The School Of Rock Kids Then And Now
Can you believe it’s been 20 years since School of Rock was released? Besides making us feel extremely old, that also fills us with warm, fuzzy feelings, because it’s one of our favorite films of the noughties. Not only did the 2003 music-comedy make us fall in love with the inimitable Jack Black, but it also showcased an ensemble cast of seriously talented kids. So what happened to them? Are those actors still on our screens, are they rocking out somewhere, or did they quit showbiz entirely after the Battle of the Bands?
1. Marta — “Blondie”
When Caitlin Hale joined the cast aged 12 as Marta, she only had a little bit of experience as an actor, having appeared in two episodes of Blue’s Clues. But according to co-star Angelo Massagli, who played Frankie, Hale’s audition for School of Rock was a slam-dunk.
Massagli — who just so happens to be Hale’s boyfriend in real life now! — told Inside Edition in 2021, “I get in there and the little blonde girl next to me, she gets called in first. And she starts singing show tunes and just blows the roof off the place. It was excellent.”
Caitlin Hale swapped singing for sonography
Given Hale’s incredible singing voice, fans might be surprised to learn that she didn’t stick around in showbiz for long. After briefly reprising her Blue’s Clues role in 2006, she decided to focus on her education, and this led her down a totally different career path.
After getting a diploma in journalism in 2013 from Arizona State University, the former actress decided to enter the medical field. She’s now an OB-GYN ultrasound technologist and a registered diagnostic medical sonographer.
2. Frankie — “Tough Guy”
Do you think Angelo Massagli knew he was meeting his future partner when he joined the School of Rock cast? As Frankie — a.k.a. “Tough Guy” — one of the band’s security team, Massagli brought to life one of our favorite characters in the movie. It’s had to believe that he only had a couple of on-screen roles to his name by that point.
That said, you might recognize him from 2002’s Stuart Little 2! He was also in seven episodes of Cosby and had a recurring role in The Sopranos, appearing in 18 episodes over a five-year stretch.
Angelo Massagli found love with a co-star
After Massagli’s last acting credit in 2009, he pretty much vanished from the limelight, but then he made headlines again in 2021 — albeit for a whole other reason. School of Rock fans went wild when it was confirmed that he and Caitlin Hale were in a long-term romance.
Massagli explained to Inside Edition, “We have a group chat where all the School of Rock kids, we just hit each other up whenever someone moves somewhere new, or is doing something different. So Caitlin is like, ‘Hey, I’m moving down to Florida.’” They organized a meet-up and have been an item ever since. We don’t know what we’re more excited about: Marta and Frankie ending up together or the fact that the whole cast has a group chat!
3. Billy — “Fancy Pants”
“You’re tacky and I hate you!” While School of Rock is packed with memorable characters, few can match the band’s costume designer Billy, a.k.a. “Fancy Pants.” Actor Brian Falduto knocked it out of the park, making his big-screen debut one to remember. Especially since he was just 11 years old at the time!
Looking back on his audition, Falduto told Paramount, “I went in and did a boys’ soprano rendition of ‘Send in the Clowns’ from A Little Night Music. And I’m pretty sure the casting director was like, we cannot pass up this ten-year-old child who is boy soprano-ing ‘Send in the Clowns’ right now.”
Brian Falduto is making music and living his best life
Following School of Rock, Falduto enrolled at New York City’s Wagner College, where he studied arts administration and theater performance. Fans will be glad to know he’s still performing; the singer-songwriter dropped his debut album Gay Country in March 2023. “I want to hear the gay version of the stuff that I listened to when I was a kid,” he told People.
Falduto’s music career has been a way for him to embrace his queerness, too, something he was ridiculed for after School of Rock. And guess what? His old on-screen teacher, Jack Black, even helped fund the music video for one of his singles!
4. Katie — “Posh Spice”
The band’s bass player, Katie — a.k.a. “Posh Spice” — was brought to life by Rivkah Reyes. At just ten years old, School of Rock marked the young actor’s first on-screen performance, and the aftermath of the shoot proved extremely challenging.
“Especially after production wrapped, when I first came back to school, people were really nice or really mean,” Reyes told the New York Post. “There was no middle ground. I was literally followed around the school with people chanting ‘School of Rock.’”
Rivkah Reyes is on the comeback trail
Unfortunately for Reyes, this bullying, combined with the disturbing sexualization of them as a child, really took its toll. The actor revealed they became “a raging addict” over the course of a decade. After entering recovery for alcoholism and addiction in 2018, Reyes, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, has made something of a comeback in the world of entertainment.
They’ve appeared in several shows and movies in the last few years, most recently the charming Christmas flick A Holiday I Do. Despite the struggles that came from it, the queer actor has only positive memories of working on School of Rock. “It was nothing but love and support,” they recalled.
5. Summer — “Tinkerbell”
Miranda Cosgrove only had one acting credit to her name — a single episode appearance in Smallville — when she joined the School of Rock cast as Summer “Tinkerbell” Hathaway. But she really caught the acting bug after her first movie, largely thanks to Jack Black.
“He’s always been unbelievably nice,” Cosgrove shared in June 2023. “I can honestly say one of the main reasons I love acting, and why I probably tried to keep doing it for so long, is because of what a great experience he made doing School of Rock.”
Miranda Cosgrove’s star continues to grow
After playing overachiever and band manager Summer, Cosgrove’s acting career went from strength to strength. In 2004 she joined the popular TV show Drake and Josh, featuring in more than 50 episodes over the next three years. Then, the actress bagged the starring role in another hit show: iCarly.
In addition, Cosgrove has lent her voice to the character of Margo in the Despicable Me franchise, with its fourth movie due to drop in 2024, and has featured in a bunch of other TV shows and films. So she’s most definitely an established star today!
6. Zack — “Zack-Attack”
When it came to casting Zack “Zack-Attack” Mooneyham, young Joey Gaydos Jr. was the perfect pick. Although he lacked acting experience, his real-world guitar skills were ideal for a character who shredded away his shyness with the instrument.
Following School of Rock’s success, Gaydos Jr. released a self-titled rock record in 2004, but the next few years weren’t so kind to the talented guitarist. He had some pretty tough times.
Joey Gaydos Jr. has had trouble with the law
As he got older, Gaydos Jr. had a few run-ins with the law. He was picked up for allegedly drink-driving in 2009, and a decade later, he was arrested for theft and shoplifting, accused of stealing some guitars and selling them in pawn shops.
While School of Rock is still Gaydos Jr.’s only acting credit, it looks like he’s still very dedicated to his music. He dropped a pair of EPs in 2020 titled Dogtopia and Calm Weather.
7. Lawrence — “Mr. Cool”
By the end of School of Rock, Lawrence had more than earned his “Mr. Cool” nickname. His skills on the keyboard made him stand out from the other members of the band, and that was all down to the real-life talent of Robert Tsai.
Apparently, School of Rock’s casting directors were less interested in finding kids who’d done tons of acting and more interested in those with raw musical talent. What Tsai lacked in acting experience, he made up with his mastery of the piano. But this proved to be his one and only foray into the world of movies.
Robert Tsai is still tinkling the ivories
After School of Rock hit the big screen, Tsai opted against becoming a fully fledged actor. He instead turned his focus to his education and his music, much like the path we imagine his character would have chosen!
At Dartmouth College, the former child star continued to develop his piano skills, performing in numerous gigs and working on other musical productions. Dewey Finn would have been so proud!
8. Tomika — “Songbird”
After starting out as the band’s roadie, Tomika blows everyone away with her vocals when she reveals her singing ambitions to Dewey. Actress Maryam Hassan’s incredible voice was the perfect fit for the character when she took her acting bow in School of Rock, aged ten.
While she hasn’t performed on the silver screen since, we haven’t been denied hearing more of her musical talent. Today, Hassan uses the stage name Mayhrenate, and she specializes in soul and R&B.
Maryam Hassan’s voice hasn’t lost its power
Hassan dropped a record titled Plush in 2021 ahead of releasing a new single the following year: “Feel a Way.” In a 2021 interview with Vulture, she reminisced about her happy memories working on School of Rock. She said, “When it first came out, I was just happy to be involved.”
Hassan continued, “Thinking about the scope of it was never on my mind. It wasn’t until ten years after, at the reunion, when I realized the extent of how big of a deal it was. There were adults, young adults, and kids who showed up and knew all of the words to our songs.”
9. Freddy — “Spazzy McGee”
No rock band would be complete without a drummer, and that’s where Freddy Jones came in. With his too-cool-for-school attitude and perfectly spiky hair, every young girl wanted to date him, and every young guy wanted to be him. Young actor Kevin Clark did a great job in what turned out to be his only acting gig.
Off the back of School of Rock, Clark became a musician himself, sitting at the drum kit for a couple of groups in Chicago, Illinois: Jess Bess and the Intentions and Dreadwolf.
Kevin Clark’s life was cut tragically short
Tragically, Clark was killed in the spring of 2021 when a vehicle knocked him off his bike. He was just 32 years old. Unsurprisingly, his School of Rock co-stars were crushed. Jack Black wrote online, “Devastating news. Kevin is gone. Way too soon. Beautiful soul. So many great memories. Heartbroken. Sending love to his family and the whole School of Rock community.”
Miranda Cosgrove wrote on Instagram, “Stunned and saddened by this news today. The world lost an amazing soul. I’ll always remember your spirit and how kind you were to me. I’ll never forget all the memories. You’ll always be missed Kevin.”
10. Leonard — “Short Stop”
Compared to many of his co-stars at the time, Cole Hawkins had a lot of acting experience before playing Leonard on School of Rock. He’d made his on-screen debut in 1999’s Big Daddy before appearing in other Hollywood movies such as Meet the Parents, Kate & Leopold, and Changing Lanes.
In School of Rock, Leonard is one of the band’s non-musical crew members, making up part of the security detail with Frankie. Their job was to make sure no one else in the school knew what was going on inside their classroom! You may remember Leonard for delivering the most heartbreaking line in the film: “You mean we’re not in the band?”
Cole Hawkins swapped fame for a quieter life
After School of Rock came out, Hawkins didn’t quit acting right away, going on to feature in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
But in 2006 he decided to leave Hollywood and show business behind. Hawkins went on to enroll at Massachusetts’ Northeastern University, where he studied sociology, and now, according to his Instagram page, he’s living the life of an “urban explorer.”
11. Alicia — “Brace Face”
Before she was cast in School of Rock, Aleisha Allen had already established herself as a young talent to watch. In fact, she’d been working since before she even went to school herself! She was on the kids show “Out of the Box” and featured in close to 130 episodes of Blue’s Clues.
Allen scored her first movie credit as a flower girl in 1999’s rom-com The Best Man, starring Taye Diggs and Nia Long. But School of Rock was the actress’ real time to shine; as Alicia, one of the band’s vocalists, Allen got to showcase her musical skills, too.
Aleisha Allen didn’t act for much longer
School of Rock wouldn’t be the last time we’d see Allen on the big screen, either. Just two years later, she starred in the family comedy Are We There Yet? and returned for its sequel in 2007. After that, her next film credit didn’t come until 2011 when she bagged a small part in Young Adult.
Allen then left the business the following year, eyeing up a new challenge. The former child star took classes at both Columbia University and Pace University before settling into a job as a speech pathologist.
12. Gordon — “Road Runner”
Playing Gordon — a.k.a. “Road Runner” — in School of Rock was Zachary Infante’s acting debut. Gordon was a whiz at computers, so he became the crew member in charge of the lights for the band’s big performance towards the end of the movie.
Infante seemingly dropped off the Hollywood radar after the movie came out, with their next credit coming in a 2012 short titled Jeffrey. Mind you, that’s not to say that the actor didn’t have a lot on their plate during that particular spell.
Zachary Infante is a cancer survivor
When they were a teenager, Infante battled and overcame an advanced form of blood cancer. Then they picked up where they’d left off on their acting path and went on to earn a diploma at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York.
Infante has been steadily working on the big and small screens since 2014. You might’ve spotted them in projects such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gotham. More recently, they lent their voice to the Transformers: Earthspark TV show, featuring in 15 episodes.
13. Marco — “Carrot Top”
Joining the rest of the non-musical band members, lovable Marco spends much of the movie in the background. He was portrayed by James Hosey, and School of Rock was his very first foray into acting.
The youngster didn’t have to wait long for his next opportunity, appearing in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But that was the last we’d see of him on screen for around six years.
James Hosey dabbles in acting and music now
Hosey’s next credit didn’t come until 2010 when he briefly appeared in the TV show Bored to Death. After that, he featured in both Blue Bloods and Boardwalk Empire, ahead of another acting hiatus. Hosey came back in 2018 for three episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
In between acting gigs, Hosey had studied at Manhattan College and trained to be a music producer. We wonder if Marco would’ve followed a similar path at the end of School of Rock?
14. Eleni
Eleni, brought to life by Veronica Afflerbach, was another student in Dewey’s packed class, although she was a relatively minor part compared to some of the other kids. Afflerbach made her acting debut here and followed it up with her sophomore effort a couple of years later.
Afflerbach nabbed a small role in 2005’s The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie. She hasn’t been seen in a film since, though, seemingly giving up acting for good.
Veronica Afflerbach started a business
Not too much is known about Afflerbach’s post-School of Rock exploits. One current Instagram account is set to private, while her other one hasn’t been updated since 2011. It’s a similar situation on X, too: her last tweet came in 2013.
We do know that the former child star went on to establish a jewelry company and that she “fell in love with raw crystals,” which she seemingly sold online for a while.
15. Michelle
While the characters in the band get their moments to shine throughout School of Rock, we can’t forget about Michelle’s contribution: she’s the girl responsible for all the branding! Jordan-Claire Green was the young actress behind this character, and she was no stranger to the world of acting at the time.
She’d made her on-screen bow a couple of years earlier, appearing in an episode of Power Rangers Time Force. Green had briefly featured in the TV show City Guys during that same period as well.
Jordan-Claire Green stuck to her acting guns
As for life after School of Rock, Green continued to pop up on the big and small screens over the next several years. She bagged parts in recognizable shows, such as Arrested Development, Girlfriends, Alias, and Wizards of Waverly Place between 2004 and 2007.
Following her performance in 2010’s Forgotten Pills, she took a seven-year break from acting before coming back in a short film. Green’s most recent gig also came in the form of a short: a 2022 project simply titled Father.
16. Dewey Finn
As great as the cast of kids is in School of Rock, the adults’ contribution to the film can’t be ignored! And where better to start than the legendary Jack Black? He was absolutely perfect as the fake substitute teacher who leads a bunch of children into a life-changing rock and roll band.
By the time he took on the role, Black had been acting for over 20 years, having made his debut in a 1982 Atari commercial. Of course, he’d also appeared in a string of recognizable movies, including Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Cable Guy, High Fidelity, and Shallow Hal.
Jack Black is as active as ever
In the years since School of Rock, Black has barely taken a breath! From Tropic Thunder to the Kung Fu Panda franchise, he’s established himself as one of Hollywood’s go-to funnymen. But Black looks back on his time on the School of Rock set fondly. He had this to say to People.
“I was really taking inspiration from my stepfather, because he was a substitute teacher,” Black explained. “He did bring some rap music and different elements to his teaching style. And I just always thought he was so funny and interesting and quirky.”
17. Principal Mullins
When it came to casting Principal Mullins, Joan Cusack was a surefire bet. Not only had she been acting on screen since 1980, but she also had a pair of Oscar nominations under her belt. She’d earned the nods for her work in Working Girl and In & Out.
Younger audiences might have been very familiar with her voice, too, as she’d brought to life Jessie in 1999’s Toy Story 2. Yet for School of Rock, Cusack didn’t have to exert herself to bag the role.
Joan Cusack is still an acting stalwart
Ilene Starger, the film’s casting director, told Paramount, “We held auditions for all of the other roles, except for Joan Cusack as Ms. Mullins. We all agreed she would be brilliant, and she was.” Since then, Cusack’s time in Hollywood has shown no signs of ending.
Alongside the Toy Story franchise, she’s appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the last 20 years. Her latest live-action credit came in the 2020 program Homecoming, where she featured in three episodes.
18. Theo
In School of Rock, Theo was the guy who took over Dewey’s original band and kicked him out. He was played by Adam Pascal in what was only his second on-screen credit. The actor had made his movie debut some five years earlier in 1998’s SLC Punk!
But that’s not to say he was an acting novice. Before School of Rock, Pascal had been treading the boards on Broadway, performing in Rent throughout the latter part of the 1990s. In addition to that, he was producing music of his own.
Adam Pascal continued to shine on Broadway
After playing Theo, Pascal’s next major credit came in the 2005 movie adaptation of Rent. And while he did appear in some other projects over the next few years, Broadway is where he really left his mark. In 2010 alone, the actor starred in Something Rotten!, Disaster!, Memphis, and Chicago.
More recently, you may have spotted Pascal in the Marvel TV mini-series Hawkeye, where he took on a brief role. Rather fittingly, he was a character in the fictional Broadway show Rodgers: The Musical.
19. Patty Di Marco
As Ned Schneebly’s long-suffering girlfriend, Patty Di Marco spends much of the film desperate for Dewey to leave their shared home. Sarah Silverman really shined here, adding to her already solid list of credits. Touching on the gig, she informed E!, “It was fun to play a character like that.”
“I wanted to be a part of the movie more than anything, and this combination of Jack Black and Mike White, [director] Richard Linklater and Joan Cusack, I would’ve taken an eraser on chalkboard,” she added.
Sarah Silverman became a Primetime Emmy winner
Mind you, Silverman had stiff competition for the job. As Ilene Starger told Paramount, “Tina Fey auditioned for the role in which we ultimately cast Sarah Silverman. Sarah also auditioned and was hilarious.”
“Tina of course was/is wonderful, but her schedule on Saturday Night Live was complex and conflicted with our filming schedule,” she added. “Various actresses auditioned for that role.” Since School of Rock, Silverman has gone on to win two Primetime Emmys for her writing skills, while also starring in the popular Wreck-It Ralph movies.
20. Ned Schneebly
Mike White was given the responsibility of bringing Ned Schneebly to life, the substitute teacher who Dewey goes on to impersonate. It could be argued that no one else had a better handle on the material. After all, he had written it!
White recalled to Paramount, “Jack Black was my next-door neighbor for a few years. He would occasionally give me scripts that had been submitted to him to star in. I’m reading these scripts and I was like, ‘I could do better than this.’”
Mike White’s writing has brought him big success
White continued, “Obviously, music is a big passion of [Black’s]; he has his band Tenacious D. I had the idea of him leading a band of little kids: somehow it just seemed like a funny visual.”
“Then I got the idea that it’d be fun to have him be more of a W.C. Fields, like a guy who isn’t really somebody you’d want around kids, but that’s part of the fun of it.” After School of Rock, he went on to write the likes of Nacho Libre, Pitch Perfect 3, and The White Lotus TV series. That last show has earned White three Primetime Emmy wins!