'Boy Meets World' Actor Rider Strong Reveals Difficulty of Finding Work, Growing Up as a Child Actor

Gettyimages | Christopher Polk

Rider Strong is perhaps best known for his role as Shawn Hunter on the hit 90s show, 'Boy Meets World'. Since the show ended years ago, though, Strong hasn't been involved in any really noteworthy programs or projects to date.

Although, that doesn't mean that he doesn't have anything going on in his life. Strong does have his own podcast called Literary Disco and has been involved in small appearances on a number of shows. Still, it seems that the actor has had difficulties getting his foot in the door for bigger roles on television and in film.

Gettyimages | Rodin Eckenroth

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Strong was asked about the struggles of picking up an acting career with only a small sample size of credentials, aside from his role in 'Boy Meets World'. "Does being a former child sitcom star make it easier or harder to break into filmmaking," Vanity Fair asked the actor.

"That’s a really good question. I don’t know. I think it’s easier to get my foot in the door, but it’s harder to be taken seriously once I’m there. So I think that getting crew, for instance—people will meet with me," Strong responded to the outlet.

Gettyimages | Rodin Eckenroth

"They go, 'Oh, he’s actually legitimized in some ways. He’s part of the industry; he’s successful in some areas so I’ll meet with him.' But once I meet with him and they know the show, I’m just a child actor trying to do something else," the actor continued.

"So I have to prove myself against that. I’m not making anything that has anything to do with Boy Meets World, so it doesn’t lend credence or value to my projects. [It] gives more publicity to our film because I have so many Twitter followers, or whatever. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to give my film an award."

Gettyimages | Angela Weiss

Strong was also asked about the transition from being a child actor to an adult and the mental challenges along the way that can dramatically influence a future path in acting. "As a child actor, what’s the fine line between being an Oscar-winning director like Ron Howard or turning to porn like Scotty Schwartz?" Vanity fair asked.

"I don’t know, man. The worst example is someone like Jonathan Brandis, somebody who was from my era and somebody that I knew. And he killed himself. And that’s tragic. I think if most people just go through their high-school class, there are a lot of people who are depressed and get into drugs or screw up in any given group of people that you know at a young age," Strong explained.

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"Predicting if where you are at in high school is going to somehow [determine] where you’re going to be at 30 is kind of pointless. I don’t know if child actors are necessarily more screwed up than most people," the actor continued.

As for if Strong believes Cory Matthews and Topanga got married at too young of an age, something that resulted in a 'minor controversy', he believes so, but the producers went on with it anyway. "I think a lot of people agree that was the 'jump the shark' moment. Because they got married in the middle of our last season as opposed to ending the show with their marriage. But, yes, he got married too young. Definitely. That’s my answer: yes, it’s ridiculous," he concluded.