'School of Rock': Where Are They Now?

THEN: A young Miranda Cosgrove picked up one of her very first roles as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock. Just 10 years old at the time of the film’s release, Cosgrove played the ambitious class representative Summer, who becomes the band manager under Dewey’s leadership. Cosgrove came into the role after previously making a small appearance in a 2001 episode of Smallville.

NOW: The child star went on to land her biggest role just months later, playing Megan Parker on Drake & Josh from 2004 to 2007. She also made appearances in Yours, Mine & Ours and an episode of Grounded for Life during this time. The same year that she wrapped Drake & Josh, Cosgrove continued her Nickelodeon run with a starring turn as Carly in iCarly from 2007 to 2012. She also lent her voice to Despicable Me in 2010 and Despicable Me 2 in 2013, recently picking up a role in the upcoming NBC series Crowded.

THEN: School of Rock found its pint-sized rock star in Joey Gaydos Jr., the young actor who played Zack “Zack-Attack” Mooneyham. School of Rock was Gaydos Jr.’s first acting role. He booked the gig after spending his childhood playing guitar and showed off his talents in the film as the quiet kid-turned-shredder.

NOW: Gaydos Jr. has yet to earn another onscreen credit in the years since School of Rock. He has, however, continued to focus on his music, releasing a self-titled album in 2004, and following up with work with the band Stereo Jane and performances at local festivals.

THEN: Jack Black led School of Rock as Dewey Finn, a flailing musician who has yet to make it back. Dewey finds his way into a private school by impersonating his friend Ned Schneebly (Mike White) and soon bonds with the focused children over rock music. Black picked up his role in the Richard Linklater film after spending 10 years in the industry. Nominated for a Golden Globe for the movie, Black previously made a name for himself with his band Tenacious D, and in movies like High Fidelity (2000), Shallow Hal (2001), Saving Silverman (2001), and Orange County (2002).

NOW: Black kept busy after School of Rock, continuing to record with Tenacious D and filling his résumé with TV and film roles. He voiced Po in three Kung Fu Panda feature films and Lenny in Shark Tale, stepping in front of the camera for King Kong (2005), The Holiday (2006), Nacho Libre (2006), Year One (2009), and Goosebumps (2015).

THEN: Robert Tsai quietly stole the show as Lawrence, aka “Mr. Cool,” in School of Rock. The young piano player found his groove on the keyboards, going from a quiet loner to a particularly cool bandmate. The role was a first for Tsai, who made his onscreen debut in the comedy.

NOW: Tsai wrapped his acting career after the School of Rock hit theaters, stepping in front of the camera only as a part of the dance group Instant Noodle Crew. In addition to his fancy footing, Tsai continues to kill it on the keys. The former child star played concerts while attending Dartmouth College, also working on musical productions.

THEN: Adam Pascal joined School of Rock as Theo, a bandmate of Dewey’s in No Vacancy. He crosses his former friend when he goes from backup to stealing the band right out from under Dewey. The role was hardly a stretch for Pascal, as he spent a portion of his career focusing on music and musical productions. The actor hit Broadway in Rent in the late ’90s, also appearing in Aida right before his gig as Theo, and recorded his own music, releasing albums in the 2000s.

NOW: Pascal, who earned his second feature film credit for School of Rock, was cast soon after in the big-screen adaptation of Rent, playing Roger Davis in the 2005 flick. The actor continued his stage work, hitting Broadway in 2010s productions of Memphis and Chicago. Pascal also recently revived his SLC Punk! role of Eddie for Punk’s Dead: SLC Punk 2.

THEN: Sarah Silverman brought her comedy chops to the film as Patty Di Marco. The Saturday Night Live alum played the girlfriend to Dewey’s friend Ned and the rocker’s reluctant roommate. She butts heads with Dewey, pressuring her boyfriend to have Dewey move out of the apartment. Silverman came into the role after making previous appearances in Bulworth (1998), There’s Something About Mary (1998), The Bachelor (1999), The Way of the Gun (2000), and Heartbreakers (2001) and hitting the small screen in episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, Seinfeld, and The Larry Sanders Show.

NOW: Continuing her comedy work, Silverman starred in 2005’s Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic and hit Comedy Central in 2007 with The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran for three years. She reunited with Pascal in 2005’s Rent, playing Alexi Darling, and went on to appear in Funny People (2009), The Muppets (2011), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and I Smile Back (2015). Silverman, who won an Emmy for her 2013 special Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles, has also spent recent years lending her voice to episodes of Bob’s Burgers and appearing as Helen in Masters of Sex.

THEN: Caitlin Hale played Marta in School of Rock. One of the few child stars with previous onscreen credits, Hale came into the gig after two previous appearances in Blue’s Clues, and gaining experience with a childhood in dance and local theater productions. She payed Marta, the student who joins the band as a backup singer after an impromptu classroom audition.

NOW: Hale continued her on-screen work with gigs in commercials, and earned a degree in journalism from Arizona State University in 2013. After focusing on public relations in school, Hale currently works as a publicist in Scottsdale, Ariz.

THEN: Rebecca Brown earned her first onscreen credit as a girl named Katie in School of Rock. She picks up a gig in the band after Dewey spots her playing the cello. He explains that she can rotate her instrument to take on the bass guitar.

NOW: The project was the only major acting role for Brown, who also made an appearance in a short in 2014. The former child star, who describes herself in her Twitter bio as a “comedian/musician/actress/feminist,” continues to sing and play guitar. She regularly shares videos of her covers and original songs on her YouTube channel and performs comedy shows in Chicago.

THEN: Mike White played the real Ned Schneebly in School of Rock, a substitute teacher who lives with his girlfriend and Dewey. Dewey ends up impersonating Ned, going to teach at the school in his place. While White’s onscreen role in the film was relatively minor, he also penned the screenplay for the comedy. He previously racked up writing credits thanks to episodes of Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks, and features such as Orange County and The Good Girl.

NOW: White continued to act, hitting the big screen in The Stepford Wives (2004), Smother (2007), and Ride (2014). He reunited with Jack Black in 2006, writing the script for the Black-starring Nacho Libre. In recent years, White wrote and starred in more than a dozen episodes of HBO’s Enlightened.

THEN: A young Maryam Hassan made her big-screen debut as Tomika in School of Rock. The then-unknown actress played a quieter student who was first pegged by Dewey as a roadie for the band. She finds her true calling when she approaches her teacher, telling him that she wants to be a singer. Tomika then gives a stunning performance, eliciting a “Nice pipes, Tomika,” from Dewey.

NOW: Hassan is perhaps the least visible of the cast more than a decade later. While she has stayed out of the public eye, the former child star reunited with costars in 2013 for a performance in honor of the movie’s 10-year anniversary, also dropping in on a Broadway production of School of Rock in 2015.

THEN: Kevin Clark joined School of Rock as Freddy Jones. The then-child star played an outspoken kid who sits in the back of the class, finding his musical prowess on the drums. It was the first and only feature film role for Clark.

NOW: Clark, who joined his former costars at School of Rock on Broadway, leads a quieter life as well. He continues to play the drums, recently lending his beats to local Chicago performer Robbie Gold.

THEN: Joan Cusack brought her star power to School of Rock as the school’s principal, Rosalie Mullins. She calls who she thinks is Ned Schneebly to come in and sub for a class, unknowingly winding up with Dewey in his place. She is initially skeptical of the class but later bonds with Dewey. Cusack came into the role after making Oscar-nominated turns in Working Girl (1988) and In & Out (1997), spending time on Saturday Night Live, leading the short-lived What About Joan? and making appearances in Sixteen Candles (1984), Married to the Mob (1988), My Blue Heaven (1990), Addams Family Values (1993), Nine Months (1995), and Runaway Bride (1999).

NOW: After School of Rock, Cusack starred in Raising Helen (2004), Friends with Money (2006), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), My Sister’s Keeper (2009), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and lent her voice to Chicken Little (2005), the Toy Story franchise, and Arthur Christmas (2011). The veteran star recently picked up an Emmy award for her role of Sheila Jackson in Showtime’s Shameless.

THEN: Brian Falduto stole the show with the perfect School of Rock line, “You’re tacky and I hate you.” Falduto uttered the words as his character Billy to Dewey, playing the opinionated student who becomes the stylist for the band. The gig was Falduto’s first and only big-screen role.

NOW: Falduto went on to study theater, graduating from Wagner College with a dual-degree in theatre performance and arts administration after performing in productions at the university. He now works in radio, performs live in local New York City musical and comedy productions, and records music.

THEN: Child star Aleisha Allen hit the big screen as Alicia in School of Rock. She nailed her in-class audition and booked a part as one of the backup singers for the band. Allen made a name for herself ahead of the role, bringing the character Side Table Drawer to more than 100 episodes of Blue’s Clues. She also appeared in the beloved 1999 movie The Best Man.

NOW: Allen appeared in Blue’s Clues through 2004, returning to film the following year as Lindsey in Are We There Yet? (2005) and playing the same role in Are We Done Yet? (2007). The former child star then made a brief appearance in Young Adult (2011) and recently lent her voice to an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! in 2015.