'Boy Meets World' star Maitland Ward explains why she left Hollywood:"I'm now my authentic self"

Washington [US], September 6 : American actor-model Maitland Ward went from being a sitcom star to an adult film star.
According to Fox News, the actor portrayed Rachel McGuire in the final two seasons of ABC's "Boy Meets World" from 1998 to 2000. Ward entered the adult film industry after her tenure on the show. In a memoir titled "Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood," which was released on Sept. 6, she described her unexpected professional trajectory.
"I think it's an empowering story for women and everyone really," Ward, 45, told Fox News Digital. "It's about living your truth and not listening to what everyone is telling you to do. For so long, Hollywood was telling me that I could only be a certain way. The industry wanted to keep me in some box. I reached a point where I just wanted to do my own thing. I'm now my authentic self. There are always going to be people who will try to pigeonhole you, especially as a woman. For me to break out has been so liberating. I think that's true for anyone in any industry. My story just happens to be a little more scandalous."
The native Californian recalled having an acting career in her dreams as a young girl. From 1994 to 1996, she played Jessica Forrester on "The Bold and the Beautiful." After leaving the soap opera, she found herself on the set of Michael Jacobs' wholesome coming-of-age comedy "Boy Meets World." As the new girl, Ward joined a small but tight-knit cast.
"I was received very well, they were very nice to me," Ward explained. "It was an odd thing to walk into a set that had been such a well-oiled machine and where they had grown up on the show. Everyone was established and knew how to work with each other. I was coming in for the college years, and I was nervous about that. But I was accepted... and I had a great time on the show."
After "Boy Meets World," she appeared in 2004's "White Chicks." But she eventually found herself being typecast.
"I knew Hollywood wasn't for me, but I kept wanting to hang on," said Ward. "I kept trying to think of ways to reinvent myself. I'm not one to give up easily. But my self-esteem was down. You're hired for being a certain way, for looking a certain way. But if you stay the same, you lose success. The thing that makes you famous is the thing that will prevent you from ever getting hired for anything else."
"Hollywood is a machine that builds you up but then tears you down," she continued. "I think a lot of actors struggle with that, especially if you were on a popular prime-time show. It's hard to break out of the stereotype. I had wanted to do so many things, acting wise. I wanted to play more dramatic roles, more emotional roles, even more evil roles. I just wanted to play something different. And yet I wasn't even allowed to audition for it. I wasn't seen as anything different. And it became disheartening."
Ward claimed that her goal in pursuing a different career path at UCLA was to study screenwriting. But after that, she started sharing pictures of herself online, either in cosplay or "pretty bikinis." Her fan base expanded right away.
"My photos would sometimes get taken down because they were too sexy," said Ward. "Some fans reached out and said, 'Why don't you sell content?' I didn't know exactly what it meant until I learned you can sell your pictures and do whatever you want without restriction. I started a Patreon and in a week I had thousands of subscribers... and I wanted to explore my sexuality."
Ward began producing pornographic movies after she wed Terry Baxter in 2006. Her partner has been "very supportive," she claimed. Ward insisted she isn't fazed by any criticism for her decision to pursue the adult film industry. As for her former "Boy Meets World" castmates, Ward said she hasn't received any negative feedback.
"We are just people making a living to support our lives and families," she insisted. "And out of all places, Hollywood shouldn't be passing judgment."
Today, Ward said she has never felt more comfortable in her skin.