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Google PlayMaitland Ward reflects on being “sexualized” during her time on Boy Meets World in a new interview.
Speaking with BuzzFeed News, Ward—whose much-discussed move into the adult film industry later in life has earned her numerous accolades—looked back at her two seasons on the ABC sitcom as Rachel McGuire, the college roommate of Eric (Will Friedle) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence).
Given a specific mention is series co-creator Michael Jacobs, whose other credits include Dinosaurs and Charles in Charge.
“At the time, I didn’t realize I was so sexualized,” Ward told Stephanie Soteriou in an interview shared Thursday. “I didn’t realize the food fight was such a fetish kind of thing, like, food and feet and all this stuff going on. I didn’t realize all of the innuendos that were made in Rachel’s direction and I think the writers, and Michael especially, really enjoyed playing with that, but then it could not be on my terms.”
Notably, in her recently released book Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me From Hollywood, Ward speculated that her later decision to start taking control of her own sexuality by sharing photos online is why Jacobs didn’t invite her to take part in Girl Meets World. The sequel series premiered in 2014 and ran for three seasons. Early into the news coverage surrounding the spin-off’s production, Ward was assumed by some to be involved in some capacity after sharing photos from a set visit. However, she ultimately never made an appearance.
Ward also recalled being “reprimanded” and shamed on numerous occasions, including for wearing a crop top, as well as allegedly being made to try on lingerie sets in the producers’ office for a Season 7 episode. Additionally, Ward said she and her co-stars, particularly Danielle Fishel (who played Topanga on the show), were intentionally separated. As seen in the full interview here, Ward likened this experience to her and her fellow actors being kept in “little glass cases apart.”
Surrounding the release of Rated X, Ward has opened up about everything from the Boy Meets World era to her award-winning work in porn. On Thursday, the finale of the Ward-starring Drift was released via Deeper. In a recent chat with the Daily Beast, Ward revealed she’s hoping to sell the rights to Rated X for a potential feature-length film adaptation.
