· Rider, 39, talked to Vice about his idyllic forest early childhood in California's Sonoma County. He says he and his brother Shiloh (Rider's dad's name is King Arthur Strong) grew up running around the woods, making movies. His parents treated everyone like adults and the Strong house was a safe haven for neighborhood kids
· Rider began acting at age 9 and shortly after, his mother Lin moved both boys to Los Angeles. Rider was soon cast in Boy Meets World which ran from 1993 to 2000. He said he wanted to be a poet and an academic writer, and to keep his interest writers gave him the most dramatic storylines
· Says some of his family members refused to watch the show due to Shawn's Black love interest, Angela (played by Trina McGee). Trina was 28 when she was cast and told the young cast they complained too much considering they were on a successful TV show
· After doing a Sail with the Stars cruise when he was 15, he had a breakdown because he felt alienated. Shortly after the cruise, his girlfriend broke up with him and he ended up sobbing in his Boy Meets World dressing room; his dad said Rider could quit right on the spot and that proved to Rider that his parents loved him no matter what
· As a teen, Rider and his brother Shiloh would fly from Los Angeles back home to Northern California every weekend. He feels guilty for how he treated his mom as a teen, because on top of being a typical teenager he also had most of the power in the family
· He moved out on his own when he was 16 and, though he didn't start drinking or using drugs, most of his friends & girlfriends were older than him
· He graduated from Columbia in 2004 and went on to earn his MFA in Fiction & Literature at Bennington College. He initially didn't want to do Girl Meets World but, because he knew this is probably all he'll ever do as an actor, he made a deal that he'd be on it if he and his brother could direct some episodes. He co-hosts a literary podcast (Literary Disco) and has published short stories & poetry. He's working on a horror movie with his brother called Men's Rites which is about toxic masculinity. His play, Never Ever Land, is set to debut in September; it is loosely based on the 1993 molestation allegations against Michael Jackson and explores how fame and money impacts a family. He says his parents probably would have let him stay the night at Neverland
· Rider married his longtime girlfriend Alexandra Barreto in 2012 and they have a 4 year old son, Indigo ("Indy") together. They married in Oregon on the same weekend as Danielle Fishel; Will Friedle attended his wedding and Ben Savage attended Danielle's.
He's still close to the cast. Rider says Indy is theatrical and he's scared he'll become a stage parent. He serves on his neighborhood coucil & is outspoken against Trump
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