William "Rusty" Russ Meets World

Alan Matthews is here!  Let's hang with Dad aka Topanga's father-in-law.  Father Knows Best, right?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Writer, I have a very important question to ask you.
Do you still quartal every day? So do I? Although
then I got into set Chordal and there's another one.
There's sixteen at the same time. Sorry sorry, Actortal is
eight and I was doing that and then Scordal is

(00:37):
sixteen of them at the same But here's what I
figured with with those, it completely changes the game because
then all you would have to do because you would
have nine chances or even more than because Quartal gives
you how many seven, so set Chordal would give or
what they would give you like twelve. So I just
realized all I gotta do is a do story pros
night and then I would have like covered the entire
out And then it was just like so I was like,

(00:58):
this isn't fun, So I do Quartal. It is a word.
You have your first two quirt like words, choose a
different one every time. So Gensen I do it together.
It's kind of like a bonding thing we do. Uh
and so sometimes depending on how we're feeling, Gentsen will
make it really hard and he'll be like, first word, pinch.
I'm like pinch, okay, but listen to waste and or

(01:21):
not and I start with always start with I do.
I start with Earth. Earth is pretty good, pretty good.
I do a do story every time, like, I'm what
am I doing here? What's the point of this? Welcome
to pod meets World, a podcast where we deep dive
into episodes of boy Meats World until you are behind

(01:43):
the scenes, stories, feelings, and we do a lot of unpacking.
If you will, I will, I absolutely will. We should
have called this Unpacking the World. You're right. We all
know that this podcast was Will's idea and so oh sorry, sorry,
you're right. It was actually right idea. It was Will's idea.

(02:06):
He came up with it on the side yard where
Phoenie was. It's like when I get asked to call,
I'm like, oh, you think I'm Will? Oh, I get
that all the time. It's like you were old man.
What is it like playing Corey's friend? Like I don't know,
asked Rider, Speaking of which I am Daniel Fishel, I'm
wilfrid l and I am right or Strong may be
better known to you as to Panka, Eric and Sean um. So.

(02:29):
I am absolutely thrilled we have our first ever guests
World podcast. This is an incredible guest. Please welcome Rusty Russ.
William Rusty Russ. You're talking about you know when they're
going to show up? Oh my god, here, Rusty's here, Rusty.

(02:56):
They just did a screening of Cruising. Did you know this?
Who did this creating of Gosh? What theater was it?
Let's see if my our podcast producer Jensen Carp could
send it in the our chat. It was a theater
in l A. They just did another like a live
showing of a screening of the movie. And I wanted

(03:19):
to ask you were you at the original premiere? No?
Probably not. No, No, I actually I don't even remember
what I do. Remember, you've had such a career, you
don't even remember. It was literally the second movie ever
that you did. No, it actually was the third movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

(03:43):
I did. You and me Kid Brookshield. Yeah, she was
about fourteen. Oh my gosh, how are you okay? Six?
Remember I came back. I came back from Mexico. Was
doing a show called Catalanian Little Bridges with Burt Lancaster,

(04:04):
Rod Steger, etcetera. And uh and then and I'd work
with with al Pacino on Broadway, and so I'm doing
this movie. Come in and I think you can do
this part and great And it was like for the
audience who doesn't know Rusty has been in everything, I
mean aside from where you will know him best as

(04:25):
Alan Matthews. I did not say that. I just yes,
the dad, the Matthews family, Matthews family patriarch, and you
are truly an iconic TV dad and grocer. I know, ralps,
I'm right up there with the other managers and the
picture bananas are open there, thank you. You know I

(04:47):
don't know where the can soup is. Thank you. Still
still a Methodist, Rusty worked at a grocery store for
three years before taking on the role of Alan Maths.
And then what you guys were a camping store by
the end outdoor? What are the jobs did you have?
Those are the two main on the show. Yeah, I know,

(05:07):
Betsy was a real estate agent at one point. Level one.
It's so funny. There are certain lines I guess just
because as a as a community we thought certain things
were funny. I was like in jokes because I remember
the brick split level when you said clean up on
Aisle seven and the pilot or remember when you remember
we used to say that, Oh yeah, we used to

(05:28):
do all that fill or whatever you had. And the
second I heard that line, I was like, I remember
we used to reference to what like we decided to
make a an inside joke and that was Yes, it
was one of the one of the ones that you
and I had. Rusty was years later at the at
the camping store with you doing the we're trying to

(05:48):
sell hiking shoes to or or climbing shoes to climbers
and you have to go like and then halfway down
they're like they're falling off the cliff. And you and
I did that for years after that, Right, Yeah, you
better get these good hiking shooes and you don't want
to be on the hike going Hell, look over here.
That's all right, So Rusty, let us walk us through

(06:10):
coming on too, boymate's world. What what was it like? What? How?
What was your experience coming on? Did you audition? Did
you get offered this part? You were replacement there shot
a pilot with a different dad, Matt McCoy, So I
want to hear how you came to this world. Well,
and let me stay right off. Matt McCoy was a
friend of mine and a terrific actor, and I love

(06:31):
Matt but then yeah, it's it's just funny. I was
at a certain point in my career as working and
I've done the series, and I've done movies and I've
done this, but you know, and I remember someone asked
going and would you you could take a meeting on
this show, and I said, I don't. I'm not, you know, honestly,
on the sitcom it was hard for me. Yeah, you didn't.

(06:53):
I didn't get it. I didn't understand it. I didn't
know how people did them. I didn't. I just didn't understand,
and I frankly thought I wouldn't be any good. And
so actually when the first audition or meeting came up,
I just said, no, I'm really not. I'm sorry. I
just don't feel comfortable. I think this is not right

(07:14):
for me, even the genre. And then um so then
obviously you guys went on did the pilot and I
did something or whatever it was, and Michael, for whatever reason,
Michael Jacobs I wouldn't let it go. He did the pilot,
and then when they sold the shows, he had decided

(07:35):
that somewhere he still he had wanted me, and I
think he had seen a Baseball movie, I did Past
Time some other stuff, and he just had something in
his head and at that time they came back to
me and literally it was kind of a practical thing.
He said, Yeah, they still would like to maybe see
you on this, but now they're doing thirteen shows. Right,

(07:57):
it's not a pilot anymore. It's not just one one
off and there's you know, I mean, I hate to
say it, but there's real money and you know, and
I was just at a point in my life I said, well,
you know, I've always been an exponent of if you
have door A and door B in front of you

(08:18):
and you keep banging your head on door A and
it's just not opening, and door B opens, you're a fool.
If you keep banging your head on door A, you
walk through door B and you go, well, let's see
where this leads. You know. It's funny you said that
you didn't feel comfortable with the sitcom form or didn't
really get it, because in a lot of ways, I
think that's why you were perfect for the show. And

(08:40):
I think that because I think you know, what happens
with any form, right is that it becomes stale. And
I think if actors like, in other words, if if
the more sitcomy of an actor they had found the
sort of less meaningful the character would have felt. I mean,
what what's incredible to me is that your presence is

(09:00):
so grounding in the show. Yes, you know, and it's
it's it's it's remarkably like relaxing, and you're not trying
to go for laughs. You're not trying, You're not a goofy,
put upon dad, You're you know that. I feel like
that the father on a sitcom is such it's the
Homer Simpson trope, right, Like the idea that you're like
nom and don't know anything and you your character ends

(09:20):
up feeling like a real dad, not being a joke
but also being funny, and it's just like it's an
amazing balance. So I really do think that's probably what
Michael saw, and I think it's what the show needed.
It's it's really uncol it is. Yeah, I mean, Michael,
did I mean for a quote unquote kid show, the
adults on our show were great. I mean that's the thing,

(09:42):
as adults on a lot of kids shows are like
the most ridiculous pulling one over on them. They're kind
of buffoons. Michael didn't do that with any of the
adults on it. I mean, all the adults were written
like adults. You know, it was it was a totally
different thing. Well, that's a great observation, and I think,
you know, like I said, it's hard to be objective,
but you know it's actually I haven't seen the shows

(10:02):
and like forever, and I watched the other day and
I kind of went, oh, and now that you mentioned that, yeah, oh, okay,
I don't really have a banana in my ear right.
I mean, it seems so wonderful that all I had
to do is kind of sit back and you know,

(10:24):
not knock over the furniture. When did you meet Betsy?
Did you and Betsy have a relationship before Boy Meets
World started or did you guys meet your first episode?
Met probably in the first prepisode or the first the

(10:46):
photo shoot you where we all met. You were seeing petrified.
I was petrified because I wasn't at the photo shoot.
So I need to know what was your first impression
of Will and Writer and the rest of the cast.
You could be honest, by the way, what have I

(11:08):
gotten a nicelf? Know? They were it was great, and
I you know, one thing you have to have as
an actor, or hopefully you can is you can walk
into a situation and kinda hopefully listen and watch and
not impose anything. I was really just trying to stay

(11:30):
out of the way and not scare anybody, because I
have a very you know, I've been told I mean,
I can have an ambrasive or you know, I'm the
kind of guy you look and go, why are you
so angry? I agree, I just just my face, you
scared me. You did, you really, he absolutely did. And
it was nothing that you did. It wasn't that you

(11:51):
were angry or had you were just you came in
and were like I knew who you were and you
were the consummate actor, and it was I was intimidated.
So it was like you, you know, you're meeting everybody
at the at the photo shoot, which by the way,
that the poster is is five feet from where we're
sitting right now outside this door. Um, and it's it's
one of those things where it's like here's your family,
this is your dad, this is your mom, here's your

(12:13):
little brother. You're going, oh, no, that Kathy my dad,
And it was it was just like no, put your
arm around your dad and it's you're going like, what's
your name again? Like, oh, that's right, Oh you're a
William too. It's like, no, call me Rusty. And I
was like, okay, he's this Gary guy now he played
I mean, he had just played a gangster and wise
guys and then rolled into being America's dad. That's the thing.
So it was like, and you know, I've seen him
on a bunch of things and you're you're the consummate

(12:34):
actor where you were always I mean again, you were not.
You were not sitcom dad. That's what that's exactly right
here saying you're gonna go cast TV sitcom dad on
a kid show quote unquote. Other than Michael, there's probably
not a lot of people at the time that would
have been like, get me William Russ. So there was
something like that was brilliant. The same thing with Bill Daniels, Right,
it's like you take people out of their context as

(12:57):
like you know, they're acting context, and you you you
borrow from that to make the show more meaningful. You know.
It's like it's what I think is part of the
reason why the show has that level of seriousness is
that there's the adults with presents and and you know
the real actors and they're able. No one's just no
one's hamming it up. No one's like just here for
the lacept except Ben. But again, but but it was

(13:20):
he did it. That was the perfect balance of the
stuff that we needed because Ben was like a little
stand up comedian, so he he did exactly what he
was supposed to. And then there was this kind of
realism surrounding this chaotic twirling character in the center, which
was which was a great way to do it. I mean,
that was exactly what you needed. That's why the balance
between especially uh Ben and Bill was so different, because

(13:40):
it was that wiley coyote character running around and then
Bill Daniels right next to what was your relationship with Bill?
Had you known Bill before the shows? Actually I had.
I had actually worked on st Elsewhere three episodes they
did one they did they did like three episodes where
they went into the past and they followed a patient
like not just me, but through thirty years. I was

(14:03):
there as a young person with an accident middle age,
and then I was there as an older chargery had
a heart at and so I'd work with Bill there
and then Also I had come out to l A
and we had done a TV movie together called Rehearsal
for Murder Movies Movies of the Week with Lynn Redgrave

(14:26):
and uh music man actor anyway, but a lot of
big actors, pytro McGee, you know, Jeff Goldbloom's and it
was a murder mystery and I ended up to being
the guy that did it. Alert it was just semi

(14:48):
five bucks. I'll send you the link. But anyway, so, yeah,
i'd work with Bill and you know, so and so
we you know, we knew each other, and so Bill
didn't scare the crap out of you, like did us. Look,
there's there's a picture we're looking Okay, we'll put this
on our Pod Meets World show. At the photo you

(15:10):
can see it. It's a picture of Bill Daniels and
Rusty in Jeff and Jeff Goldblum row who in that?
But then you got to work with right or Strong
Wilfred of course. Yeah, you may remember him as Sean Hunt,
Shawn Hunt. He did the Phoenie Call, you know. Honestly,

(15:34):
Rusty and I barely got to work together on Boy
Meats World until later, until later you know we So,
I mean, I I. Yeah, it's funny because, like I,
I just we never even had scenes together because I
was always you know, isolated from I was always at
the school situation, you know, So I didn't get to
know Rusty, I would say, for a couple of years,
like really get to know him, you know, and it
was actually anybody gets to really get to know Rusty. Well,

(15:55):
Postboy Meets World, Rusty and I spent more time together.
We did a movie together that I produe and he
came up, and that's when I really became friends with him.
And then Girl Meets World. But yeah, during Boy I remember,
you know, both he and Betsy were kind of a
distanced from from my experience, which is interesting to think.
We we we've we've often talked about the multiple boy

(16:15):
meet worlds, and it started right at the beginning. I mean,
it really was. There was a show that took place
in the school, and then there was a show that
took place at home, and then the through line thread
was Mr Feenie, who was in both areas. But other
than that, I mean, that's why I always said, you
and I did not work together for years and years ago.
Well there's a rumor and you guys can clear this
up if it's true or not. There is a rumor

(16:37):
that goes around on the internet that the reason you
guys didn't do a lot of scenes together is that
you could not keep it together. You guys were constantly laughing,
making each other laugh. No, that's not true at all.
It's actually that rider steals things. You'd be halfway through
a scene and be like, my wallet's gone. That is

(16:58):
absolutely true. Is true, It is true. But that was
that was later. That was what happened is Will and
I started asking to be able to do a scene
together because we hated We were friends in real life,
we were constantly hanging out, but we were never in
scenes together. So we asked them to write us scenes.
They wrote one and we could not get through it,
and we in front of the audience. I mean, and

(17:19):
that's like time consuming. That is that you know when
you're when you can't get through a scene. Uh yeah,
I have. I have a tendency to indicate that I'm
about to laugh and try and overcompensate by making a
very serious face, which, if you know me, is so transparent.
I'm sure we're going to see it when we're watching episodes.
And because I'm sure it made it to air, and
hopefully nobody knows at home. But I am constantly trying

(17:41):
not to laugh when I'm in a scene with Will,
and he sees it and loses it. So yeah, it
was a disaster. And so then they decided we can
never work together. So, Rusty, you had worked with al
Pacino a million different people who were professional, and then
you get to work with a bunch of kids. What, truthfully,
you don't have to you don't have to sugarcoat anything

(18:01):
for us. What was it like working with a bunch
of kids. It was fascinating. Yeah, I know it was.
It was. It was really fun. I mean, you guys
are just fun to watch, and I I kind of
totally loved it, tell you the truth. You know, once
I let myself just relax and go okay, okay, and
I was a learning process because you guys are funny

(18:24):
and spontaneous and I loved watching you. I still remember,
and I remember not so much even the war, but
just you as people going to school and working so hard.
I still can see you guys during Halloween walking across
to this stage in a line on Halloween, going from
school to the set right this is indebted in my

(18:47):
in my memory, you guys all in your Halloween costumes
parade a little post first season. Yeah, I remember that.
You have that photo burned in my memory. Jane, what
were you a french Maid about? Sexy Hallow sexy french Maid?

(19:10):
I had a picture of it. We can also post
that on the Boy Meet the Pod Meets World show
Instagram account. Pictures that I have with April Kelly. How
did we decide? Because I remember we made a big
deal out of that Halloween. Will and I went and
rented costumes. Then we rented costumes. Joker, you were Batman.
I bought mine at the Halloween store for like you

(19:33):
guys did something much more. But what was like? So
I guess maybe the teachers or we did we decided
to do that. I mean, I've always been a huge
Halloween fans. Maybe weach of us guaranteed, but yeah, so
we it was our table read day, so it was
a Thursday. I guess Halloween landed on that day. And
we dressed up and went to the table red table
read in full costume and everybody stood up and applauded.

(19:55):
Was don't you remember you and I did a fake
fight because I had blood. We had blood cat so
everybody like their bleeding look, even a blood caps It
was such a one of the most memorable halloweens in
my first season of Boy Meat the World. That's so funny.
So one of the things getting back to you, Mr Russ,
I remember, thank you, thank you for being here. Um.

(20:15):
One of the things I remember is always thinking I
didn't know what I was doing and wasn't doing enough
homework every time I saw your script, because your script
was like script marked up, ripped apart this world, and
I eventually I was like, why is that word circle?
But that one is a square? Why is that diamond shape?

(20:38):
I love Rusty during a table read with his pencil
and then and then he would put the scripts everywhere
on the set, so you would be in the middle
of a scene in front of the audience and he'd
be like, hang on, and he'd reach under the cushion
of the chair that he was sitting on and marked script.
And I remember just looking at you and thinking to
myself like I'm I'm he's he's doing this better than

(21:00):
me because I don't know what I'm doing. Breakdown how
you mark up your scripts well? It's because I'm kind
of have kind of you know, special needs as an actor,
and I found many many years ago that physically underlining marking.
I mean, it's really just really I've always done it.

(21:21):
What we're doing plays. I mean, if you look at
copies of plays I did, they're like falling apart. But physically,
I'm literally saying, physically writing something down goes into my brain.
I can't just look at I have to physically. There's
a connection between physically doing something and in my part

(21:42):
of my brain that records that I've heard of actors
actually like writing out their entire Yeah, but that's all.
It really was your process and yeah, you guys really
weren't working enough. You're so naturally talented. I had to
actually thank you the first night I saw it, and

(22:03):
being like, I guess I'll underline this line we're supposed
to get. I'm supposed to do this, so I'm going
to circle this and put a triangle around Phoenie. So
there isn't like a glossary. It's literally just any particular
marking you do around things like the diamond or the
square doesn't actually mean something to you specifically. It's just okay,

(22:23):
it's and it's just it's just the physical thing of
getting it into my head. It's like being an athlete.
I had to physically do the movement and write it down,
and that would something and also would help me get
very as an actor specific with everything that I was saying.
Otherwise I didn't know what was going on, right. I
guess one of the things we should probably do with

(22:45):
our guests, at least a little bit, is find out
what why did you become an actor? Where you know?
Where did you? Where did you start? What made you
decide that you wanted to become an entertainer? Desperation? Really, man,
I didn't I didn't know anything else. I mean, honestly,
I I think about this all the time. And then
because I see how other people choose where they're going
in their life, and there's usually something and I couldn't

(23:05):
really figure it out. Um. I mean, I went to college.
I had no, no desire to be an actor. I
didn't know what that was or anything. But then I
look back and I look at high school and I
remember going to everyone all these high schools will go
to the local repertory company would come through and we'd
see two or three plays. I do remember sitting in

(23:27):
the balcony going and this is weird. But then I'm
watching these actors are going it looks like fun. And
then they go out and they have lunch with their
dinner with their friends. I mean, that looks like kind
of a good life. They yeah, they go all around
the country. And then I forgot about it, never really
the thing. And then I literally went to the University
of Michigan totally lost. Just went in athletic kind of

(23:54):
scholarship and what was your sport. I was a diver,
you know, and like high diving, like all the yell
then the world class of gymnasts. It was all men cheerleaders,
all world class gymnasts and divers and you know, but
it was also put it on a show. You're going
to the stadium and there's a hundred thousand people in there.

(24:14):
Bring the energy up and you're doing the flips and
welcome to the circus. Let's go. But anyway, I didn't
quite know what I was doing, and I just wanted
to get away from home. And I thought I had
a loving home, but I had five brothers and sisters,
so I really wanted to get away in New Orleans, right, yeah,
kind of grew up. I'm a navy brat. I grew
up all over actually, um, but yeah, and then I

(24:36):
someone said wanted. I was in speech class and someone
said can you do a scene? And go what's the scene? Go? Oh,
we do this thing? And I did it. And one
of the teachers is what happens in your life, you
have to pay attention. Someone said you're really good at this,
you should do this. I went, well, really, yeah, maybe
I should. And then I just had blinders on and

(24:56):
they went, oh, this is what I should do. And
then based had blonderds onto We're better or force and
that's what I focused. And so that was what like
the early seventies by this point in an Arbor, Michigan
and I and it was a great period because there
was a lot of political theater. We were creating theater.
We went to Europe and did mime lunchtime theater in Edinburgh.

(25:21):
We traveled and you know, did The Tempest, Shakespeare's play
in London in the round wow for six people. One
of the classic theater experience. I can tell you so
many Well, when you say mime, are you like literally
painting your face? We were called the ann Arbor Mime Troupe,
and it was this guy who had conned some money

(25:44):
from somewhere and they're like, you know ten or twelve
ohists and Anna Arbor, we're all doing off and our
shows and lunchtime theater and political shows. And he had
supposedly put together this tour of Europe and we got
that ed and we flew into London and got to Edinburgh.
We had this whole band at that Annabur Mime Troupe

(26:05):
and we got to Edinburgh and realized that none of
this was true. This is a guy hoping to get
more money. So then we had to figure out what
how do we do this money? Thank you very much,
Yes they did. Unfortunately money was to send a mind. Well,

(26:26):
it wasn't that we had to make money. It's like
we didn't know money for food. It was like Christine Lotty,
Oh my Christine. And then there's some there's some wonderful actors,
and we all knew each other and we'll said, we're
stuck in at what are you doing like busting on
the street for money, like how did you Basically we
did lunchtime theater, mime shows and then people come and

(26:47):
have lunch and on French bread, not from ime. You know,
it's really clunchy and everything. And then we were premiererying
a new play at the Edinburgh Late Night Theater, which
is a very famous theater. And that's a whole another story.
Uh and uh, and then just hustling until you know,

(27:07):
we literally ran out of money and how to get
people to send its money to get home. But were
you having fun though? I mean it must have been
the time. Of course it was a great time, or
up all night. But what's so crazy to me about

(27:28):
hearing these stories is how like for me showing up
on the set of Boyan's World, how little life experience
like my comparison. So when I think of of our
time when boy I sort of imagine everybody showing up
with the same blank slate and it's like, no, Rusty
was like, how old were you when we weren't? Like right?

(27:49):
So you were my age now. And so for me
to like wrap my head up because and we said
this before we started recording, Uh, when your kid, all
grown ups are the same age to you, you know,
And so for me, there was no difference between you
and Bill Daniels, For it was just an anybody else,
anybody old. It was not in school three. It was

(28:12):
basically the same age to me, and like, so it's
so mind boggling now to be able to put myself
in your shoes and say, like god, that must have
been a trip to see us little kids running around
getting paid as much as you working as it's so weird,
like you know, but you had already lived this huge
life and now I can appreciate it so much. I

(28:33):
really it's it's really cool. Wow. I was, you know,
as I said, it was like I've always been hopefully
open to the new thing, and it was like, okay,
I'll try this. I mean, I didn't know what a
play was. I mean literally I can remember the table
read that we did, and I actually got up during
the table read to get a cup of coffee. I've

(28:56):
never been in a table scom before. And I was
literally called out after the reading going people noticed you
got up and had a coffee, and I was really,
really I couldn't do that, no disrespect. It's just because
you know, you weren't in the scene. I didn't know

(29:16):
again that the whole sitcom experience was new to me. Um,
had you ever done even a guest starre on a
forecamera before never so this done one? Wow, it's true.
Really not done? Is your only sitcom experience all the
way around? Pretty good? Only one to do? I would
I would say, that's what's so ironic and funny and special,

(29:40):
and I'm grateful and I'm constantly amazed. Were the adults
friends offset like we Obviously the three of us here
have always been very close, but we were kind of
forced together too because we were in school together. Then
we were on set together, and then we did spend
time our social time ticket and yeah we did that

(30:02):
a lot. Did you guys do that? Yeah? We did.
We had you know, at the time, We're living in
the Hollywood Hills and we had the big house. You
guys were there when we finished. Yeah, but yeah, Bill
and Bonnie Bartlett, Bill Daniels would come over for dinner,
and Betsy and John and other friends. Then we'd have dinner, yeah, sometime,
and it was a great bunch of people, you know. Really, Yeah,

(30:24):
we had a special time. You know what I remember.
One of the things I remember about you is you
came up to me one day. Well, I have stories
all day long, but when first of all, we'll get
into this. The only bad car accident I've ever been
in my life was Rusty and tell the story. We
will get to that story. Okay, we gotta talking. That's
exactly what I was gonna say. Rusty comes up to
me one day on the set and he says, Hey,

(30:44):
I gotta I gotta a favor to ask. I go
what he goes, will you drive for me? I said,
what he goes, will you drive for me? Just come
come to my house. You're gonna drive my truck for me.
And I didn't honestly didn't even know what he meant
at the time. He goes, I'm gonna I'm going hang gliding.
I go, all right, So I come. I meet him
at the house. It's like, you know, four o'clock in
the morning or whatever it is. And we get there

(31:05):
and I pick him up. We drive all the way out,
it's like an hour hour and a half away, and
then we drive he's driving the truck at this point,
and we drive up this like steep hill in this
on this mountain. What was a big truck? What kind
of car was? It? Was a biger. I ended up
I ended up having that was stolen from my actual
actual truck, which was not technically legal, the truck the

(31:29):
way they had it rigged up, and there wasn't like
seat belts or anything. But anyway, so we drive up
this hill and Rusty pulls out his his hang lighter,
all the stuff, sets it all up. He's talking to
me the whole time. Then he looks at me, He's like,
all right, I'll meet you at the bottom, and just
runs and jumps off the hill and takes a kidding.

(31:51):
Now I'm at the top of this mountain in a truck.
I've never driven, having to drive down these trails set in.
You ever seen a hang glider much much less somebody
who literally just runs and jumps off the side of
a mountain and and and then goes I'll meet you

(32:11):
at the bottom. Oh gosh, is an incredible athletic. Yes,
he's obviously stream sports guy, like you've done all of it.
And I remember, yeah, I remember you came in. You
had an accident one time with your hang glider. I
just remember him coming in all scraped up. Do you
remember this at all? Usually I don't have an accident

(32:34):
flying probably get you, But I don't even remember. Maybe no, no,
I did. I had a really bad bike accident years ago.
And that's really I love riding bikes. I'm just not
very good at it. But yeah no, usually most of
us flying usually hurt ourselves. So what happened with the

(33:06):
car accident? So Rusty is trying to teach I just
bought my first cool car. And what I mean just
bought it. There were two hundred miles. It was new.
It was a brand new BMW M three. I remember it,
so I think i'd had it like a week. By
the way, how did BMW not sponsor BMW not driving BMW? Okay, So,

(33:34):
so I want to set this up though, how old
are you? We were at k T l A at
this point, so it was yeah, seen three or four
and three or four eight or nineteen No, no, no, sorry,
we went Disney Disney. So so Rusty was trying to
in vain, God love them teach me how to play racquetball,

(33:55):
and teaching me how to play racquetballs like teaching a
potato to whistle. So um he literally he's like, well,
come on, we're gonna go. We're gonna try this again.
And what you would always do just very quickly racketball wise,
was you just hit the same shot every time, and
I get so frustrated because you're like, well, I'm gonna
keep hitting it if you've got to learn how to hit.
He'd hit it high off the wall. It would go
over my head, dieds wear. That was us playing racketball. Um.

(34:17):
So one day he's like, we're going to go at lunch.
And if you remember, you come out the kt L
at the gate, you took a left, you went up
to the main street, and then you took a left
or right that was like Hollywood Boulevard or some some
major road up there. So Rusty grabs, He's like, let's go.
He's in the passenger seat. I'm driving. We get up
to the lights and I'm like halfway in the intersection

(34:40):
and the and the light goes red, so I, by
law have to go like I'm I'm in the thing.
So there's three lanes coming from our right. The first
lane stops, the second lane stops, and we can't see
the third lane. So I pull out and I remember
Rusty saying like, um, just just turn just turn left,
just turn left. When we had to go straight, like no,

(35:00):
be fine, And I went straight and the car in
the third lane did not see us and slammed into
Rusty side. And I mean like it was. It was
a good hit. It was. It was a d It
put a ripple through my entire car. The car was
not total, but it was bad. But the thing I
remember most is Rusty looking at me first and going
are you okay? And I went, I'm fine, I'm fine,
and then getting out of the car, going our fault,
our fault. Wait a minute, it might not have been.

(35:25):
It might not have been. Let's let's book my parents
and lawyers and like, let's all calm down for a second.
And what happened? What I meant to say, But it was,
it was. It was the only knocking wood as I
say this, knocking costco plastic as I say this, um,
it was the only like real car accident I've ever

(35:46):
been in. And I look like it's it's my TV,
Dad and I and the car. They I again, I was,
I had two hundred miles on it. They had to
cut the entire car in half and and like meld
on a whole another side. I didn't see it again
for like another six months. Were you physically okay, Rusty?
Did you have any But I remember the the I
can still see, like you can see in your head,

(36:06):
the four of us walking uh while dressed. I can
still see looking over at you as the accident happened.
The glass smashes in all over you and you rock
all the I mean we were probably hit at doing
you know, they were probably doing which is which is
a good size smack in the car um so we were.

(36:27):
It was like a full on accident. And then I
remember going back to the set and Steve hay for
going you guys are late, and it was like our
first day. Who's the nicest guy in the world. And
we were like, we were just in the carton and
then he was like, oh, wait, is everybody okay? But
but it was I remember going out to my car
later that day because you'd walk where it was parked.
You'd walk to the car and the side you saw

(36:49):
was perfect and pristine and gorgeous in the coolest car
in the world, and you'd walk to the other side
and it was just destroyed. So yeah, those are a
couple of rusty, rusty stories. That is really an honor
to be there. Her fault. What was Will like as
a TV soun What was your relationship like on the show, like,

(37:09):
how would you guys describe the Alan Eric father son relationship.
I think we had a really good We had the
same problem that right or we have, especially at more
relaxes getting through this scene. I have to say, as
an actor, the hardest days I've ever had our days

(37:30):
with like Will Um, you know, I've had with other actors,
but mainly Will because he really you know, it was
new to it all. But no, actually the hardest day
they've had on the set. And I had this happen
on Wise Guy many years later with grown up actors.
Four of us got the giggles so bad that we

(37:54):
would have to shoot a scene. We're sitting around a table,
and as soon as the scene was cut, we'd have
to all run a way and hide out in a
bedroom so we couldn't look at each other. And it's
the longest day I ever had. I couldn't hang out
with my actor, right, But we had a lot of
those we had time. There was one episode where you
guys are in a museum or something and Rusty, you

(38:14):
guys could not keep it together, but Rusty couldn't remember
his lines, and so I remember, you just like went
and we lost it. But you kept a straight face.
You're just like you just like spoke gibberish. And I
do remember Will could you were like crying, laughing, You're
like what are you do? And I think it was

(38:36):
in front of the audience too. I just remember, oh,
we had fun, and that made me feel good because
at the beginning, uh, you know, I was you guys,
have to tell me what you thought, because I was like,
I was wouldn't and I didn't know how to act
right away. And I thought at the beginning that you
were kind of like because it took us a little
while to bond. And I thought at the beginning, you

(38:57):
were kind of like this guy doesn't know what he's
doing yet. He's not this is he's kind of saying
the words that are written on the page. And then
by like season two, I thought you and I really
kind of started to get along and bond a lot better,
which I thought was was a lot of fun. But
I remember Rusty in front of the audience. It's the
first episode we've ever done. Now we're we've talked about
how we have never we we shot things out of order.

(39:20):
So the first episode that I actually shot, which was
the first episode you actually shot because we were both
not in the pilot. Was the episode where we Eric
goes to a concert with his first girlfriend and the
parents are at the same concert having more fun than
Eric and Nicki Cox who was who was the girl?
That was the first episode we actually shot, and so um,

(39:41):
I think it was maybe an episode later. Maybe it
wasn't that episode. It's an episode later Rusty, there's I
want Eric wants to get like a corvette or something
like that. He wants, Dad, you gotta buy me a corvette.
It's a scene between Corey and Eric and and the
dad and Alan and they're sitting there and Rusty had something.
We're in front of the audience and Rusty had something

(40:01):
lodged in his throat and one of the lines is
you want a corvette, I'm gonna buy you a Schwin
so to try to clear his throat but not lose
the scene where Rusty was going you want a corvette,
I'll buy you yeah, so you can't lose it like together,

(40:31):
Ben and I just losing it like I couldn't get
That's classic Rusty. Rusty is were these actors you get
through it no matter what, and yet wholehearted. You always
stay present. You always go for it, and I just
remember that that being results. You'd also talk about you

(40:51):
in later episodes because you were at the time the
only cast member who went on to direct the director.
You directed several episodes that you're first directing experience on Boy.
Oh yeah, yeah, and I, um, yeah, I hadn't really
thought about it. I mean we were talking about earlier
actors and directing and it hadn't really occurred to me.

(41:12):
But you know, you guys were so good. I mean
it was like, you know, let me try, you know,
it was it was fun and it was like, you know,
I hope we had a good time. I mean I
didn't really know anything about directing really, but what season
was that? Was that like fifth seas four fourth or
fig and so how did that come about? You just
asked Michael, like, Hey, can I direct one this season? Well?

(41:33):
I said, you know, yeah, I think, I said, oh,
I like to you know, I just went to him
and said, yeah, Michael, do you think I mean, I
think I like to direct one of days, like to
see and he said sure, you know, and then I
just followed David Trainer around and whoever else came here,
and uh, I just learned it and it was so
much fun. And you guys are so easy. I mean, well,

(41:53):
you used to direct. I remember you used to direct.
During the scene he was so he would like, we'd
all be on the couch and we'd be in the
middle of the scene. It'd be like, well, I don't know, Dad,
what do you think you should do? And be like,
I don't know, Eric, let's figure it out now, turn
the audience is there, We're in the middle of the scene,

(42:14):
and then you start laughing like, oh yeah, that's right. Sorry.
You guys are so easy to work with. It was
really fun. Your parents another Do you have a favorite episode?
Is there one that sticks out in your mind as like, God,
you know, I just remember pieces of a million of them,

(42:36):
and you know, I mean I remember, you know, jumping
the parachute one where we're jumping out of the the plane.
I remember the one with the bear and the honey
and the one arm bear trainer, and I remember, I mean,
I remember moments you know that you guys did that
were just you know, I mean I had to watch

(42:58):
you know that we're just you know, you and Ben's relationship,
and yeah, I know, I didn't get to work with
you nearly as much as I as I wish I did.
But you know, again the multiple Boy Meets worlds, I
was mostly in the school setting. Um, and then of
course as the show went on, I we would do
more things. We had the Matthews family Christmas that topango was.
You know. I was in the in the house a

(43:19):
little bit obviously. Then the episode where you guys think
we ran off and got married and then there's a
big thing in the kitchen. That long walk to Philly.
Is that the one that's the one where you just
you show up again. That's the one where I show
up again after I Pittsburgh the gas. Yeah, but I
didn't get to work with you a ton obviously. Then
I got to work with you. For people who don't know,

(43:39):
Rusty was the dialogue coach on Girl Meets World, and
so we got to I got to work with Rusty
every single day. There was so much fun watching you
guys and watching the girls. Yeah. And see, that was
such a great experience for me because, like writer, like
you're talking about being able to now put yourself in
his shoes on Boy Meets World, I was then in

(44:00):
those shoes the same way you were in those shoes
on Girl Meats World. But I but we were there
with Rusty who had been It was like, so the
Girl you know, the girls looked at us as all
the same age. I didn't understand that us. So how
did you guys deal with seeing working with kids? It
was great, it was amazing, It was they were great kids.

(44:24):
But it was different. It was very different to be
able to see what the kids on Girl were going through. Yeah,
you know, it was the first you know, we talked
about this podcast as a reflection on our experience on Boy.
I feel like my first real reflection back was Girl
was working on Girls World, and I was able to
see what we went through with completely different eyes, clearer eyes,

(44:46):
and and really, I you know, I I ended up
directing a lot of episodes, and I think he directed
more than anybody. Is that true? So UM and I
ended up loving I loved it mostly because I want
it to be for those kids what a lot of
directors had been for me. You know what a lot
of the group and I, you know, Jeff McCracken, David Trainer,

(45:09):
UM and these people really UM protected us, supported us,
encouraged us as actors, and you know, like there were
times on Girl Meates World that I just was like
we we we were ahead, you know, the day was
made and we were fine. We had a couple of
hours and I'd be like, let's let's just sit around
and talk about acting. Yeah, and we would do like
I have conversations with the kids and then we do

(45:29):
running charades. I was like, you, guys, like make sure
that you think about what like the fun of what
we're doing. This isn't just delivering the lines. It isn't
just like showing up and hitting your marks and pleasing
the grown ups, but actually, this is an opportunity for
you to explore acting. And like that was I cared
so much about that. I hope some of that stayed
with them, because I haven't seen the girls or anybody since.

(45:50):
That was a great gift that you were able to
give to them. I mean having that perspective. And it's
because I remember working with the grown ups that that
that gave us, you know, the feedback that we needed
as kids to be like, oh, this is a real
job and this is this is your show. You know.
Also we hopefully hopefully we helped you be kids too,
because I would be the first one I hope. I

(46:12):
was the first one. Someone was not cool. I no, no, no, no, yeah,
let's writer, let Daniel, let you will do what they
need to do. And you did that on Girl as well.
And I mean then I remember because I got then
got to direct my very first episode on Girl Meets World,
And I remember sitting around the table with you and
other people who were so instrumental in helping me learn

(46:34):
to direct, and me just asking Rusty Okay, I get
I get the blocking, what is a shot list? How
do you do that? What? And talk about marking up scripts.
I mean because Rusty as the dialogue coach, he had
things marked for you know, every different person. And I
mean Rusty was just he was so helpful. He's like, look,
everybody does it a different way. There's not a right
way or a wrong way to do it. Here's how

(46:55):
I do it. And you can do whatever you want
to do, but here's how I do it. Um. You
were just so you were so wonderful and helpful. You've
always have been. But you're such a um. The same
way you were that like tent pole, that like that
comforting uh dad on on Boy, you carried that same
energy as just a human being onto the set of
Girl Meets World, and all of us there who were

(47:17):
in kind of chaotic life experienced times like boy Girl
Meats World was a bit of a chaotic time for
many reasons. But you were a person all of us
flocked to for advice, stability, um just comfort. Remember my
first Taming night, I was so scared directing because so
intense you're directing, you have to keep track of four

(47:38):
cameras all the performance, and there's an audience watching you,
and of course for me it was also like the
audience knew who I was. I was so scared, and
you just looked at me and you were like, it's
an acid trip, man, It's got to end at some
Remember I leaned on you so heavy that first time,

(47:58):
and I was so scared, and I always look over you.
Would you would You knew it from every angle because
you had been the acting, you had been the directing,
and here you were dialogue coach, which is like being
a right hand person for me. It was so helpful.
Oh my god, I remember feeling so much better know
when you were there. Well, we all guys all did
a great job. Thank you. Well, we all know you
as an iconic TV dad, but one person, Georgia. I

(48:21):
asked what her experience was like having you as her
real dad, And I'd like to play that for you.
What was it like having Rusty as a dad in
real life? A little edgier than Alan Matthews with his
motorcycle and Rockert pants and choose. And he's a great
dad though. When I was little, you know, he would

(48:43):
drive me to competitions all over the country. Even um
now he'll come to Florida and come with me to
some of the competitions. He's truly one of my absolute
best friends. You could say I'm a bit of a
daddy's girl. Yeah, he's just he's incredible. Sweet. I'll tell
you funny story about Georgia. Clara and I my wife,

(49:05):
George's mom. We were with Georgia. We're coming from having
dinner somewhere and she's about literally three or four years old,
and uh, I said to her, oh, and we're doing
the Christmas Show. When I said, oh, Georgia, how would
you like to be in the Christmas Show? I have
something to tell you about being a you know, boy

(49:26):
meets world. Maybe it's something you can do. And she
looks really at us, both, and she goes, oh am,
I going to direct literally said that. Clara and I laugh. So,
but that's kind of Georgia. You always used to do

(49:47):
that though you always used to also try to make
us laugh. I have one more very funny, rusty story
that everyone always asked for behind the scenes stories, and
I never remember them until the people are standing in
front of us. So we're in the set for the
now you're ninth job as Dad, which is the uh
outward Store, the outback store, whatever you want to call it. Yeah,
you know, And there is on the desk there is

(50:10):
a giant tub of beef jerky. Ben has a problem
with germs sometimes, as a lot of us do, and
would refuse to eat any of the beef jerkey. And
and you would reach in and grab it and take
a bite and eat your beef jerkey. And Ben's like, well,
look what you're doing. Your hands are in there the

(50:30):
whole time. How is anybody's supposed to be. And you
picked up a piece of beef jerky, you bit it
in half, and you threw it back into the full
jerkey and then you shut it and Ben went, that
doesn't freak me out. He opened it up he reached
in to grab his beef jerky, took a bite, and
it was the exact one. Have been in half anyway

(50:51):
across the chances don't. It's so it's etched in my mind.
You and I then lost it because I mean, the
chances of that happened. But it was Ben biting right
into the beef jerky you had just eaten and then
throwing it across the room. In my head, but I
don't know. I grew up with five brothers, and sisters
were not an issue. Other people was not an issue.

(51:15):
Clara still yells big put get your hand off my plate. Yeah. Well, well,
I'd love to talk about the episode, can we? Yeah,
but we should do another episode. Let's do another episode.
Join join us for the next episode. That's right where
we're going to break down episode number one oh two.
It's called on the Fence. I'm so glad this is

(51:36):
the week that we asked you to come on because
this was an Alan Matthews heavy episode. Yeah, it was
fun to watch it. I hadn't seen it in a while. Alright, great,
so we're gonna do that in the next episode. Uh, guys,
we have an email address. Email us your thoughts, your questions, feedback,
tell us what you think about the show thus far,
what you'd like to hear more of. We are pod

(51:56):
meets Wait, what meets World Show at gmail dot com
and also check out our Instagram. We're gonna put a
couple of pictures up there that I mentioned earlier. That
picture of Rusty working with Bill Daniels will go up there. Um,
I've got a Halloween picture will put up there. It's
pod meats Show, no pod meets World Show. Okay, guys,
I'm gonna get this work. I promose I'll have the

(52:18):
name of the show memorized eventually. Uh. Pod meets World
show on Instagram and yeah, go there. Email us though
pod meats World Show at gmail dot com and world
show dot com. Is that that pod meets show? Napster
can't say world show meets World show? Pod meats World Show? Okay? Great,

(52:44):
this is going well. All right, We'll see you in
the next episode for number one O two on the fence.
We love you all, pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is
an I heart podcast produced and hosted by Daniel Fishel,
Wilfredell and Right or Strong. Executive producers Jensen carp and
Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer
and editor, Tara sup Boch, producer, Lorraine Vurez Engineering boy

(53:08):
meets World super fan Eastern Allen. Our theme song is
by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at
pod Meats World Show or email us at pod Meats
World Show at gmail dot com