Danielle Fishel Talks to "Girl Meets World" Costar Sabrina Carpenter 'All the Time': 'My Baby Forever' (Exclusive)

10/30/2024 04:40 PM

Carpenter played Maya Hart on the 'Boy Meets World' spinoff for three seasons

While Sabrina Carpenter's Girl Meets Worlddays are long behind her as she embarks on pop stardom, the love for her former cast members is still strong.

At the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premiere on Monday, Oct. 28 in Hollywood, California, Danielle Fishel – who directed several episodes of the Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff — gave PEOPLE the scoop on her relationship with Carpenter a decade since the show's premiere.

The "Espresso" singer played Maya Hart, the best friend of Rowan Blanchard's character Riley Matthews. The show, which saw Fishel reprise her iconic role as Topanga Matthews, followed her character as she raised Riley with longtime partner Cory Matthews, played by original Boy Meets Worldactor Ben Savage.

"I still consider her to be my daughter and I think of myself very much as a surrogate mother," Fishel said about Carpenter. "She has a mother who's wonderful, who I'm very close to. I'm definitely an older friend who gives her advice more like a mom would than just a pal. I probably annoy her sometimes with my mom advice, but I can't help it! She's my baby forever."

Related: Danielle Fishel Wishes Cory and Topanga Hadn't Gotten Married on Boy Meets World

Fishel, 43, also said she still talks to Carpenter, 25, "all the time." The actress couldn't choose between her favorite Short n' Sweet songs, however.

"It's too hard to choose just one, but I'm obsessed with 'Juno,'" the director noted. "I love 'Bed Chem.' 'Taste' is obviously amazing. 'Juno''s been the one I've been rocking the most, I think."

The love for Carpenter extends far past Fishel. Fellow Girl Meets World castmates August Maturo and Ava Kolker, who starred as Auggie Matthews and Ava Morgenstern, respectively, made a joint TikTok staking their claim as OG fans of the singer. The video, captioned "How you guys know Sabrina vs. how we know Sabrina," shows Maturo and Kolker posing with Carpenter while lip-syncing to "Espresso."

As for the status of a show reunion, Fishel said she "wasn't aware" there was a demand for the cast to come together, asking PEOPLE, "Who's asking? Is anybody asking for a Girl Meets World reunion?"

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Related: Danielle Fishel Details How Her 'Whole Life Has Changed' Since Breast Cancer Diagnosis: 'It's Not Fun' (Exclusive)

Fishel also got candid about her health, noting that her "life has changed" since sharing that she was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) during the Aug. 19 episode of her podcast Pod Meets World.

"My life has become many doctor's appointments and constantly checking up. And it'll be monitoring side effects," the actress explained. "It's not fun, but it is what it is. And with all that said, I'm very fortunate and I'm going to live, which is the most important thing."