Girl Meets World: Rowan Blanchard Almost Lost Role Due To Age

This is actually an older article, but Entertainment Weekly did an interview with Rowan Blanchard way back in February, where she reveals she almost lost the role of Riley Matthews due to her age - remember, she was 11 when they filmed the pilot. With all the positive feedback coming from the cast and the fans that went to the first taping, I bet they're glad they changed their mind and cast her anyway. In the interview, she also reveals that she's the same as Riley, even though she does mention one difference. Considering that Ben Savage has said he's like Cory, except he likes his hair in real life, this is confidence building. You should check out the interview.

And while I have your attention anyway, starting Monday, December 2, Boy Meets World will be coming on from 3-5 pm instead of 2-4 pm on ABC Family - so don't freak out when you tune in at 2 and Reba is on, okay?

Girl Meets Tweets: Super Successful First Live Taping Edition

@rowblanchard great job tonight, sweetheart. Can't wait to do it all over again next week!
— Danielle Fishel (@daniellefishel) November 20, 2013

@daniellefishel awhh..thanks mom..love u!
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 20, 2013

Our kids were amazing tonight! Congrats to @BenSavage, @rowblanchard, @SabrinaAnnLynn, @coreyfogelmanis, @peytonmeyer9, & @AugustMaturo
— Danielle Fishel (@daniellefishel) November 20, 2013

@daniellefishel Thank you Danielle!! You were so great!! See you tomorrow!!😃
— Corey Fogelmanis (@coreyfogelmanis) November 20, 2013

@daniellefishel @BenSavage @rowblanchard @SabrinaAnnLynn @coreyfogelmanis @peytonmeyer9 I love my GMW family
— August Maturo (@AugustMaturo) November 20, 2013

@daniellefishel @BenSavage @rowblanchard @coreyfogelmanis @peytonmeyer9 @AugustMaturo love us!!!
— Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) November 20, 2013

"@SabrinaAnnLynn: @daniellefishel @BenSavage @rowblanchard @coreyfogelmanis @peytonmeyer9 @AugustMaturo love us!!!" Yes! Yes!
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 20, 2013

@daniellefishel Thank you ! Congrats to you too 👌😄 You did great 😜👌
— peyton meyer (@peytonmeyer9) November 20, 2013

After a successful first taping, Danielle Fishel took to Twitter to congratulate the kids, and the congratulations just could not be stopped. Hopefully with all of the positive feedback, they'll add more tapings sooner than later and your friendly neighborhood Amanda will get to go. It sounds like it was a total blast.

Congrats to everyone on the Girl Meets World cast and crew, and congrats to the audience, too, for making this taping a success.

Girl Meets Tweets: Chewbacca and Plankton Edition

“@rowblanchard: So I guess I'm Chewbacca... @AugustMaturo hahaha! pic.twitter.com/OFcSnRuLuG” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I'm Plankton @BenSavage @daniellefishel
— August Maturo (@AugustMaturo) November 17, 2013

They settled that much more quickly than my brother and I decided who had which joke name Mom came up with. As I mentioned before, they could have fun, alternative middle names. Who knows, they could be Riley Chewbacca and Louis Plankton Matthews.

That would actually be hilarious.

Girl Meets World: I Will Love This Cast?

Episode #2 of GMW begins this week. First is in the can. U will love this cast.
— Mark Blutman (@BlutmanMark) November 14, 2013

Exciting! And I will love this cast? It's time for a breakdown of awesome.

Ben Savage as Cory Matthews

I do believe I was introduced to Cory when I was 9 years old. I'm 30 now. I wouldn't exactly be excited for Girl Meets World if I hated his cootie carrying behind. Love status: love

Danielle Fishel as Topanga Matthews

I wanted to be Topanga Lawrence as a kid. No, I don't mean 16 year old me wanted to be an overachiever and a lawyer.  I mean 10 year old me learned to love my fro-y hair and started meditating to see if I could achieve nirvana and float. I'm a much more vapid and shallow shadow of that pre-teen, but Topanga taught me to always follow the beat of my own drum. Love status: tried to be her

Rowan Blanchard as Riley Matthews

I have a sickness. That sickness is I will watch anything Joel McHale is in because he's wildly talented and what if he takes his shirt off? So I may have seen Spy Kids 4. It doesn't matter how many times. I came for the McHale and stayed because of how amazing Rowan and Mason Cook were. I was also very supportive of Mockingbird Lane and NBC are fools for letting that slip out of their grasp. Disney has some intelligence. Love status: how can anyone born while I was in college be so talented?

Sabrina Carpenter as Maya Hart

Sabrina impressed me greatly this past summer. Like everyone else who has Netflix, I super got into Orange Is The New Black. Amazing show, I saw it three times in two months. One episode features the background of a character named Alex, and she had a very prominent tormentor in her childhood - Sabrina Carpenter. She played a pint-sized rich witch (blogs based on family shows should have family friendly language) so well, I'm really excited to see her play the opposite. Love status: amazing

August Maturo as Louis Matthews

I know August from Weeds. I didn't know I did until it was mentioned he was on Weeds, but then I remembered the character instantly. He is super adorable, which is a selling point for me because I rarely like little brother characters (Cory was simultaneously a big brother). It could be because I have two real life ones and TV really downplays how awful they are, but I digress. August is so sweet on Twitter that  despite loving my jerk brothers more than anything, if there was a brothers draft, I would have delayed my picks about 21 years to recruit August. Sorry Rich and Rob - I just can't imagine August making up stories just to see how much trouble I'd get in for the giggles. Love status: want him to give my brothers good brother lessons

Corey Fogelmanis as Shamus Farkel and Peyton Meyer as Tristan Friar

I don't know these boys that well. That's okay. I know they already have amazing chemistry with everyone else, and that's good enough for me. Love status: free pass

So I'm not going to love this cast because I already do. Girl Meets World is going to be amazing.

Girl Meets Tweets!

More Tweets, this time from the lovely ladies.

@daniellefishel lol ily x bily luv ya werk and twerk ttyl miss u dawg u r like perf ugh I die
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 14, 2013

This spawned from Rowan originally apologizing for the words of her generation, but that junior Betty totally spazzed and tried to make amends for a phrase tossed around years before she was born. "Ugh as if" was famously uttered by Cher Horowitz in the 1995 teen classic Clueless and taught my generation such words as Barney, Baldwin, Betty, and Mamie. Whatever.

@SabrinaAnnLynn ubiquitous. We're just saying big words, right? :)
— Danielle Fishel (@daniellefishel) November 14, 2013

And that's what they continued to do until Danielle defined what a gas chromotograph mass spectrometer was and Sabrina wondered why she wasn't their teacher. I wonder the same thing. Danielle is freakishly smart.

She also seems wonderfully fun. What better way to pass the time than Tweet with your TV daughter and her best friend. Why do people not understand how amazing Girl Meets World is going to be?

Girl Meets World: The First Episode Is In the Can

#GirlMeetsWorld just finished our first episode. Simply INCREDIBLE. 2nd day with my wonderful cast/crew and we are already a family. ❤😊❤
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 13, 2013

THIS IS A RUMOR.  I AM SPREADING RUMORS.  THIS IS COMING FROM A PLACE OF EXPERTISE, BUT I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING FOR A FACT AND AM ONLY SPECULATING.  THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY FACT, BUT AGAIN, A RUMOR.  Needed to get that disclaimer out of the way.

Given how quickly the episode filmed (only two days), and given this thing called child labor laws and given how much of the cast is children, I have a theory that they simply re-shot scenes of the pilot.  The pilot wasn't going to work as is, as it was, because of Teo Halm's now defunct character of Elliot Matthews being in it.  However, it did have Feeny and they probably really wanted to keep that.  At the same time, they needed to introduce August Maturo's character of Louis Matthews and possibly Peyton Meyer's character of Tristan Friar.  I can't prove it, but it's much more likely that's the case than they filmed an entire episode in two days with strict child labor laws and the fact it can take up to 12 hours to film 4 minutes (I have a background in film).

However, it is exciting to know the first episode is done.  Take back everything else I said makes Girl Meets World real, this is the second most real thing about it.

The first most is when it actually airs.

What's More Real Than Cake, Cupcakes, and Script Covers?

On set with my favorites. Mommy and my lil' bro. @daniellefishel @AugustMaturo :) pic.twitter.com/E9uNxmDq6N
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 7, 2013

Topanga and Louis!  On the set!  They are actually on set, guys!  The only way it gets any more real than that is the episodes start airing on Disney Channel!  It's really really really happening!  I can't wait!  January or February 2014 can't come soon enough.

Matthews Family Pictures!

Family Love ♡:-) @AugustMaturo @BenSavage @daniellefishel pic.twitter.com/KhlH2iKFTq
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 6, 2013

How are we supposed to stand this wait?  Cory, Topanga, Riley, and Louis Matthews just look like the awesomest family.  They had the table read today - production soon and then actual episodes on the air!  It's all so close and yet so far away.

Just the Matthews Hanging Out...

@BenSavage @rowblanchard love you guys #girlmeetsworld http://t.co/fslGBUBTjJ
— August Maturo (@AugustMaturo) November 3, 2013

Singing Heart Attack with @sabrinaannlynn @rowblanchard @coreyfogelmanis @ bensavage's house http://t.co/YkGFufRiLH
— August Maturo (@AugustMaturo) November 3, 2013

That Instagram link in the second tweet?  Totally a video.  How cute are the kids and Ben Savage?  Seriously, those who are still skeptics of how great Girl Meets World can be, look at how much of a family they already are!  I cannot wait for the show to come out!

Rowan and Sabrina Can't Wait For You to See Their Aritzia Shoot

Photo: So excited for you guys to see our @Aritzia photo shoot. They’re pretty cool. 😊💕 @sabrinaannlynn is... http://t.co/4s2UECKR8h
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 3, 2013

Sabrina did tweet something similar yesterday, but Rowan's tweet included this most adorable picture!  I love these girls, and their chemistry.  On one hand, I cannot wait to see them be best friends on Girl Meets World, but on the other hand I already see them as best friends everyday on Twitter.  I can't wait to see their shoot, too.  I bet it's just absolutely fantastic.

I Am Loving How Close the Girl Meets World Cast Is!

@peytonmeyer9 @coreyfogelmanis @SabrinaAnnLynn @AugustMaturo Scooby-Doo crew!! pic.twitter.com/nhJGXJdNYG
— Rowan Blanchard (@rowblanchard) November 1, 2013

The kids went trick or treating together as the Scooby Doo gang!  Can you think of any other group that would better signify how close friends they've become, when the first table read is still five days away?  The chemistry on Girl Meets World is going to be amazing!  And, seriously, how adorable is August Maturo as Scooby Doo?  They all look great, though.

Does Anybody In the World Love More Than Danielle Fishel?

@rowblanchard girl, you are my daughter now. Even after I have a real daughter she might have to compete with my love for you. ;)
— Danielle Fishel (@daniellefishel) October 29, 2013

That is so epically sweet!  Is epically a word?  I don't even care!  As you may remember, Danielle's nickname for Ben Savage is her "first husband".  She genuinely cares for her cast members and I love it.  Of all the girls I could have looked up to as a teen, I picked well.

Check Out the Girl Meets World Kids in their Handmade Steampunk Costumes!

Credit: @rowblanchard

The kids from the cast of Girl Meets World attended KCA Dream Halloween last night, wearing handmade steampunk costumes created by @glitterguru for @urchinsproject.  The entire event was for Keep A Child Alive, a group dedicated to bringing HIV treatment to affected families in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and India (@keepachildalive).

Credit: @AugustMaturo

In attendance were Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter, August Maturo, and Peyton Meyer.  Cory Fogelmanis was unable to attend because his homecoming dance was the same night.

Credit: @SabrinaAnnLynn

The kids looked great, it was for a great cause, and it seems like everyone had fun.  For more photos, check out the kids' Twitter accounts: @rowblanchard, @SabrinaAnnLynn, @AugustMaturo.

Rowan Blanchard Is the Sweetest Girl Ever

And Danielle Fishel is the sweetest woman.

@rowblanchard I love you.
— Danielle Fishel (@daniellefishel) October 23, 2013

If everyone in the world were as sweet as these two, the world would be a better place. Plus, this bodes well for Girl Meets World because this is their off-set chemistry. They're going to be an amazing mother/daughter on TV.

Happy Birthday, Rowan Blanchard!

Picture from Rowan Blanchard's Tumblr.

Today is the 12th birthday of Riley Matthews herself, Rowan Blanchard. Here's hoping she has a fabulous day!