Will Friedle Shares “Boy Meets World” Moment That Was Nod to Dan Aykroyd in “Trading Places”: 'No Idea What This Was Gonna Become'
Will Friedle Shares “Boy Meets World” Moment That Was Nod to Dan Aykroyd in “Trading Places”: 'No Idea What This Was Gonna Become'
Virginia ChamleeFri, May 1, 2026 at 5:39 PM UTC
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Will Friedle in 'Boy Meets World' (left); Dan Aykroyd in 'Trading Places'Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; AJ Pics/Alamy -
Will Friedle is looking back at one of the most unexpected — and beloved — moments from Boy Meets World
In season 7, a flash-forward sequence shows Friedle's character living as an eccentric hermit named "Plays with Squirrels"
Friedle says that one now-iconic character detail was actually inspired by Dan Aykroyd in 'Trading Places'
Will Friedle is looking back at one of the most unexpected — and beloved — moments from Boy Meets World, revealing that a now-iconic character detail was actually inspired by Dan Aykroyd.
Speaking on the Thursday, April 30 episode of the rewatch podcast Pod Meets World, former stars and current podcast co-hosts Danielle Fishel, (who played Topanga), Rider Strong (Shawn) and Friedle (Eric) reflected on the fan-favorite “Plays With Squirrels” storyline from the show's final season.
In one season 7 episode titled "Seven the Hard Way," a flash-forward sequence shows Friedle's character living as an eccentric hermit named "Plays with Squirrels," which has since become a classic moment for fans.
“Plays with Squirrels,” Friedle, 49, said. “No idea what this character was gonna become [or] how it turned into what it was.”
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Will Friedle and Matthew Lawrence on 'Boy Meets World'Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
As the actor reminisced on the character — a reclusive, beard-wearing hermit living in the wilderness — he noted that one specific detail (in which he pulled food from his beard) had a surprising origin.
“There's a scene in [1983 movie] Trading Places where Dan Aykroyd is dressed like Santa,” Friedle explained.
He went on to describe the moment that inspired him: “And at this point, his life has fallen apart, and he is on the bus, and he's stolen a full salmon from a buffet. And he pulls it out of his jacket, and he's eating it through his beard and, like, grabbing the hair. And pulling it out as as he's eating the salmon on the bus and everyone's staring at him.”
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Friedle said he used that scene as direct inspiration for Eric's oddball behavior.
“And so this, to me, was — pulling the lollipop out of the beard — was my nod to Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places,” he shared.
The moment wasn't originally scripted — and almost didn't make it into the episode at all.
“Doing it during run through, like, I had my regular street clothes on, but they gave me the beard and the hair for the run through,” Friedle recalled. “And I put the lollipop in, and it got a big laugh. So the lollipop stayed in.”
What started as a spontaneous choice quickly became one of the character's defining quirks — and part of what made “Plays with Squirrels” so memorable.
On the pod, Friedle said he is still surprised by the lasting impact of the character, noting, “Plays with Squirrels is on-screen for, like, six minutes, seven minutes. We had no idea what this was gonna become. I mean, I've met so many people that have Plays with Squirrels tattoos.”
Friedle slipped back into Eric's "Plays with Squirrels" persona in a season 2 episode of the Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World entitled "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels," which aired on the Disney Channel in 2015.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
