Anthony Tyler Quinn Meets World

The most anticipated guest has arrived in the form of Anthony Tyler Quinn, a.k.a. The Cool Teacher, Mr. Turner. The beloved actor reunites with his students to talk about which character he was first tapped to play, his special bond (and pranks) with Will and what he makes of his unceremonious and abrupt goodbye. 

You’ve asked for it, and here it is - the type of reunion this podcast was made to facilitate. Share some laughs, and tears, with this forever connected cast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
I have to thank you guys again. I know I've
already thanked you in this person, but I'm not going
to thank you publicly for tirelessly showing up every semester
to participate in UM a program that I do called
Young Storytellers. UM. You guys are so gracious with your time,
you come out and you act in it. It really

(00:42):
is a blast. Yeah. Yeah, you guys seem like you
have a lot of fun when you do it, so
I don't feel like I'm asking too much, but I
it's a it's a long haul from your side of
town to my side of town, so I really appreciate
you guys are always always there for me. Tell one
what it is. It's so fun. Yeah, it's really it's
a blast. It's Young Storytellers. Is this incredible organism asition
that started in l A. I want to say fifteen
years ago, maybe more UM and it's it's it's moved

(01:05):
into other cities and stuff, but it's primarily based in
Los Angeles and and we bring in screenwriters and actors
and editors just general movie people who know how to
write or know how screenplays work. And we go to
underserved schools in Los Angeles and UM work with fifth
graders for a semester, and every fifth grader gets assigned
to their own mentor writer, UM teacher mentor person and

(01:29):
UM they we teach these kids. We do a bunch
of group exercises and then UM they get one on
one time with their own mentor, and their mentor transcribes
whatever they want to write. They get to write a
five page movie script about anything. UM. And you know,
a lot a lot of times we encourage them to
express themselves, and we run them through exercises about their

(01:50):
communities and where they're from, or you know, we encourage
them just write about space exploration and weird aliens that
they want to talk about our z vampires did we
did the vampire was so fun. So we just encourage
them to express themselves. And then we we just give
them the space and and the the mentors have their
own you know, they bring their computer with final draft
right and program on and they write out the screenplay

(02:10):
like literally, the kids will be like, now this person
says this, and they type exactly what the kid wants
and they work with them. And then so at the
end of ten weeks or eight weeks, actually we have
finished screenplays, like five page screenplays, and we do what's
called the big show. We bring in actors, ten professional
actors and then yeah, and then you know, you guys

(02:32):
are the best because they have a lot of them.
I mean actually, now, boy, the world may have finally
been aged out, but they guys. But yeah, we try
and get you know, if I if I know anybody
from a show that they might know. You know, like
my friend Alison Munn was on Ricky, Dicky, Nicki and
Don so I wrote her on and they all were
like immediately cast her and everything. But anyway, so the
actors come and we have ten actors and they um,

(02:54):
they perform. I ask you guys, as actors to audition
for the kids, which is my favorite part in but
your least favorite, oh mana after the whole time, like
I'm not gonna getting first. Yeah, we have the incredible
Mark Gagley already go first. And he's just a genius
of improv and performance and he's he's been with you.

(03:18):
But he wrote a poem that that that introduced different
acting skills that he has, Like here, I can be
a monkey and he just like goes into full monkey
performance for like five minutes. It was insane. Yeah, so
Mark Gagley already sort of set the bar high. But
basically we just asked the actors to come up and
say like, you know, here's who I am, here's my name,
and here's the types of roles I like to play
and voices I can do, and characters. And then the

(03:39):
kids get to look at their script and if they
have like, you know, six characters in the script, they
decide which actors play which parts and um, and it's hysterical,
it's so fun. And then you guys basically just do
a cold reading. You get maybe five ten minutes with
the script to look it over and be like what
and then it becomes this mad cap performance of the
ten scripts. Um, we bring in the whole school, so

(04:01):
we have like an hour long with just the kids
and the actors hanging out. And then yeah, the the
whole school comes, their parents come, and it becomes this
you know, incredible way to empower their they're writing, because
you know, they come up and get everybody's autograph afterwards,
they're they're so they're so um. It's so empowering to
see actors perform what they wrote. You know, it's like

(04:24):
you guys kind of have to say whatever they put
on the page. And you know, for me, it's just
so important. I you know, I wrote my first play
when I was in third grade, and I was just
lucky enough to have a teacher who was like, writer,
let's have the whole let's put this on. And we did,
like we made costumes and everybody in my class got
cast and we put it on for the school and
it changed my life. You know. It was what was

(04:44):
it called a fish story? So a farmer and his
daughter are fishing and um, they catch a fish and
it's the biggest fish they've ever caught. Um, it's human size.
And they decided to bring this fish to the king
to show off, like, look, we've caught this amazingly giant fish.

(05:04):
And the king is incredibly mean to them and kicks
them out and they don't know why, and there's the
king's acting weird and they're like, oh, it's not the
normal king. I forget exactly the plot point, but basically
they know something's up at the kingdom and they get
kicked out of the castle and while they're going back
home with the fish, the fish starts talking to them,
and the fish is there to tell them that there's
a prophecy that that the fish is fulfilling, that the

(05:27):
king is not the real king. The real king has
been hidden in a dungeon, and so they have to
go on this quest. So they go on the Big Quest.
And I wrote thirty speaking parts of the thirty kids
in my class, so I had like, you know, they
meet giant bugs. They I don't know whatever, But it
was just this moment for me where I became a writer,
you know, where it was like, oh, I knew that
people would care about what I wrote and the kids
would perform and I performed in it too. Was you know,

(05:49):
right when I was discovering acting in third grade. So
this program, when I found out about it, I was like,
I will do anything for this program. So I'm the
head mentor. I brought it to a school in my neighborhood, um,
like five or six years ago, and I'm just really
involved in the organization. I love them so much and
I think what they do is so important. I think,
you know, I think every school should have some version
of this, not you know, it doesn't have to necessarily

(06:11):
be screenplaywriting. It could be playwriting or just writing in general,
you know, giving giving kids the tools to or the
trust in themselves to to believe that, you know, what
they have to say about the world will matter. And
like I said, a lot of them are pretty out there.
It's always funny to me, like how many how many
kids write about food? They love writing about food? Your favorite?

(06:32):
Your favorite? Oh yeah, my favorite? Stud know, they often,
you know, there's there's time travel stories, there's a lot
of you know, horror stuff with zombies stuff. But then
there have been times when, like, you know, one girl
one year just wrote about her walk home from school
and like how scared she was to walk home from
school because it was you know, three blocks down this
neighborhood and it was just as incredible. She wrote this
five page movie about you know, the fears and overcoming that. Um.

(06:57):
Oftentimes people write about sports. Uh, it's it's fun, and
of course we don't allow violence and stuff, so we
find very creative ways for like people to battle. Like
there's always like a dance battle or rap battle or
something fun going on like that. Yeah, it was really
fun and um, Will and I had a great time.
We we of course car pooled there and then car
pulled back, so uh, it was. It was really fun.

(07:19):
We had a we had a good time. Thank you
for always um inviting us. And then that night writer
had for all of the actors and mentors. He had
a little um wine and cheese gathering at his house
and people were invited to, you know, and encouraged to
bring their kids, and so Jensen and I went and
brought Adler, and Adler had so much fun that your

(07:41):
house walked into into his room and it must have
just been overwhelming. It was so messy, but I'm sure
for you know, a kid, it's it's head. Yeah. Yeah,
he absolutely loved it. I was so happy to be
the older cool kid, you know. Oh yeah, he really was.
He was so cool. He was like reading his book
all chill while others running around playing with all of
his swords, and he's like, go ahead, do whatever you want,

(08:04):
but but but nice, Like it was really fun. And
it was funny because the whole way down there, ad
in the back seat was like, Mommy, your friend's house
is far. Mommy, your friend is far, and I was like,
I know, I know, but you know, it's gonna be
worth it. And then the next day he was like, Mommy,
let's go back to your friend's house. And I said,
remember you said it was really far, and he goes,
not too far. I was like, right now, it's not

(08:26):
too far. It is. It's totally worth it, mom, exactly. Well,
welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Daniel Fishel and I'm Wilfredell.
We have yet another very exciting guests. Are fans of
the pod are going to absolutely lose their marble. One

(08:47):
of our most requested, I mean easily one of our
most requested, in the top two, uh most requested cast
members of Boy Meets World. And that's really lucky for
us because we of him and adore him, and I
have not seen him and I don't even know how long.
I guess world hasn't been that long. Tony and I

(09:09):
see each other whenever we can. He's been one of
my closest friends since he was on the show. So
I saw him not long ago, and then we were
supposed to see each other in Chicago and he got sick.
But yeah, no, he's Uh, Tony's my boy. I can't wait.
I can't wait very well. Let's please welcome to Pod
Meets World, Tony Quinn. Tony go to see you it's

(09:32):
good to see you guys as well. Okay, now, do
you realize the last time we were all together was
about six years ago? Six and a half years ago,
That's what we were just talking about. We're like, oh,
we haven't seen Tony since Girl Meets World. Really been
six and a half years ago? Yeah, yeah, believe that. Yeah,
my son is now seven and held only six months

(09:54):
old back man. Yeah, he was born during the hen
in the show. Yeah. Yeah, that's it's ridiculous. And so
you're living are you living in Chicago now? Ah? Yeah,
kind of close to that. Yeah. Wow, unbelievable. It's freezing here,
is it great? Isn't it great? Yeah? Weather, it's actually

(10:18):
snowed all right. Now, here's just an example. Okay, it's
it's only November, and I've seen more snow in the
last month that I've seen forty years in l a. Right,
it's snowed like six times already. Oh my god. Wow,
I'm so happy for you, Tony. Thanks. So for those

(10:41):
of you who don't know, which I'm sure you all
know now, but Anthony Tony Quinn appeared in fifty one
episodes of Boy Meets World as Mr Jonathan Turner, who
was a very cool teacher at John Adams High School
and one of the most beloved characters in our show's history.
So take us back, Tony to the very beginning. How

(11:03):
did you hear about Boy Meets World and your audition
and what how did it all start for you? Okay,
so I got I got like long stories if if
you want to do these long stories. My actual experience
with Boy Meets World goes way back to the beginning. Uh.
I first met Michael Jacobs on a pilot that he

(11:26):
cast me in in nine three I think that's uh yeah,
it was a pilot called Black Sheep, and it was
mean Jason Bateman, Willie Garson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Janumary
hub Wow. So when we were yes, we were we
were working on this show. We thought we had something

(11:47):
really special. So you know, Michael was sort of like
running the thing, and we had developed a really good
working relationship and a good friendship. And one day Willie,
uh he and I were at the commissary at that time,
we were working over at Disney when Disney was just
remember we had like five little stages over there, and
he goes, all right, So I got the scoop, and

(12:07):
I go, what's the scoop? He says, Michael's writing a
new pilot as we're working on this one. And I said, okay, no,
wonder he hasn't slept like he'd come to work and
he hadn't slept in like two days, and his clothes
looked like he slept in him and all this stuff.
And he goes, it's called the Ben Savage product, and
I go, I don't. And for some reason, I just

(12:28):
didn't connect the Fred Savage with Ben Savage. I'd never
heard the name before. So I said, it doesn't It
doesn't matter what he's working on, because this is this
will be a hit for him. So we're happy with
what we're doing. Famous last words exactly things you should
never say when working in television. Exactly, we're not going
to any traffic today, yea, our raids are gonna be fine.

(12:52):
At that moment, I killed the show. We didn't get
picked up, but Michael, Uh, like I said, we developed
this great friendship. And Michael had called me. He goes, listen,
I want you to come into my office and I
said okay, So he goes, I'm working on this new show.
It's called the Ben Savage Project. I said, yeah, that's
I think that's the one Willie was telling me about.

(13:14):
And he goes, I want you to read for the
part of the dad. Oh sure, and he said, uh,
My only problem is, he says, I think you're gonna
play too young. He said, but we're gonna do it anyway.
So David Trainer was there. I think Arlene Grayson was there.
You guys remember Arlene. Okay? Okay. So I read and

(13:34):
they thought I was really great and funny and all
that stuff, and they said, we want to bring you
in network. He said, but I want you to sort
of dress like a jump dressed, right exactly. So I
do that and I go to ABC over at Avenue
of the Stars, and that's where I first met Ben
because Ben was there at network. And I think at
the time, Uh, Danielle, are you in Ben the same age? Right?

(13:58):
I think you're a year or two old. I'm like
a year older than Ben. Yeah, so I guess. Okay,
So in ninety three, how old were you? I was
would have been twelve, okay, So Ben was twelve. Okay.
So that's when I first met Ben and he and
I read together as the part of the dad and
we were very We did really great. I mean we
were It was a lot of fun and we did

(14:20):
very were well. But afterwards, minds right now that there's
a multiverse version of Mr Turner as Alan dead. Yeah,
but yeah, you would have been too young because how
old I feel like you because you came on and
we even make the joke when you first appear in
the show that you look like a student. So yeah,

(14:42):
you were, you just were way too young for the part. Yeah.
I think one of your lines actually was to Ben
was that you said, uh, now that guy, he's he
looks like he's thirty or something like that. How how
old are you? How old were you I was at
the time. I think I was thirty thirty? Uh one

(15:04):
or two when I do when I my first episode
of Boy. But what happened was Michael Ahead called me
after I didn't get the part of Alan. He called
me the following season in ninety four, at the beginning
of ninety four, and like I said, he we had
his great working relationship and he goes, come on down,
We'll go to lunch. I said, Okay, so I come down.

(15:24):
He's like, all right, So what are you doing. I
go I'm just trying to get work. I'm auditioning and
doing all this stuff. He's all right, so he goes, uh,
you know, he goes, why don't you? He goes, I
got this new character. We're trying to expand the universe
of boy. And he goes, maybe you should read for this,
and I go, all right, what is it? And he says,
it's a part of this hip teacher. His name is
Mr Turner. And I said okay, and he goes, but

(15:46):
the problem is, he goes, here's the problem. He goes,
it's an it's part of an ensemble cast. And I
go okay. So so and he goes, but there's gonna
be sometimes when you don't have a whole lot to do. Yeah,
And I was like, Michael, I don't care about that.
I don't count lines or it doesn't matter to me.

(16:07):
I said, I would love to work with you and
whatever you got going. And I said it would be great.
So he goes, all right, so let's just do it.
We'll read and we'll see where we go. So then
now here we are we uh twenty five years later.
But he wasn't actually gonna cast me in that because
he said to me, he said, but you're like a
lead actor though, he said, you were the lead in
my pilot, and I go, who cares? And then hadn't

(16:31):
you in between done another show? When was? Because were
you on like the Gabby Hoffman show? Yeah? What was that?
That's right, you're what we at the time called Girl
Meets World. Before we did, we referred to and said like, oh,
they're doing Girl meets Were all across the street for
exactly right. We did, uh six episodes. I think that, yes,

(16:54):
they did, they did, But that was one of those
shows that when we were doing it, I think the
pilot was good, but then all of a sudden, I
don't know if you guys have ever had this experience
where I don't know what it is about actors, but
they just for me. I always felt like, at some
point they're going to discover that I'm a fraud and
they're gonna fire me. Y. Yeah, very common. Dustin Hoffman

(17:23):
has a great definition of actors this, we're all egomaniacs
with inferiority complex. So we we realized we found out
on this show not long ago that when we were
comparing actors to Daniell's son Adler. They were very similar,
and Adler as, yeah, like narcissists, yet similar all the time.

(17:46):
Please come and hold me until I find my center
and then I'll come out and perform. Yeah, it was
exactly exactly well. When we were doing that show, Bruce
Helford was one of the creators, one of the writers
of the show. So I was sitting in the makeup chair.
Patty Heaton was played my wife. Oh cool and uh.
It was probably the second episode in on the on

(18:09):
the run of the series, and I was sitting in
the makeup chair. Her and I were talking and Bruce
Helford comes in and he motions to Patty and he goes.
So she leaves, and I'm going, kid, what's that about?
You know? So she comes back and she looks a
little upset, and I was gone, Okay, that must be
some type of drama that I don't want to be
involved in. So he looks at me and he does

(18:32):
the same thing, and I'm like, crap, did you know
right then? No, I thought he's gonna fire me. I
thought he's calling me over going. He just told Patty
that they're gonna replace me or something, and now he's
calling me out to tell me, hey, you gotta really
walking papers. So he comes. He we walk into a

(18:52):
separate room and I'm looking at him like okay, and
he goes, he looks at me and he sees this
look on my face and he goes, oh, no, no, no,
you're fine, You're and I go okay, and he goes,
I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving
the show. Oh. And I was like, and I did that,
and I went why and he goes, well, it's a
long story, creative differences, but I'm leaving the show. And

(19:13):
then the show just became like this mess of Yeah,
that's when you know the ship is sinking. Yeah, exactly
people started to ump episode. Yeah exactly right, Yeah, that's
the worst feeling. Yeah, it wasn't that. Also on the
Disney lot, weren't you like right across that We were
right there? That's what I thought. Okay, that's what I thought.

(19:35):
It was. It was you you were doing that show,
we were doing Boy, and then All American Girl was
right across most the Margaret Show show was right there. Yes, Ellen,
when when we were Ellen shot right across from us, too, right,
I think? So yeah, there was Yeah, so it was
that kind of It was a cool kind of lot.
But I remember we would distinctly call it girl meets

(19:56):
World and we would joke around like Gabby Hoffman and
she'd walk out and be like, oh, she plays Tory.
What was the name of the show? What was it called?
It was called Someone Like Me, the unentitled Gaby Hoffman Project. Right. So,

(20:27):
Mr Turner's first appearance is in the very first episode
of season two, which is called Back to School, and
it was obviously a part of the large retooling the
show had going from season one. It just explodes with
new people and and it feels totally different, feels a different,
brand new show, totally different show. Did Michael or anyone

(20:48):
else talk to you about that? Had you had you
heard that they were going to try and age us
up or that you know, like, what, what exactly did
you know about what was happening to the show? Um?
I didn't really know what his what his desire was
for the show in season two, like they were trying
to bring you guys up. I mean, I think some
of the stuff in the in the in that episode

(21:09):
was kind of self explanatory to me that they were
going into uh, sort of junior high school and they
wanted to be more mature and stuff like that. He
had pretty much just given me notes about what he
wanted me to be. Um, he wanted me to be
sort of the opposite of Bill's character, Mr Feeney. I

(21:30):
was like this, right, and I wanted He said, I
really want you to try to connect with the students
on their level and try to be more of like
hit the ground where they are and and relate to
them more, but yet still be this hip and cool
adult that that gives them direction and and and kind
of boundaries and stuff like that. So that's what we

(21:50):
were shooting for. Where and I always say that Boy
Meets World was the last show on the air where
the kids were the star of the show. The adults
were not morons. Yeah, right, well, I agree, I agree
it was. It was. That's one of the things when
we're doing this rewatch because Ryder didn't even know he
was on Boymans roll to like a month ago. Danielle

(22:12):
and I haven't haven't watched it since it was out, um,
but one of the things that we're noticing is that
as we're watching it as adults, it's a completely different show.
Because we're watching the adults more than we're watching kind
of the kids. And how good all the adults on
the show were. I mean, we all knew Bill was good.
He was Bill. It was that was that was kind

(22:32):
of a foregone conclusion before we'd even started. But going back,
especially in season one and watching how good Rusty and
Betsy were together, um, and how many moments they get,
like how much time is dedicated to the two of
them just talking about parenting and figuring out like them
not knowing, you know, they have to like sort of
discuss how to be a parent. And with you, there's
this lovely scene in the first episode of your your

(22:55):
first episode with you and Bill, where there's this kind
of like he's checking in on you and I'm saying
for me. I had no idea that that scene even existed,
and I was like, this is such a cool dynamic,
and I you know, now, I mean, we haven't watched
much of the second season, so I'm so excited to
see if that develops more because I'm fascinated by those
adult dynamics that I had no clue was going on

(23:17):
while we were making this show. Was it was nuts? Yeah, crazy,
go ahead, Tony, it was not. It was great. S
are you you guys are watching the the like rewatching
the show from season one on first episode all the
way through. Writers never seen them, and Will and I
have not seen them since they aired in the nineties,
so it's like watching it's like watching a brand new
show for us. You've never seen the show. Writer know,

(23:39):
he watched like a handful of episodes when the first
season and then I was like, I was so insecure
and I was like, no, I'm never gonna watch this again.
And so you're you're as bad as me, absolutely as
bad as me. Yeah, So did you ever watch Boyis
World then? Or I used to watch I used to
watch it now. This is kind of an interesting dynamic
because I used to watch the show because I used

(23:59):
to love watching you guys work and seeing all the
things that we did because we were all part of
that process. So I used to love to see the
finished product. But um, there came a time when I
really could not stand seeing myself on film, and when
somebody would tell me, I was like, oh, please don't,
I don't. I remember I was in this film and

(24:23):
they invited me to a screening, and I really was
trying to get out of it. But because I had
such a nice relationship with one of the producers, I
promised that I would go, and I said, but when
it comes time to go, sit in the theater area
and watch it, I'll sneak out, because I was almost
having like a panic attack because I did not want
to see myself. But when I walked into the theater,

(24:43):
the door was in the front and oh crap, film, Yeah,
so I was in the back, just going on, please,
I don't want to see any of this that I
have to say. I have to say from now, just
from a personal standpoint, my life on the set really

(25:05):
changed when you showed up because by this point season two,
I was now out of school, so I wasn't going
to school on the set with Danielle and Ryder and
Ben all the other quote unquote kids, So I was
kind of in and I wasn't obviously gonna be hanging
out with Betsy and Rusty who were so much older
than me. So I was kind of like in in
No person's land. I was just lost there and then

(25:26):
you show up, and it was probably the second or
third episode, by about eleven o'clock in the morning, when
we don't have anything to do. We looked at each
other and we're like, hey, you want to be friends,
and can I can I? Can I give it? Can
I give a scene? From an outsider's perspective? This, This
is what season two through season four was like. On

(25:47):
the set of Point who Ad you walking down the hall,
like I guess it was. It was after we had
left Disney. I don't I don't know which stage it was,
but I just remember you walked down the hall and
you just hear NonStop laughter and there would be a
door open and it would be one of your rooms,
and you guys would be knee deep in some card

(26:07):
game that you had invented. You would basically be speaking
your own language, like you guys had so many in jokes,
on in jokes, on in jokes, and then you would
be pranking one another. So it was like it was
like these two guys who were like mirror images of
each other in personality, like just biggest smiles, making each
other laugh so much, and none of us had any
clue what was going on, and you guys were just

(26:29):
like and then you'd like leave because you guys wouldn't
be in scenes with the rest of us, and you
guys would leave and come back having I don't know,
played tennis to get I don't know what you guys
would go off and do, but you would come back
just having story after story. You were just inseparable. It
was so fun. It was such a source of energy
and light on our set was just your relationship. It
was so weird, and we would every day we would

(26:51):
either go golf, or we would bowl, or we would
go shooting. We'd go to so it was Remember do
you remember the prank that we played on Steve Paper,
Oh jeez, when he got all mad at us. Do
you remember that? Do you tell us? We went to

(27:14):
a shooting range and we had like four hours where
we didn't have to do anything, and we had to
be back for a run through. So we're on the
one one, I think, coming back from some shooting range
and I said to Will, either he said to me
or I said to him. I said, let's prank Steve.
And he goes okay. So we called him and we go, dude,

(27:34):
we're not gonna make it back to the run through.
We are stuck in traffic. We're screwing remember this. So
Steve goes into full on control mode. He's like, all right,
where are you? I go. We're on the one on one.
We're just passing like this topanga and he's like, and
we're literally like five minutes away from that. But let's
explain this to our audience. So this means, so Steve,

(27:54):
Steve papers our first, our stage manager, so he's in
charge of wrangling everybody, including thirty writers and producers and
network executives for this run through. So people have scheduled
their entire day around showing up at this time to
watch the show. So if you guys aren't there, there
is no run through, and it screws everybody's day. People

(28:15):
like it's a big deal. So we can tell Steve
had a little edge of stress in his voice, so
we tell him. We tell him we're like way far away.
It's like, all right, so get off the one on one.
He starts giving directions that take Laurel, take a left
on Laurel goes. I mean, it was like he was
a Thomas Guid all of a sudden. It was so weird. Okay, dude,

(28:36):
we'll call you when we're like five minutes out. He's like,
all right, get here as fast as you can. So
we get off the phone, we get off the exit
and we're literally pulling into the parking lot. We walk
onto the stage and we were like ten minutes early.
Oh no, no, no, remember he wasn't the stage. We
we got he what We got out of the car
and we were walking towards the stage and the door

(28:57):
open the medicine parking lot. That's right, right, So he
points the both of us and he goes YouTube, come
with me. Were like, but it was a it was
a dog. And he walks us in and he's like, Okay,
that was really funny, but I'm so stressed out right now.
Yes it was. It was hilarious in the face, Steve,

(29:18):
you should get red yet so bad, but it was
so fun the pranking. Here's what I remember about the pranking.
It started like slow, like you know so, and then
I remember walking into the set one day and going
and opening the door to my dressing room and floor
to ceiling it was full of furniture. I mean from

(29:41):
the back of the thing. There must have been a
hundred and fifty pieces of furniture in the room, Like
you couldn't. It was one of those things where I
just stood done you had gone to like all the
other dressing rooms, furniture, and then the set and ever.
It was just it was full floor to ceiling. You
could not step in walking. It was so impressive that
it was just like I don't know how to top this,

(30:03):
Like this is really impressively incredible. Yeah, but what did
you do? You left it all in there? I did?
It was great, exactly. I remember one day knocking on
his door and Will was reclined on sort of a
couch that was stacked on something else, and it was
like up in the air. I look in his room
and I'm like, hey, are you ready to go to lunch? Yeah,
I'll be right there, and he just laying on this

(30:24):
big couch. Way he hadn't brought it in and somebody
else's responsibility to take me, it was my response. Did
we said the weirdest No, we just did the weirdest things.
I mean it would always start, like you said, with
a card game or something like that, and I remember
at certain times, at one point ended with both of
us crouched behind opposite tables just throwing poker chips at

(30:48):
each other as hard as possible. It's a lot of
throwing and flicking and rubber bands and led you guys
were Yeah. But here's what's funny about all of that.
To me, did you guys really work together that much?
Did you ever have scenes together? I could think of
one or two. We had a few that we always

(31:08):
talked about that where it's like they never gave us
that much stuff to do, and I don't know why,
but um, there were there were more than I remember.
I actually don't really like I saw one recently. My wife,
by the way, Margaret says hello and everything. Hello Margaret.
My mom would want me to tell you hello as well.
Absolutely give her a big hug for me. But she

(31:30):
showed me a clip of a scene between you and
I Will, and I'm like, I have no memory of that.
Remember is the ash tray class? Because you had a
joke about that afterwards. But that's of course, because I
remember the line I said to you, you're like Matthews
where you headed in a thick Brooklyn accent, because all
of a sudden season two everyone was from New York
for some reason, and it was like Matthew's where you

(31:51):
had And I was like, Sarah Mix and You're like,
what is Sarah mis and and you mean ceramics, and
I go, yeah, the ash tray class, and I try
you walked away that I remember, and that's it. That's
the only one, Sarah mis and I was that close
to busting. And you could sort of tell that I
almost broke because I can watch it and I go,
they didn't cut away. We broke. So going back to

(32:25):
obviously you had a very fun, childlike relationship with Will,
going back at times your relationship with the other adults
on the show, specifically Bill Daniels, who had was so
well established as the character of Mr. Feenie. Were there
any did you have any sort of reservations as coming

(32:47):
in as a new teacher um playing opposite him, What
was your relationship with Bill? Like? Um, Bill was a
lot more playful than I than I thought he was
going to be, which I really liked. And I was
always a big fan of his work. Like, if you
ever go back and watch some of the things that
he's done, you're like, dude, this guy has worked with everybody.

(33:09):
So I used to always grow him on. How you know,
what was Warren Baby Like? What was James Garner? Like?
You know, I mean these are people, I mean, you've
worked with everybody. But our relationship was was always very friendly.
I remember one time and he laughed at me for this.
Jeff McCracken was directing an episode. He was a writer,
producer and sometimes he would direct and uh, Bill had

(33:33):
a problem with We were doing a scene and Bill
had a problem with one of the directions of the
thing that Jeff was having him do. And Bill goes, yeah,
I'm not I don't want to do I'm not doing that.
He goes, I'd rather do this and do that, and
Jeff was like, okay, okay, yeah, that's fine if you
go if you want to, Yeah, that's good. So then
we kept working on the scene and I came to

(33:53):
Jeff and I said something similar to and saying, Jeff,
doesn't it feel weird if I'm doing this and go
on that? And He's like, yeah, we're not going to
change it, and Bill. Bill was laughing at me. He
started cracking up, and I was like, how did you
get away with that? I love My favorite was when
you talked to Bill about exactly what you said about, like,

(34:15):
you know, what was it like working with Dustin Hoffman
or what was it like James Garner. He'd always come
back with their the names that he called them, so'd
be like, well the thing about Dusty, and you're like, wow,
you calling us Dusty exactly. It's like, yeah, Jian, Jimmy, Jimmy.
Jimmy was cool. It's like, oh man, it's Jimmy and Dusty,
Like that's so cool. Yeah, he was. I mean you
could tell by the type of actor that he is.

(34:37):
I mean he's all emotion. Oh, it's just he might
not look like it. He might not look like it
because he's just the way that he composes himself and
the way that he works. But that's where that's why
he's such a good actor as because when he lets
those floodgates open, it's all emotion. Oh yeah. Do you
have a favorite Mr. Turner teaching moment? Oh? I I

(35:03):
tend to not look at things that I did and
think of them as that's my favorite moment, because I
think my favorite moments from the show involve you guys.
Things that I watched that you guys have done that
I could just watch over and over and over because
it was so well done. Um for me, because you know,

(35:24):
you and I writer had so much to do this
so much. There's there's a couple of moments between you
and I, Danielle and you and I will and you
and I writer that that I felt were I could
watch it over and over again. But one moment stands
out for me is that episode. Um, I think it's
called a double lie. I think where we lie to

(35:47):
each other. Oh you don't remember, okay, and I we
we we lie to each other. You wanted to be
with this girl, and I tell you going on this
right because I'm living with you at that point, right,
and you you want to be with this girl. And
I tell you I'm going to be out of town
and you're on up in my apartment right right. And
so we're upset that we've lied to each other, and

(36:10):
then we have to make it right, and we both
wanted to make it right, and you were You were
sort of frustrated that you know, as an adult, I
would do that to you. And so there was like
this tender moment between us where and it was like,
we're both new at this and we want to make
it right. We made a mistake and we're not. And
part of the part of the baggage that you carried
was we we had a falling out. So that means

(36:32):
we're all done. And I was like, just because something
happens like this doesn't mean we just chucked the whole relationship.
Now we just have to do it and do it better,
you know. So I always looked at that moment as
I I just was really proud of that particular relationship
moment between you and I. Yeah, well it's like because
you know, because I haven't seen the show, I don't

(36:54):
I don't have very specific memories. I just know I
had this overwhelming feeling of you and me having so
many great acting moments together, Like I just remember we
had so much like I believe there's a scene where
you basically offered to adopt me or for me to
move in with you when I'm trying to run away,
and I just remember we had a series of those

(37:14):
and it just made sense, like it made sense for
our characters, Like I remember being like, oh, Sean and
Turner are like Turner sort of like an older Seawan
in some ways, and he's going to understand this guy.
And then just as an actor, like I just remember
you and I always enjoying those moments like just loving
the like being able to rely on you for the
drama and being able to like trust that, like we're

(37:35):
gonna be able to carry this scene like it's it's
me and Tony, Like I don't know. I just I
don't because I because I don't remember. I was so young.
I don't have this, But I just have this overwhelming
feeling of like always loving being in scenes with you,
and like the dynamic between our characters just feeling right
like it was just you know, I mean, I guess
you were just the father figure teacher that Sean needed,
and then as an actor, you were just a rock

(37:56):
that I could rely on, that we could play off
of each other so well. I'm like, I'm looking forward
to watching those those scenes. Tony, what what was your
first impression of each of us? Um? There was there
was an effortlessness about you guys. Um, your work just
seems so effortless. Like Wright you just said, you guys
are so young, but but your work and your presence

(38:19):
on stage was so mature and so effortless. I guess
that's the word I used to describe it, because it
just seemed like you guys weren't trying. You just were
you know what I mean, And you inhabited the characters
so well. All of you guys and I and I
really loved that environment when I when I came on
the set, because you guys were so well established as

(38:41):
characters and your work was so spot on that it
was easy to just sort of run alongside you guys
and go with you. Mm hmm. I have a question
that I'd like to throw out there to everybody, because
I'm just I'm curious, what do you think the chances
are that they had planned right from bringing Tony on

(39:02):
that it was going to end up being Mr Turner
and Sewn together? Do you think there was any thought
of thought of that at all or here's the well,
here's my question for Tony. Actually that probably would answer
that was were you brought on as a regular or
were you reoccurring or were you a guest star? Do
you remember I was? I was? I was brought on
as a regular. That's where Michael, Yeah, and yeah. I

(39:25):
wouldn't be surprised, man, I wouldn't be surprised if they
saw something like right away, like there was a plan
in place, We're gonna bring on a new young teacher
and it's going to be kind of Sean's mentor going
makes sense to me. I mean, if you had asked
me that before rewatching the first season, I would have
said no. But now having watched the first season and
seeing how well Sean was already established as the sort

(39:46):
of troublemaker with a broken home who kind of needed
that figure, you know, and the fact that Phoenie like
the dynamic with Phoenie and Sean just doesn't make as
much sense, right, Like, it doesn't make as much sense
as you also already have the teacher. You It's sort
of like, if you're going to have Sean be a
bigger character, which I had already started to become in
the first season, then you want to have his teacher

(40:07):
his version. That makes perfect sense to me that they
would have already been thinking that. And if and you know,
if if Tony had just been a guest star, I
would say maybe they were trying it out, but since
he was becoming coming in as a regular. But I
also don't remember when that dynamic starts happening. I'm assuming
it happens relatively soon, but maybe it doesn't happen until
the third season. So um, but it seems like it's
already built into the characters. Do you remember writer ever

(40:30):
having a lot of scenes with Harley because it seems
like because that's it seems like what they could have
done was it's like, look at the different direction. Sean
could go dynamically or you could go be a Mr.
Turner or he did write that that that they did
righte that episode, but I don't think it's until third
season and that's the that's the episode that Harley was

(40:53):
replaced by Griff. Not Griff, but remember that actor show
and the other actor came in, because that is an
episode where I'm encouraged to beat up Mr Turner's motorcycle
with a baseball bat and so it's like myself with
the bad kids. So that does happen, you know, I
end up with Joey and Frankie, but it was and
it wasn't hardly at that time because Danny had already

(41:14):
left the show. Um but but yeah, so they did
end up doing it. But as far as like, I
don't think I had many scenes with Joey and Frankie
and and and and Harley in the second season besides
that one, which I think is third season interesting. Yeah,
but if you watched that episode, uh, and well, you
could do a great impression to be in that episode

(41:35):
with the baseball bat. Oh yeah you do that? Yeah,
yeah yeah. I don't know how to describe that to
our listening audience. Tony does a great, great important bat
double take kind of thing. It's like and you probably
just never let him live it down right like he
did one act and you were like, I'm not gonna

(41:59):
let this go. It was perfect and the way he
did it it was hilarious, and then it just kept
getting better and better. We were merciless towards each other,
we really, but that episode was kind of like at
that moment, it was like Mr. Turner really felt like,
please don't become that if you go down that road

(42:21):
like he I think one of the lines is something
about if you don't, if you stay away from something
this Harley or that Harley or whatever, you're going to
be because you were like literally asking him and you
think I'm gonna be okay because I don't feel like
I'm gonna be okay, and I gave you a little
bit of fatherly direction, going You're gonna be okay, and
it was like, I can't. It was kind of like

(42:44):
this moment where that teacher couldn't let this young kid
slip through his fingers. You know what I mean, such
a it was such a great dynamic, and it's so
it's only increases the disappointment that you were around for
the fifth or sixth or song or Girl Meets World
besides one moment I wanted to ask next when I

(43:06):
tell you that it is one of our most frequently
emailed questions. And when I say frequent, I mean we
get hundreds of emails about it, people saying they do
not understand why you were only on the show for
two seasons and you were very missed, not just by
all of us but by the audience. Were you given

(43:26):
any warning that you weren't coming back? What did you know? Uh,
it's it's kind of a long story because a few
things were sort of strung together that I talked about
this all the time. By the way, people ask me
that whenever they recognize me, and they this is always
part of the conversation. Yeah, but I've never really told
the long version of it. So maybe this can be

(43:49):
the official Boy meets World version of the events that occurred.
But uh, let's let's wind the tape back. Okay, we
had just finished season read and we were over on
stage over at kt l A, and we had done that.
We just finished last episode and we're all high five
in and we're hugging each other and saying, great job,
great season, we'll see you next season. And I saw

(44:11):
Michael Jacobs on stage across from me, and I, you know,
like I said, we had a great friendship and a
good working relationship. So I wanted to go over to
him and just kind of say congratulations, and what do
you think of the way my character is developing and
how he's interacting with everybody. So I went and asked him,
and he goes, yeah, we think it's great. It's all great. Uh,
we're very excited. You can't wait for season four. And
he kind of shared with me a little bit about

(44:33):
what they wanted to do, what their intention was for
season four. They he told me they wanted to do
a little bit of a deeper dive into the nature
of our relationship right than you know, we were becoming
this family, and that we were we were learning from
each other and teaching each other and growing and helping
each other. So I was very excited. I couldn't wait
for season four. So that was the end of March.

(44:54):
I think in nine. So remember that conversation, because in
June of I get a phone call from Michael Jacobs
and he's like, all right, so I got bad news.
And I was like, okay, and I and now the
last time I had a conversation with Michael that started

(45:14):
with I got bad news, it was about our lean Grayson,
who had passed away. I think in season two, right
we we yeah, we went all we went up to
her funeral at Forest Long. Remember that. So I was
like okay, and he goes, so you're not coming back
for season four? And I was like, wait, just like that,
like just like that, yeah, and he goes. So he goes,

(45:37):
like very sparingly. He goes maybe five episodes, maybe maybe
he goes, but definitely not season five. You know you're
you're not coming back. And I go, okay. Now I
get the concept that in show business there's no such
thing as job security. I get that, but this just
seemed like such a radical reversal because we just had

(45:59):
a conversation like two months ago that everything was great,
and so I just go what what happened? And he goes.
So the network and the studio came at us kind
of last minute with some changes. They were saying, the
kids are going into high school now and we want
to explore that whole dynamics, so we're going to change
it up. And he goes, it was just kind of
you know, unexpected last minute, so there was nothing we

(46:21):
could do to save it or you know whatever. And
he goes and it is what it is, and um
and then that was it. That was it. So I
was like, okay, just so I I first thing, I
was really sad because I thought, I'm not gonna be
able to come to work with you guys anymore, you know,
the stuff that all the fun stuff and the laughter

(46:41):
and the cast intros and table reads and all that stuff.
It was like I was getting kicked out of the house,
you know. But then I thought, now I gotta go
on the audition trail and try to find some other work,
and nobody wants to do that. So um, as we
were talking, he told me, he says, I want you
to know that, you know, I feel really bad. He said,
So if you're out there and you're working, if you're

(47:03):
auditioning or whatever, and you get a job or you
get an offer, he says, I want you to feel
free to explore that because you're you're you're not going
to be with us, and I want you to work.
So I said, okay, Now this is where the story
gets interesting because it's not over yet, which I think
is really funny. Uh. This was in June of Now

(47:23):
you fast forward to about February of because I was
I was gearing towards pilot season for ninety seven because
I had to get a job. That's why if you
if you watch the last episode or two that I
did at the show, my hair was different because I
had that I was auditioning for the things that I
had to cut my hair. So I was getting really
close to getting this pilot that I auditioned for in

(47:44):
for Fox, and I auditioned, I jumped through all the
hoops and they wanted to bring me to studio and
meet everybody there, and then they wanted to bring me
to network. And I was thinking this is great right
off the heels. And I think at that time, I
think I was doing like one or two episodes every
couple of months of boy Um, and I think I
only wind up doing like five or six of season four.

(48:05):
So they're gonna bring me to network. And I get
a phone call from my manager, and he goes, all right,
so we have a huge problem. And I was like,
of course there's a huge problem. Why wouldn't there be
a huge problem. I was like, what's the problem and
he goes, so Disney is not letting you out of
your contract and I go, wait what? And I was

(48:29):
honestly confused because it's been nine months now since I
got the phone call from Michael, and I go, what contract? Right?
And he goes, your contract at Disney and I go
I said, are you talking about Boy Met World? And
he goes yeah, and I go, uh, I don't have
a contract, you know as well as I do, I said.

(48:51):
They they called me, They told me that I was
being dismissed, and presently told me to go yes. Yes.
So I was like, I don't understand. What do you
mean they're not letty? He goes, well, your contract is
still active and they're not letting you out of it,
and I go, I don't understand. So I was thinking

(49:14):
I thought, okay, Well, if Disney wants to bring me
back to Boy Meets World, I got no problem with that.
I would love to go back and be with you
guys and finish out the run of the show, bring
it on, I'll do that. Or if Fox wants to
sort of have conversations with Disney saying no, we want them,
so we're gonna try to hash this out. It's like
I don't really care. I just need to work. I
just have a family to support, right. But then I

(49:36):
then I thought this. I thought this could go sideways,
like really fast, Like if Disney calls Fox and says
we're not letting him out of his contract, then Fox goes, okay,
then we'll just pass and go to the next hundred
actors that are waiting for this show. And then Disney goes, yeah, okay,
by the way, yeah we changed our minds too, and
then you know, Mr Man walks away with nothing, and

(49:57):
then I and then I think, okay, then I've been
rejected by this same studio twice. So then my my
manager was talking about a lawsuit or saying something. I'm like, oh,
I don't want I don't want any of this drama.
So I guess at the I guess cooler heads prevailed.
And then finally Disney was just like, oh, yeah, never mind, okay,
are bad, Yeah you can go ahead, And I just
I didn't understand why they would try to do that

(50:21):
like a powerholder and keep Yeah, I just want because
you let me go. So that was kind of a
weird that. So that's the official sort of timeline of
why they didn't bring me back. But I never really
It's not like they told me, well, your character wasn't
very popular, or you wanted to get off the show,
or you just didn't work well with other people. It
just they just wanted to make those changes. They didn't

(50:43):
tell us either, for the record, which is so weird.
I remember you calling me and being like, dude, I'm
not coming back, and I was like, what do you
What are you not coming back to? What? Like, I
have no idea what you're talking. I think we can
pretty much at this point make a blanket, blanket statement
that we were not informed. We were not like consulted
or informed of anything that was happening with the show

(51:05):
until we got a script in our hands, because we
talked about it when we had Matthew Lawrence on the
show too. When they brought matt Lawrence on, no nobody
said to us like, hey, just you guys know there's
going to be a new cast member. Not for anyone
did the exception for that is Trina. For me, I
did get for you with Trina. I did because they
wanted me to do a chemistry to read with Trina,
So they brought me in and they talked about bringing

(51:25):
in a girlfriend from me, and I got to read
with her before that season started. But were you told
that she might be a regular on the show or
that hey, we might just do like a four episode
arc with a girlfriend for you. That's a good question.
I don't remember. I just knew that it was going
to be important story wise and characterized. I don't think, yeah,
I don't think they told me she was going to
be a regular or not. Um And I don't remember
she actually was a regular, because yeah, Danielle is right.

(51:47):
I mean, we weren't told when Lee was gonna be gone.
We weren't told when you know, Matt was going to
be brought on. We weren't told when Tony was going
to be gone, or when uh, anybody was was brought
on or or left the show. It was just kind
of like they just weren't there. I mean, Alex Alex
days there was the same thing. It was just like
he was there and then he was gone, and it
was like what what's going on and you got kind

(52:08):
of the pat on the head, like just be happy
that you're on a show, kid kind of where it's like, Okay,
the real I mean that the tragedy beyond the like
the you know, lack of communication with actors, which maybe
we can understand in the business side of this, which
we can sort of excuse and say, like that's just
the way it is. Story wise, Mr Turner makes no

(52:30):
sense to not wrap up with Sean. And it's one
of those dangling creative problems with Boyme's world that bothers
are fans and it bothers me. You know, it's like
one of those things we need to resolve this because
the last time we saw him, he was in a
hospital bed and I was praying to God after getting
out of a cult. It's like this is this is

(52:51):
about as intense and personal and like basically I'm asking
for you know, God to save my father figure. I mean,
that is awful. And it's the same way with Lee,
like leaving him and we wish will him away and
he disappears. These are dangling creatively story wise, uh, character
investment wise, these are bad calls and like from it

(53:15):
and like yeah, so beyond the personal like where's Tony?
What happened? Now I can look back and be like,
wait a minute, what happened to Mr Turner? This is right,
Like this is not the way it should work, and
it's it still bothers me that you know, and I
know we had a moment on Girl Meets World when
we crammed it in at the end. There that's a bummer. Man,
it's a bummer like it deserves more story wise, you

(53:36):
think it would. It would affect you, guys in terms
of your performance and your energy on the show. All
of a sudden, this this character that's important or whatever
is just gone. You would think that they would have
some kind of consultation with you guys to say this
is what we're thinking, Oh, this is what we're doing,
and to not do that. It's like, but now you're
you're sort of affecting your actors. You know. What's amazing

(53:58):
is that when we talk about certain things, like when
you know, we talked to Leon Norris and then we
talked to a bunch of the writers and producers after
Lee was written off the show, and so far all
the most of the writers and producers have different stories
like they weren't even given the same story of why
somebody was taking off the show. So it's like you
hear four different stories from four different people, and it's like, Okay,
one or two people made that they made this decision

(54:20):
and nobody was consulted, and it's just the way it
ended up being. Um and yeah, you're right. It's it's
one thing where you write off a character likely which
again we look back on and go, that was a travesty.
He was so funny. There's so much comedy left on
the table, but the character ended in a horrible way.
But it is what it is. It's quite another when
you're literally ending in a hospital bed where it's such

(54:43):
a cliffhanger, like people were coming back is he dead?
Is he alive? Plus plus? At that point, Boy Meets
World started to become serialized, you know, like you can
look at the first season and say, there's a less serialization.
It's sort of a week to week we are chasing ratings,
we have to make adjustments based on just you know,
but by season three and four, you're talking about real

(55:04):
developed storylines where characters have through arcs that go from
episode to episode. So there I I really don't think
there's much of an excuse. It's just it's just a
bump um. Yeah, especially you're talking about important like life
things like you know, it wasn't just right, I got
Shan got a bad grade a history test. This is
like his life is in the balance here because yes,

(55:29):
we we had, didn't we have? There was a moment
or something about you. I was trying to get you
out of this cult. Yeah, and we I think there's
a scene. I don't remember what it was, but there's
like a scene with you and I in the classroom
and I was literally trying to reach out and grab
your hand, you know, trying to save you from this thing.

(55:49):
So these are life decisions to just go. Yeah, never mind,
we're not going to talk about that anymore. Yeah, it's
just that. Yeah. Do you remember any any fan reaction
at the time, Like, do you remember when then those episodes,

(56:12):
your episodes, you're done and those episodes have stopped airing.
Do you remember livetime fan reaction? No? No, because what
happened for me was when I when I was told
I wasn't coming back. Sadly enough, I just I was
so busy trying to get other work that I just
I actually quit watching the show because I was trying training,
and then I wanted to I actually got that show

(56:34):
at Fox, and uh we started doing that. So that's
sort of all my time, and I don't really remember,
but I do remember that probably ten years after that's
when it started to really become an issue for like
interactions with people going why didn't they bring you back?
When then it was in reruns and people and in

(56:56):
the internet was a thing, so everyone was communicating as
a and basin saying wait. It also hugely affected us personally.
I mean, you know, you and I didn't see each
other for a while, a like we we did for
a bit and then we then you start to see
each other less. And last me, we were like inseparable.
We were like best friends, and then all of a sudden,

(57:17):
it was you know, I was your first call when
you had your daughter, you know, so it was and
your son, and so it was yeah, so it was
just you'd go, it's like it's like a set relationship,
and then all of a sudden, you'd go, we'd go
a while and not see each other, and then we'd
see each other again, and then we'd not see each
other again, and so it was. It affected my life
on so many different levels. That's the thing I remember

(57:38):
most about it was it just it was more than
just the story point, which is obviously huge, but it
was it was also just I didn't get to see
you all the time. It was it was such a
different dynamic for me on the set then, because then
I was once again kind of selfishly of course, turning
this around and making about me, but was was then
thrown back in the middle to where it was like,
who do I hang out? You know, my my buddies gone?

(58:00):
What do I do now? Well? And and to Tony
to the point you were making about it possibly affecting
the actors when we've you know, not only personally developed
relationships with you, but character wise have developed such deep
storylines with you, and um, you know, I think about
the fact that especially Writer and I and Ben were

(58:20):
you know, actual children twelve, thirteen years old, fourteen years old,
fifteen year olds older. You are a child and um
I know for me and I know obviously the relationship
you had with Will, but you were one of the
adults I put in the same category as David Trainer
and then eventually Jeff McCracken when he came in in
season three and season four, and of course Best Betsy

(58:42):
and Rusty as well to a certain extent, but not
quite to the same extent that I'm putting you in
this category, which is the adults. I knew I was
safe and bonded with like I was bonded with you,
My parents were bonded with you. We knew each our
families knew each other, and there was a um uh,

(59:02):
you know in an adult in working environment when you
are a child, the same way a child feels anywhere
else in the world, but especially working with a bunch
of adults where there's a lot of pressure on you.
You are constantly looking for safety nets. The teachers also
David Combs, Wesley Staples, people I knew I could go
to and totally be myself, totally talk about whatever was

(59:25):
going on, hardships, highs, lows, whatever was happening, and not
being worried about my job security, just truthfully being myself.
And um, I will also say the same friendships Leon
Norris being gone. When you then as an actor, you wonder, well,

(59:45):
why are we investing in these relationships with the people
around us, both character wise and personally when at any
point in time they're taken from us with no rhyme
or reason, with no explanation, and it gives you, it
really is rocks the foundation of um. It just you
feel like you have no stability, and it's a it

(01:00:05):
is a it's a crazy feeling, and it's also it's
it's kind of lends itself to to what we were
with the conversation we had with Trina, where it was
kind of like you start to insulate yourself a little
bit from other people around, and then you start to
become more and more separated and then yourself. Yeah, but
it almost it can read as an animosity towards somebody

(01:00:27):
else where. It's not that at all. It's just your
what do they call him? And fight club, these single
serving friends and it's like I don't know when this
person is going to be gone, and I'm investing all
my time and energy and then gone and all my
all time and then gone. And then so you you
start too, well am I going to be gone? Next?
Am I? Get? And the conversation has become more stilted,
and then it's like you don't talk the way you

(01:00:48):
used to talk, and then all of a sudden, it's like, well,
we didn't like each other. It's like, no, it had
nothing to do with that. What was it like for
you coming back as Mr Turner on Girl Meets World? Um?
I was really there's another another long story. Michael. Uh.
All of a sudden, I don't have any social media
or anything like that, but at the time I think
I had like one or two that my son sort

(01:01:11):
of told me to start and whatever. And at some
point I started getting all these things on an Instagram
thing and it was just like hundreds of them, and
I'm going, Okay, something's wrong, because I mean I I
don't know what I'm doing on this, and it just
kept going congratulations and this is fantastic, and I'm going

(01:01:31):
what And then at some point I heard somebody say
something about Girl Meets World and this is gonna be great,
and I went, I, I don't know what you're talking
about Girl Meets World, and so as I certain heard
something about Michael, so I emailed Michael and I go, oh,
by the way, congratulations, you've caused my email to break
and my Instagram. It's like it's like so and he's like,

(01:01:52):
all right, let's get together. So we go to lunch
and he goes, I'd really like to have you come
back on the show. I'm doing this new thing and
it's a boy meeting a girl meets world. That's gonna
I'm gonna bring all the characters back. And I'm like, okay,
now it all makes sense. No wonder people were, you know,
hit me up on social media and all this stuff.
And he goes, yeah, I want to bring you back.
And I was nervous because I thought, you know, boy

(01:02:14):
meets World for me and even for like all of
you guys. I don't know how you felt about it,
but it was like lightning in a bottle. And to
try to go back and do it after I don't know,
twenty years or whatever, I thought, oh, man, is this
gonna Is it gonna work? And I gonna look stupid
or you know, I hope I don't look that way.
So I was nervous about it at first, but then

(01:02:35):
I thought, well, I would love to be able to
see all you guys, if just for that alone. Um.
But and and when I did it, it felt like
no time had passed, which is it was great. It
was great. So that was my experience on that. It
was just great to be with you guys. And I
was just happy. By that point you and I had
very much re established our friendship and had once again

(01:02:58):
been golfing and bullying other thing that's taking each other.
Jeff Jeff Sherman. Jeff Sherman was the one. He was.
We somehow we had gotten together and he goes, hand,
let's go, let's go to lunch. And he goes, yeah,
I'll tell will you said. I'm like, go wait, wait
what I said, Wilfrid. Now he goes, yeah. I talked
to him all the time. I was like, oh, stop it,
and I was like give him my number and all

(01:03:18):
this stuff. Yeah, he was the one that started that
whole thing. And we were right back in the no
pun intended on the golf course, right back in the
swing of things, Tony, Tony hitting beautiful shots, me peeling
it off somewhere swearing and him going, no, you're doing great,
You're doing great. That's that's what. Well, to wrap this
up a little bit, what when you look back at

(01:03:40):
your time on Boy Meets World, what are your feelings,
what are your thoughts? How do you how do you
think about it now? When you look back at that time. Uh,
it was. It was one of the best times of
my life professionally for sure. Um. There have been some
people that I have worked with that have become my
favorite people to work with. Willie Garson was one of
my ever people to work with. UM and when he

(01:04:02):
when he passed away, it was really hard for me.
But you guys, like you said, Daniel, we had become
a family. You were like my family. So the time
that I was able to share with you guys and
be on that show was one of the best times
professionally that I've ever had. Um. It was such a
joy to be part of that show and part of

(01:04:22):
your lives and to be able to work together like that.
Now did I think years later that it would mean
so much to so many people. I didn't really see that,
But for me that that was It's just one of
the most satisfying times creatively, uh and professionally. So yeah,
it was a great time. I got emotional. Yeah, don't

(01:04:48):
get me started. Holy mackerel. Yeah, between the two of you. God, yeah,
oh yeah, let's not talk about this because I'm gonna
go We're going there, you go, all right, So let

(01:05:17):
me ask you real quick, just real quick, what is
your favorite memory from the show? All of you favorite memory?
Just like instinctively, what's your favorite memory? Oh man, like
a moment that stands out that you go, I always
thought this was fun for me. It's easy, easy, what's
your easy? Peasy? My favorite memory of the show, I

(01:05:40):
could what And there's two of them, and it's a tie.
The first one is the scene where you're trying to
get Danielle and you're hiding in the couch and out
takes the outtakes from that moment. You guys are all
so funny in that scene. I could watch that over

(01:06:00):
and over and over and still laugh because it's also
just Will being Will, and it's so clearly ourselves. That's
what being backstage was like. I mean, that's what I think.
That's why I think it speaks to the audience too,
is because they get a little glimpse of what it
was like at our set all the time. We were
always laughing that hard. We were laughing to tears every day.

(01:06:24):
That's that's that's the thing. It's really hard to pinpoint
one memory because it's just I just that's what I
think of. It's like laughing to tears. It's also changed
for me a little bit. Like I would have said
the Scream episode episodes where I remember us laughing so much,
but lately, like if I think about the show, I
think about our pre show scream, like how do we
get together and do our screen before the audience introductions?

(01:06:45):
And I just go, what a magical special thing that
only we share Because other people can watch those episodes
and they can see those moments and see but like
that is a private moment for our group, and that
is as I've gotten older, I cherished that as as
like a memory that I just that, you know, and
it's not even one specific time. It's just that vibe
of like we're about to do a show and we're

(01:07:06):
gonna kill it tonight and we're gonna trust one another
and such a good feeling. Yeah. Yeah, I have a
couple my my on camera one would be just for
me as an actor, would have been the There's Two,
the first time I got the big laugh that took
forever that night, throwing the fertilizer with Carry Russell. Yeah,
and then the scene where Bill messed up his line

(01:07:29):
and gave me the compliment as an actor, those are
two very important things to me. Off camera, you and
I shooting shotguns inside a strip mall. We go to
the So they had this place, which we still don't
know how it was legal. I'm half convinced we just
made it up in our heads. A place called the
north Ridge Pistol and Rifle Range where you'd walk in

(01:07:50):
and there's it was like they'd hand you a large
rifle and go go at it in the middle like
a strip mall. Literally yeah, And it was us looking
at each other going like is this okay? Um? So
we just had those and writers right, we would We
came to a point where nine of our conversation was
spoken in quotes like we just did you touch me?

(01:08:12):
And so it's moments like what is that from? That's
from the thing that recently? And Tony would do that
occasionly out of nowhere. He would just turn to me
and like I'd be like, let's go and I go
to put my hand on me, turn around and go
you touch me? We go. And it was stuff like
that all the time. You guys spoke your own language.

(01:08:34):
We did. We were usually gonna go I'm gonna do
the Jurassic Park thing going, you can have dinosaurs. I'm
the dinosaur. Oh man, do I hate that? Man? Yes,
that's what we did. That's we go by. It was
so old school. We go buy laser discs and all
you know Dave's laser. It was in the valley. It

(01:08:59):
was easy. And these guys were like, because you know,
I started getting into movies like way later than you two,
So you guys were like my mentors. I remember you
taking me and being like, this is the TV you
need to buy. I think I spent four thousand fives
it was five because we all got the same all
the same TV, that big real projection. And then I
got my I got a double sided laser disclayer so
I didn't have to turn over my copy of Braveheart.

(01:09:20):
Laser Disky would just turn over for me. Oh my god,
I was Yes, it was watch those movies. He is
an absolute encyclopedia. I could quote some random movie and
he would he would say who do the acting was
and what the movie was, and then and they quote
all the lines around. Yeah. It was Yeah, how I

(01:09:44):
miss you, Tony. I hope you will you come back?
Will you come back with us later in season two?
Of course? Will you get back? And recap an episode
with us. Of course I would love to do that.
Yeah we okay, great, we have to pick up Good
Turner episode of season two. Oh yeah, also say you're
not on much social media, but I know you do cameo,
So if anybody wants to get a cameo from Tony Quinn,

(01:10:05):
you got me started on that. Thank you for that,
because it's been really great interacting with people and the fans.
They're the best fans, the most complimentary things. Crying. Sometimes
people will say something to me that's so touching that
it just it brings tears to my eyes. Yeah, yeah, same,
We've we've all been there multiple times. Well, I cannot

(01:10:28):
thank you enough for being here with us. It was
so good to see you. I love you as always,
UM thrilled to have you here, and I'm so happy
that you agreed to come back. We can't wait to
do it again. Awesome. Thank you guys. I love you
Paul so much. Big hugs. That is from that is
from Trading Places. Uh that was Eddie Murphy said that line.

(01:10:53):
It is then followed by dan Ackroyd coming in, well
it's actually no, it's actually boy me tell story. It
is actually followed by the print sabole who comes on
to our set. Paul Coffee. Wasn't that his name? No?
He was who was also Paul's. He was the principal
in Back to the u in Um Breakfast Club. He
came onto our set and his next line is happy

(01:11:14):
it's in this country. We say happy New Year. Thank
you very much. Excase. Yes, oh I miss you Tony, Well,
I miss you so much. I'll talk to you guys.
So yeah, please I will take care of guys. Buddy

(01:11:35):
oh man reunions. We must be crazy. So his kids
are in their twenties. Uh Andy is married and Romans
in the military. Yeah, I was gonna say, I mean
Andy was born on the show. Yeah, we were on
the show. He was because he called me that night.
He called me. I was the first call for both
his kids. So then she's almost thirty. Yeah, yeah, I'm

(01:11:58):
recently married. And you know, because I I would say,
Rusty's daughter was probably one of the first like babies
I was around, or kids I was around, you know
what I mean, and like and I remember Tony's kids too,
because you know, I didn't have a huge extended family,
so like people having babies around me and like those
are the kids I remember hanging out with and you know,
that's so funny, and he is that what you see

(01:12:18):
is what you get. He is one of the most
beautiful people I've ever met in my life. He's been
that since the first day I met him. He's never
been different him telling that story, that's how he tells it.
It doesn't ever come off as bitter. It's just like,
this is what happened. Um, And that's Tony. I mean,
it doesn't hold grudges. He's a very he's a as
my wife would say, his unicorn. He's a very rare person.

(01:12:40):
He's a great guy and hugely important to me. Yeah. Well,
this has been another incredible episode. If I do say so,
we're killing it incredible. Thank you for joining us for
this episode of Pod Meets World. You can follow us

(01:13:00):
on Instagram pod meets World Show. You can uh send
us your emails pod meets World Show at gmail dot com.
And as always, we have March Wow, a whispered walk
you like it, but like an angered like a pained whisper.
That's what that was. I love it. Which you can

(01:13:23):
get a Pod meets World Show dot com. So join
us for our next episode, which is when we will
be recapping episode two O two. Season two episode two
called Pairing Off, which originally aired September, and Yeah, can't
wait to see how the second episode of the season
compares to the first episode of the season where we
were all a little uncomfortable. We love you all, pod dismissed.

(01:13:47):
Pod Meets Worlds an I heart podcast produced and hosted
by Danielle Fischel, Wilfred L and Wright Strong. Executive producers
Jensen Carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production,
Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara suit Back, producer, Jackie Rodriguez,
engineer and Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen. Our
theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. You can

(01:14:08):
follow us on Instagram at Pod Meets World Show or
email us at Pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com.