Where Are They Now?: School of Rock

It’s been over ten years since School of Rock hit our screens and seemingly granted Jack Black artistic immunity for the next decade. While his star has continued to rise over the last few years, what has become of Dewey Finn’s impressionable young pupils and the rest of the School of Rock cast?

Miranda Cosgrove (Summer ‘Tinkerbell’ Hathaway (Manager))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Since beginning her career as the stuck-up band manager, Miranda Cosgrove has barely been out of work. School of Rock was scarcely out of cinemas before Cosgrove appeared on our screens again in the Nickelodeon TV series Drake & Josh (2004). By 2007 she had landed the lead role in iCarly, the popularity of which not only enabled her to command a fee of $180,000 per episode but also helped her to launch a successful singing career.

She leads a veritable army of Twitter followers (around 6 million at the last count), acts as an ambassador for Neutrogena and donates her time and resources to various charitable endeavours. She has also provided the voice of Margo in both Despicable Me films. What a woman.

Joey Gaydos, Jr. (Zack ‘Zack-Attack’ Mooneyham  (Guitar))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Despite not acting since School of Rock, Dewey Finn’s teachings seem to have left a lasting impression on the fantastically named Joey Gaydos, Jr. Barring a slight hiccup in February 2009 when he was arrested for driving under the influence while underage, Joey has stuck to his School of Rock roots and can been be seen here making good use of his musical education. His group’s album is also available on iTunes for the curious amongst you. Rock on Zack-Attack.

Kevin Clark (Freddy ‘Spazzy McGee’ Jones  (Drums))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Much like Gaydos Jr., Kevin Clark has not acted since the halcyon days of 2003, but that has not stopped him daring to dream big. He now plies his trade with the band Robbie Gold, who can be found doing their thing on MySpace. On the subject of his old classmates, Clark does not sound too nostalgic: “It had been nine years since I’d seen everyone,” he recalled. “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.” An inspiration to one and all.

Rebecca Brown (Katie, aka ‘Posh Spice’ (Bass))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Despite a rather curious choice of Twitter profile picture, Posh Spice seems to have kept her feet on the ground since graduating from the School of Rock. Far from giving up on singing, she has maintained her YouTube channel for the last five years and sings in a band called The Brothers Star Race.

Robert Tsai (Lawrence, aka ‘Mr. Cool’ (Keyboards))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Regarding Jack Black’s character, Mr. Cool delivered the following immortal line: “You’re a fat loser and you have body odour.” Wonderfully put, young man. Robert dazzled us all with his messy keyboard skills back in 2003, but he’s now arguably an even more accomplished pianist – take a look! He also runs his own blog entitled Making Sure My Pen Works and on his CV is listed some of his many talents which include being a dancer, photographer, teacher, student and, most of all, a homo sapien.

Maryam Hassam (Tomika, aka ‘Songbird’/‘Turkey Sub’ (Second Voice))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Not much is known of Maryam’s movements since her days as a back-up singer in the band. However, if you ever find yourself longing to be reunited with her angelic voice, she has set up her own YouTube channel, on which she has taken to posting rather self-indulgent videos of herself covering various R&B tracks. She has also pursued a career as a makeup artist in Soho for MAC Cosmetics and is putting together a clothing line that she plans to launch by this time next year.

Caitlin Hale (Marta, aka ‘Blondie’ (Backup Vox))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Another of the backup singers, Caitlin recently graduated from Arizona State University where she majored in Journalism and Mass Communications. She has her own online portfolio and Twitter account and has stated that she is keen to jump back into the acting game.

Aleisha Allen (Alicia, aka ‘Brace Face’ (Backup Vox))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Since finishing at the School of Rock, Aleisha has shed her braces and continued to work in film, appearing alongside Ice Cube in Are We There Yet? as well as 2011’s Young Adult. Known on IMDb as LeNae, Allen went to Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan and currently lives in New York. Her most recent acting credit came in 2012 for You’re Nobody Until Somebody Kills You. You’ll most likely next capture her on Instagram.

Zachary Infante (Gordon, aka ‘Roadrunner’ (Assistant/Lights))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Zachary has faced more than his fair share of adversity since 2003. In 2006 he was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Despite this, Zachary recently graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and currently resides in Brooklyn. He has worked extensively with not-for-profit children’s cancer organisations like The Sunshine Kids and The Valerie Fund and recently took part in the Tony Award-winning production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. God speed Zachary.

Cole Hawkins (Leonard, aka ‘Short Stop’ (Security))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Notching up roles in Big Daddy (1999), Meet the Parents (2000) and Changing Lanes (2002), Cole was quite the dab hand at acting by the time School of Rock came around. He’s just entered his final year at Northeastern University with a major in Sociology and can boast the perhaps unique talent of being able to recite the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway and bus routes since he was 4 years old. Useful if you’re ever in need of directions.

Jordan-Claire Green (Michelle (Groupie))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

Having put her groupie days behind her, Jordan-Claire enrolled at Texas Christian University and currently works as a registered nurse. However, following guest appearances in Power Rangers Time Force, Alias and Arrested Development, rumour has it that she’s looking to head back into acting. Watch this space.

Brian Falduto (Billy, aka ‘Fancy Pants’ (Stylist))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

“You’re tacky and I hate you.” Brian, love your work. ‘Fancy Pants’ now resides in New York, where he is finishing his final year at Wagner College, majoring in Theatre and Arts. When he’s not delivering killer put-downs, Brian works for local radio station Nash FM 94.7 as a promoter and aims to move back into acting once he’s finished his studies.

Jack Black (Dewey Finn (Frontman))

Courtesy of: Paramount Pictures

IMDb. You know the drill.

With that, I leave you with the video of their reunion gig from September last year.