School of Rock cast now – stalker fire, tragic car death and quitting showbiz

The stars of School of Rock have taken various paths since its release – not all of them so positive.

The 2003 film, known for its breakout characters and comedic one-liners, revolves around Jack Black’s character who bluffs his way into a substitute teacher role, only to train the children to form a band for the renowned Battle of the Bands.

Fast forward 20 years, and the young cast has matured, with Miranda Cosgrove’s career still going strong. Her latest project Mother Of The Bride, also starring Brooke Shields, has been released on Netflix today (May 9).

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Some of her fellow cast members have pursued acting careers, while others have embarked on entirely new career paths. A few have even found themselves in legal hot water, while some have proudly entered the medical field.

Here at Daily Star, we’re taking a look at where the cast members of this cherished film are now.

Miranda Cosgrove

Miranda Cosgrove, who played Summer ‘Tinkerbell’ Hathaway, shot to fame immediately after the film, landing the role of Megan on Drake and Josh from 2004 to 2007. After that show ended, she remained on Nickelodeon, starring in her own TV show, iCarly, and becoming one of the highest-paid child actors on television.

She also lent her voice to the Despicable Me movies in 2010, 2013, 2017 and the upcoming Despicable Me 4, and appeared in the NBC series Crowded. Her latest movie, Mother Of The Bride, also starring Goldie Hawne was released on Netflix, too.

Miranda attended the University of Southern California, and has said she doesn’t drink or smoke. She has also done a lot of charity work, including with children’s hospitals.

Worryingly, in 2014, she was granted a restraining order against a stalker. In 2016, a man who had been stalking Miranda also set himself on fire and shot himself in her garden, and was found dead at the scene.

Jack Black

Jack Black, who played Dewey Finn, has continued to carve out an impressive career for himself post-movie.

Jack went on to take the lead role in the Kung Fu Panda series, Gulliver’s Travels and the Jumanji films. Throughout his extensive career, he has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award.

In addition to his acting career, Jack has kept his passion for music alive as the frontman and guitarist of comedy rock band Tenacious D. He has released four albums and bagged the Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2015.

Jack has been touring the UK recently with Tenacious D, with dates in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham and Brighton.

Joan Cusack

Post her School of Rock role of Rosalie ‘Roz’ Mullins, Joan’s career continued to flourish.

She lent her voice to Jessie in all four Toy Story films and bagged an Emmy for her portrayal of Sheila Jackson in the TV series Shameless.

Her filmography includes roles in Instant Family and Let It Snow, and in more recent years, she appeared in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events as Justice Strauss.

Sarah Silverman

Sarah, who played Patty Di Marco, continued to flex her comedic muscles with her own Comedy Central show The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran for three years, and Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic.

Her subsequent appearances include Rent, Funny People (2009), The Muppets (2011), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and I Smile Back (2015). She also won an Emmy for her 2013 special Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles and starred in TV shows like Bob’s Burgers and Masters of Sex.

Back in 2018, Sarah revealed that she was one of a number of female comedians to have seen comic Louis CK masturbate, which she said had been consensual. She said she did not believe it to be abusive, however also said it was “not analogous” to other accusations from other women against CK.

Joey Gaydos

After the film’s release, Zack ‘Zack-Attack’ Mooneyham star Joey launched his own album, titled Joey Gaydos Jr, through Red Penguin Records.

Since then, he has continued to perform solo and with the band Stereo Jane. However, he has also had some brushes with the law, getting a DUI in 2009 and hitting the headlines in 2019 for stealing guitars from musical stores, being charged with two counts of grand theft and one count of shoplifting.

Robert Tsai

Robert Tsai, known as Lawrence or ‘Mr. Cool’ in the film, did not continue a career in the film industry after the movie. Instead, he decided to focus on his music and made an appearance with the Instant Noodles Dance Crew on OCA Image TV back in 2012.

He went on to attend Dartmouth College, where he continued to perform as a pianist playing in concerts and musical productions.

Caitlin Hale

Caitlin Hale, who played Marta or ‘Blondie’, pursued journalism after she grew up, gaining a journalism and public relations degree in 2013 from Arizona State University. More recently, she returned to acting working as a script consultant on the short film Typecast in 2018, and more recently landing the role of Sydney on the animated children’s show Max and Wrigley in 2020 and Kathy in the horror film Grimmerson Manor.

Years later, Caitlin went public in her romance with School Of Rock co-star Angelo Massagli, who played security guard Frankie.

Brian Falduto

Brian Falduto, known as Billy or ‘Fancy Pants’ in the film, branched out into the theatre and music industries after School of Rock. He dropped his debut EP Love One Another in 2107 and his first studio album in 2019, called Stage Two.

He’s also a champion for the LGBTQ+ community and moonlights as a life coach, launching The Gay Life Coach Podcast in 2020 and creating a life coaching programme dubbed Love Life.

Aleisha Allen

Aleisha, who played Alicia, or Brace Face, continued her stint on Blue’s Clues until 2004 and then hit the big screen again playing Lindsey in Are We There Yet? and its sequel Are We Done Yet?

Post those gigs, she popped up in Young Adult in 2011 and had a role in You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Kills You.

These days, she’s taken a different path as a speech language pathologist and shared on Instagram: “I’m still alive and safe, and fulfilling my medical duties And I hope you all are starting to feel lighter and more optimistic.”

Kevin Clark

Kevin Clark smashed it as drummer Freddy Jones, aka “Spazzy McGee”, in the cult classic flick.

Landing the gig at just 14, he shot to child star fame in the Richard Linklater-directed smash hit, with Jack Black playing the iconic role of the off-the-wall substitute teacher.

Despite the movie’s massive success, Clark ditched acting to drum up a storm as a pro drummer. School of Rock, released in 2003, remains his one and only film credit.

Throughout his career, he banged the drums for various bands, with a stint behind the kit for Jessie Bess and the Intentions.

Regarding his decision to pursue music as a career, he once said: “Most of the kids left acting for other jobs. No one expected me to still be playing, living in Highwood, and striving to be a rock star.”

On May 26, 2021, the young artist tragically passed away at the age of 32, following a tragic accident when he was hit by a car while cycling. Following the incident, Clark was immediately rushed to hospital but remained in a critical condition.

Reports say that the tragic event took place when he was travelling home and got struck by a vehicle. Jack Black mourned his loss, stating: “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.”

Zachary Infante

After his role as Gordon in the movie, Zachary was admitted to the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, identifying with gender-neutral pronouns.

Their career went on an upward trend starring in In the Heights in Orlando, Kiss My Aztec! in Berkeley, California, and RENT at Aruba’s National Theater.

They went on to contribute to several non-profit organisations helping children with cancer like the Sunshine Kids Foundation and the Valerie Fund while being involved with the Musical Theater Factory in New York City as the Creative Producing Fellow.

In recent times, the actor, who now goes professionally by Z Infante, has secured a number of voice-acting roles.

Maryam Hassan

Maryam Hassan was cast as Tomika “Songbird”.

She continues impressing audiences with her beautiful voice which can also be experienced on her YouTube channel under the alias Trayce.

She has largely remained out of the spotlight compared to her former co-stars, but did reunite with them in 2013 for a performance marking the film’s 10-year anniversary and made an appearance at the Broadway production of School of Rock in 2015. She is now reportedly working as a makeup artist in New York.

Jordan-Claire Green

Post-film, Michelle star Jordan pursued an acting career for some time, landing minor roles in popular TV shows like Arrested Development, Alias, and Wizards of Waverly Place. At 14, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in Come Away Home.

These days, she’s more focused on saving lives as a registered nurse.

Becca Brown

The film remains Becca’s only significant acting role, for which she played “Posh Spice”.

The star now uses gender-neutral pronouns and goes by the name Rivkah Reyes. Their Twitter bio describes them as an actor, comedian, and musician, and they continue to create music on their YouTube channel.

However, after the film’s release, the actor revealed they struggled with bullying about their role and were sexualised by disgusting online comments.

“From the age of 14, I used drugs, alcohol, sex, food, and self-harm to numb all of this pain,” they wrote in an essay titled Confessions of an Obsolete Child Actor. “I’ve survived dozens of toxic relationships and three suicide attempts.

“I’m not saying all of this is because I played bass in a movie when I was a kid but because I spent over a decade terrified that I’d peaked at 10 years old.”

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk