The Cast of School of Rock: Where Are They Now?

Jack Black as Dewey Finn

You probably knew him then, and you still know him now. Jack Black had endless roles under his belt — from The Neverending Story III (1994) to Shallow Hal (2001) — when he slipped into the (stolen) substitute teacher uniform of dejected rock star Dewey Finn.

"I was really taking inspiration from my stepfather, because he was a substitute teacher," Black once told PEOPLE. "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."

In the decades since School of Rock premiered, Black has continued his string of comedy hits, voicing Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), Po in Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) and Claptrap in Borderlands (2024). Offscreen, he rocks out with Kyle Gass as part of the band Tenacious D. In 2006, he wed Tanya Haden, with whom he shares sons Sammy and Tommy.

In an April 2023 interview, Black shared that the School of Rock cast was planning to reunite to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. In various interviews through the years, too, the film's former child stars have spoken fondly of their former "teacher" and how he's stayed in their lives in the two decades since filming.

While a sequel has been long-awaited but unconfirmed, Black did joke about a potential follow-up to the hit film during a March 2024 interview with JOE. When asked about the prospective sequel, the actor responded, “I’m ready.”

"I wish there’d be a School of Rock 2: Electric Boogaloo," he quipped, playing on the title of the dance musical Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984).

Joan Cusack as Rosalie Mullins

Like Jack Black, Joan Cusack was quite well known (and had two Oscar nominations to her name) when she landed the role of uptight principal Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock (as casting director Ilene Starger revealed to Paramount on the film’s 15th anniversary in 2018, she didn't even have to audition). Her earlier credits included Sixteen Candles (1984), Saturday Night Live, Working Girl (1988), Toy Story 2 (1999) and her ABC series, What About Joan.

She's stayed busy since starring in School of Rock, appearing on shows like The Office, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Homecoming. She also picked up five Emmy nominations for her recurring role on Shameless, winning outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. Sister of actor John Cusack, the comedian is married to Richard Burke, with whom she has two children.

Mike White as Ned Schneebly

Mike White both wrote and co-starred in the film, flexing the skills he'd developed on Dawson's Creek (for which he also wrote) and 2000’s Chuck & Buck (in which he acted). His character, Ned Schneebly, was supposed to be substituting … until Dewey impersonated him and stepped in.

As he recalled to Paramount on the film's 15th anniversary in 2018, "Jack was my next-door neighbor … and he would occasionally give me scripts that had been submitted to him to star in. They were invariably these flat comedies or he was like the John Belushi guy who gets drunk and falls through a sliding glass door or something."

He continued, "I'm reading these scripts, and I was like, ‘I could do better than this.’ Obviously, music is a big passion of his; 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 would be fun to have him be more of a W.C. Fields a little bit, like a guy who isn't really somebody you'd want around kids, but that's part of the fun of it."

In the years since, White has picked up acting roles in such projects as The Stepford Wives (2004), Pushing Daisies and Zombieland (2008), as well as taking a detour on two seasons of The Amazing Race and finishing as runner-up on a season of Survivor. His writing credits include Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), School of Rock the Nickelodeon TV series and, perhaps most notably, The White Lotus, for which he won three Emmy Awards in 2022. White was also credited as a co-writer for the animated films Migration (2023) and Despicable Me 4 (2024).

White is an out bisexual. In 2021, he told Entertainment Weekly that he and his boyfriend, Josh, had been living on the island of Kauai together with their pet bulldog, Peanut.

Sarah Silverman as Patty Di Marco

According to casting director Ilene Starger, Tina Fey auditioned for the role that would go to Sarah Silverman, who was "hilarious" when she read for Ned's beleaguered girlfriend, Patty Di Marco.

"It was fun to play a character like that," Silverman later told E! News. "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 [the] chalkboard."

Like her young costars, the two-time Emmy winner basically hasn't stopped moving, leading her own sitcom (Sarah Silverman Program) and appearing in films like Battle of the Sexes (2017), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), and Maestro (2023). In 2022, Silverman’s memoir, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, made its world premiere onstage as an Off-Broadway musical.

Miranda Cosgrove as Summer "Tinkerbell" Hathaway

School of Rock was Miranda Cosgrove's big break. As class perfectionist Summer, she ultimately became the band manager.

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary in June 2023, the actress credited Jack Black as to why there were good vibes on set.

"He's always been unbelievably nice," she shared. "And 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."

After working steadily on kid-favorite TV shows and movies — including Drake & Josh — she landed her own starring role on iCarly beginning in 2007. (Black even guested on an episode!) In addition to singing the show’s theme song, “Leave It All to Me,” Cosgrove also released her only studio album, Sparks Fly, in 2010.

Apart from appearing in movies like Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), The Intruders (2015) and Mother of the Bride (2024), Cosgrove has become most notable for voicing the character Margo in the Despicable Me film franchise.

After iCarly wrapped in 2012, Cosgrove took a break from acting to attend the University of Southern California, where she studied psychology after switching her major three times, according to Seventeen magazine.

She returned to acting in 2016, joining the cast of Crowded, and later starred on and executive produced an iCarly revival from 2021 to 2023.

Angelo Massagli as Frankie "Tough Guy"

Angelo Massagli had seven episodes of Cosby and the film Stuart Little 2 (2002) to his name when he joined the cast as Frankie, who worked security.

In 2021, his name was in the news again, but not for acting — it's because fans discovered he has been dating School of Rock costar Caitlin Hale since 2016. Massagli told Inside Edition that several years prior he learned Hale was moving to Florida, where he was living at the time.

"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," Massagli said.

"The rest is history," Hale said, adding of their relationship, "This is locked down. Yes. This is it."

Massagli largely left acting after the film, save for a recurring role on The Sopranos from 2002 to 2007.

According to his LinkedIn page, the former actor is an admitted New York state attorney and has worked as a music product counsel at TikTok since October 2023.

He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in 2019.

Caitlin Hale as Marta "Blondie"

Save for two episodes of Blue's Clues, School of Rock — in which she sang lead vocals — was Caitlin Hale's only acting credit.

However, the film's audition introduced Hale to her future costar (and now partner) Massagli, who recalled meeting her for the first time in a joint interview with 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," Massagli shared.

According to her website, Hale graduated cum laude in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She works as an OB-GYN sonographer, per her Instagram bio.

Maryam Hassan as Tomika "Songbird"

As her nickname implied, Maryam Hassan sang lead vocals in the film, and like many of her young costars, she hadn't worked in Hollywood before School of Rock.

She left movie-making soon after for music, and now performs as Mayhrenate,

In a 2021 Vulture interview, she shared many fond memories from filming, spilled on the lively group chat and frequent mini-cast reunions and said how blown away she is by the continued love for the movie.

"When it first came out, I was just happy to be involved and have the opportunity to sing in front of others. Thinking about the scope of it was never on my mind," Hassan said. "It wasn’t until 10 years after, at the reunion [hosted by the Austin Film Society in 2013], 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. I didn’t know that it transcended to a different generation, you know?"

Robert Tsai as Lawrence "Mr. Cool"

Much like his fellow young costars, pianist Robert Tsai had little acting experience before School of Rock — and little after. (Per Hassan's Vulture interview, the casting directors looked for kids with musical experience, not necessarily robust acting résumés.)

According to Entertainment Weekly, Tsai, who hasn’t acted since the film’s release, further pursued his musical passions at Dartmouth College, where he performed concerts and "continued to kill it on the keys."

Aleisha Allen as Alicia "Brace Face"

Aleisha Allen played Alicia, another of the band's star vocalists. Already busy with work on Blue's Clues and other kids' programs prior to School of Rock, Allen stuck with acting, joining the casts of Are We There Yet? (2005), Are We Done Yet? (2007) and Young Adult (2011).

The former child star has been working as a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) since 2017, according to her Expressable profile. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication science and disorders from Pace University and a master’s degree in the same field from Columbia University.

Rivkah Reyes as Katie "Posh Spice"

School of Rock was Rivkah Reyes' first role, and while they have happy memories from portraying bassist Katie, the years that followed weren't easy for them.

As Reyes told the New York Post in 2021, they "felt unsafe existing" because many grown men sexualized them, with many commenting on message boards how they couldn't "wait 'til she's 18."

Feeling pressured to land bigger roles than “the girl from School of Rock” compounded their anxiety about not being able to find success after the film. Despite the film’s cult following, Reyes experienced bullying at school and wished for another major part that would make people “stop calling [me] Katie.”

Reyes described themself to the Post as "a raging addict" from age 14 to 24. They eventually dealt with "a lot demons" and became sober in 2017.

Since School of Rock, Reyes has landed numerous acting credits, including Monuments (2020), A Picture Perfect Holiday (2021) and Alex/October (2022). Before the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023, Reyes promoted the short film Gianna, executive-produced by Jack Black. In 2024, they appeared in the short films scalped! and Upside Down Pineapple.

Fans will be happy to know that Reyes still shares their musical gifts with the world, posting song covers and sharing original music on social media.

Brian Falduto as Billy "Fancy Pants"

Twenty years after School of Rock, Brian Falduto, who played band stylist Billy, remembered his audition in a 2023 interview with PEOPLE.

"I walked into the room and sang a boy soprano rendition of 'Send in the Clowns.' So, I'm pretty sure that's the reason I was cast. My character didn't exist before that audition," he recalled.

Like many of his young costars, Falduto has also entered the music business. In 2023, the up-and-coming country singer released his debut album, Gay Country, as a testament to his owning his sexuality after being ridiculed for his character’s “flamboyant, eccentric” personality.

"People seek to label something they don't understand, and this was 2003. There wasn't a lot of queer representation, so I think people just instantly labeled me gay," Falduto told PEOPLE. "I didn't even know what being gay was other than that you didn't want to be called it.”

Though he didn't act much after School of Rock, according to his LinkedIn page, he graduated from Wagner College in 2014 with degrees in theater performance and arts administration. Falduto has worked as a mental health coach at Lyra Health since December 2021.

Joey Gaydos Jr. as Zack "Zack-Attack"

Joey Gaydos Jr.'s string skills helped him step into the role of lead guitarist Joey, his lone acting role.

In 2019, the former actor was arrested in Florida for stealing guitars from different stores across several different days, Variety reported. He faced charges of grand theft and shoplifting.

Since then, he’s continued to use music as a form of artistic expression, having released multiple projects available for streaming on Spotify, including 2024’s Cat in the Window and Moth Week.

Kevin Clark as Freddy "Spazzy McGee" Jones

School of Rock was the first and only film for Kevin Clark, who portrayed drummer Freddy Jones. He went on to find his footing in music, performing with bands including Jessie Bess and the Intentions.

In 2021, Clark was fatally hit by a car while riding his bike in Chicago. He was 32.

Several School of Rock castmates memorialized him on social media, with Jack Black writing on Instagram: "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 echoed the sentiment on Instagram, calling him an "amazing soul."

"I'll always remember your spirit and how kind you were to me," she added. "I'll never forget all the memories."

Rivkah Reyes wrote on Twitter (now X): “Love you forever, spaz. I will never forget your hugs and your laugh and the sheer joy on your face when we’d run into each other in Chicago. Thank you for always showing up for me with that ‘big brother I never had’ energy.”