Strong in 'Boy Meets World' in 1993Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
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Strong acknowledged that the long-running sitcom shaped his development as a performer in complicated ways.
"Not that I was bad on Boy Meets World, but it didn't allow me to grow," he explained. "It was so hard for me to grow into other acting jobs after that."
In the years since Boy Meets World ended, Strong has built a varied career that includes film, directing, writing and voice acting. And in 2014, he returned to the role of Shawn on Girl Meets World, allowing him to revisit a character that remains meaningful to fans to this day.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
