Highlights
- Boy Meets World star Will Friedle almost starred in Saved By The Bell.
- Will Friedle’s father revealed that he turned down an audition for Saved by the Bell: The New Class due to the low pay.
- The original Saved by the Bell cast didn’t make a lot of money from residuals.
Even though it has been decades since Boy Meets World premiered on television, the show’s fandom may be more passionate than ever. Part of the reason for that is that so much incredible information about the show’s cast has been revealed.
Some amazing facts about the show’s cast include that Danielle Fishel wanted Boy Meets World to end and that Will Friedle may have pitched a major Disney movie. It also is incredible to know that Friedle was asked to audition for Saved by the Bell: The New Class. However, unlike TV stars who get paid $1 million per episode, Friedle was offered a pathetic salary.
Why Will Friedle Didn’t Audition For Saved By The Bell: The New Class
Even though it has been decades since Boy Meets World went off the air, the show continues to have devoted fans. In 2022, Boy Meets World stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle launched a podcast for those fans.
Titled Pod Meets World, the podcast typically has two weekly episodes, one of which allows the hosts to rewatch and discuss an episode. The second weekly episode gives Fishel, Friedle, and Strong the chance to talk to someone with a unique perspective on the show.
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In many cases, “Pod Meets World” has welcomed people who worked behind the scenes on Boy Meets World. However, Fishel, Friedle, and Strong have also interviewed their parents on three different episodes of the podcast.
After watching their children star in Boy Meets World for years, the parents have a unique view on Boy Meets World. Additionally, the hosts’ parents have gotten the chance to talk about their children’s entire careers when they’ve appeared on the podcast.
In November 2023, Will Friedle’s father Gary Friedle appeared on “Pod Meets World”. On top of being Friedle’s father, Gary Friedle is an extremely accomplished lawyer. During his appearance on “Pod Meets World”, Fishel asked Gary Friedle if he still uses his legal expertise to help his famous son.
As Gary Friedle explained, he has looked over his son’s contracts throughout his career. As fascinating as that is, what Gary Friedle revealed next arguably is even more interesting. As Gary Friedle explained, his son’s agents once contacted him to ask if Friedle was interested in starring in Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
“I was home sick and it was before, long before Boy. The phone rings and it’s the agent. There’s an opening, I think he can go on Saved by the Bell. I said, ‘What’s Saved by the Bell?'”
After asking for more information about Saved by the Bell, Gary Friedle learned it was a national program. Since that is a big deal, Gary Friedle’s interest was piqued. However, Gary Friedle revealed that his son’s agent suggested that auditioning would be a bad idea.
Gary Friedle then stated that he couldn’t remember why his son’s agent suggested that auditioning for Saved by the Bell was a bad idea. In response, Will Friedle instantly chimed in to reveal why the audition didn’t happen. “I do, it’s the money.”
Will Friedle wasn’t the only one who recalled that Saved by the Bell actors didn’t get paid enough. After all, Rider Strong then spoke up to agree that the show paid very little. “It’s notoriously low paying.”
At this point, Will Friedle revealed two amazing facts. First off, his father passed on the audition for Saved by the Bell: The New Class without even telling his actor son. Secondly, according to Will Friedle, the pay was so low that taking the job would have cost the Friedle family money.
“I was not privy to any of this. The money was so low that it would actually have cost me money to live in L.A. to do. It was for Saved by the Bell: The New Class.”
Strong then spoke up to reveal that he believed that Saved by the Bell’s producers managed to pay so little by being tricky. According to Strong’s remarks, he believed that Saved by the Bell’s producers were able to get around union rules by claiming the show was for kids.
Luckily for Will Friedle, it wasn’t long after his father passed on the audition that he was cast in Boy Meets World. However, Will Friedle revealed that he was very upset when he learned that he didn’t get to do the audition.
Fishel then spoke up to point out something important. If Will Friedle auditioned and got cast in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, he never could have starred in Boy Meets World. The reason for that is Will Friedle would have been contractually obligated to Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
Did Saved By The Bell’s Original Stars Get Paid Well?
Based on everything that Will Friedle and Rider Strong said, it is clear the stars of Saved by the Bell: The New Class weren’t paid well. However, it is theoretically possible that Strong and Friedle’s comments don’t apply to the stars of the original Saved by the Bell show.
In 2019, Mark-Paul Gosselaar made an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. During the resulting conversation, Cohen asked Gosselaar if the stars of Saved by the Bell have made a fortune from residuals.
|
Saved by the Bell’s Cast Net Worth |
According to Celebrity Net Worth in 2023 |
|
Mario Lopez |
$35 Million |
|
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen |
$10 Million |
|
Mark-Paul Gosselaar |
$8 Million |
|
Elizabeth Berkley |
$6 Million |
|
Lark Voorhies |
$500,000 |
|
Dennis Haskins |
$400,000 |
|
Dustin Diamond’s Estate |
$300,000 |
“Given the amount that that show has been rerun and repurposed and all that, did you guys, did the actors… Do you get any kind of residuals? Who is making money of the show is what I want to know.”
In response, Gosselaar instantly revealed that he and his castmates don’t share in profits from reruns. “We’re not”. Since that is hard to believe, Gosselaar then revealed the sad truth that he and his famous co-stars signed horrible deals to star in the show.
“We made really bad deals. Poor deals, back then. It is what it is. You move on, you learn. Great experience.”