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Jack Black admits he didn't think Miranda Cosgrove was right for School Of Rock part when they first met

Home> Celebrity> News

Published 21:11 28 Sep 2023 GMT+1

Jack Black admits he didn't think Miranda Cosgrove was right for School Of Rock part when they first met

Whilst it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role now, the Tropic Thunder star was concerned about her casting.

Katherine Sidnell

Katherine Sidnell

Jack Black has admitted that he didn’t think Miranda Cosgrove was right for School of Rock.

The former Disney star appeared in the classic kids' film back in 2003, as the iconic school swot Summer Hathaway.

Whilst it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role now, her co-star was concerned about her casting due to one surprising detail.

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Jack Black wasn't sure the Disney star was the right choice.
Paramount Pictures

If you’ve not watched the iconic noughties flick, it’s bound to strike a chord as the feel-good film all learning how to rock out (literally).

Taking a break from his more adult comedies, Jack Black starred in School of Rock as burnout Dewey Finn - a slacker who dreams about redeeming himself in a local Battle of the Bands, but finds himself unable to enter and out of a job.

Short on cash, the slacker poses as a substitute music teacher at a private elementary school where he teaches the kids about classic rock.

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With his housemate and principal Joan Cusack on his case, Finn decided to give the kids a lesson they’ll never forget and enter them in the competition.

It’s a pretty heart-warming watch, with Miranda Cosgrove perfectly cast as the uptight Summer Hathaway – who is more concerned with her grades than having a good time.

Given how incredible her character is and that she goes on to become the band’s manager, it is hard to imagine that Black has any reservations about her casting.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, however, he admitted that he’d had doubts and told the publication: “When I first met her, I was like, ‘Are you sure she should be the manager? She seems a little shy’.”

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Miranda Cosgrove was just 10 when she landed the iconic role.
Paramount Pictures

To make matters even worse, the character of Summer was written to be the polar opposite of how she now appears on screen.

According to the magazine, the character had originally been envisioned as an aspiring singer with blonde hair – unlike Cosgrove who had long dark, almost black hair.

Thankfully, director Richard Linklater was able to convince the Tenacious D bandmate that he’d made the right choice.

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Continuing, Black added: “Linklater was like, ‘Nah. She’s got something that’s very special.’ He called it.”

Recalling her childhood spent on the set, Cosgrove also revealed how nervous she was to appear in the now-beloved comedy at just 10 years old.

She said: “It was my first time on a movie set. But after three days with Jack, I was completely not nervous anymore.”

We guess it just proves you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures

Topics: US News, Film and TV, Celebrity, Jack Black

Katherine Sidnell
Katherine Sidnell

Katherine is an entertainment journalist with a love of all things nerdy. Starting out writing Doctor Who fan fiction as a kid, she has gone on to interview the likes of Matt Damon, James May and Dua Lipa to name a few. Published in The Sun, The Daily Mail and Evening Standard - she now joins Ladbible as resident nerd in chief.

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@ksidnell

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