The role Jack Black holds “nearest and dearest to my heart”
It’s fair to say that Jack Black has pretty much become the master of 21st-century comedy. After a series of supporting roles in the likes of The Cable Guy and Mars Attacks!, Black enjoyed his breakthrough with an effort in High Fidelity in 2000 and from that moment, he never looked back, establishing himself as a Hollywood icon in his own right.,
Amongst some of Black’s greatest efforts are Shallow Hal, King Kong, The Holiday, Tropic Thunder and the Kung Fu Panda movies. Of course, one can’t forget Black’s contribution to his band Tenacious D along with Kyle Gass, who performed alongside Black in the 2006 musical comedy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.
Perhaps the most important of Black’s efforts on screen, though, is his 2003 turn in Richard Linklater’s 2003 comedy film School of Rock, written by Mike White, produced by Scott Rudin and also starring the likes of Joan Cusack and Sarah Silverman. The film cemented Black’s position as a leading man in the movies and undoubtedly led to his future success.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Black once spoke of how he knew that School of Rock was going to be a quality movie and the fact that the role had actually been written for him personally. “When we did the read-through, that’s when I felt it,” Jack said. “Table reads are always boring because movies are not meant to be read at a table; they’re meant to be seen on a big screen.”
He added, “But this was the first time where it just killed. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is like a diamond. Every scene is clicking, and the laughs are strong in the room.’ I could feel, right out of the gate, something special is happening.” Something special indeed happened because positive reviews were followed by a huge box office taking, and School of Rock quickly became one of the best comedies of the 21st century.
Black plays failing rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who gets a job by pretending to be a substitute teacher at a prep school after being fired from his band. In the classroom, Dewey realises his students possess musical talent and enters them into the local Battle of the Bands contest with the hopes of using the winning to pay his rent.
The actor admitted that it might have seemed “ridiculous”, but by acting with a “bunch of kids”, the “perfect match” was found with the cast and crew always “horsing around and making jokes and making fart noises in between takes.” Expressing his love for the role, Black noted, “That’s the one that’s nearest and dearest to my heart, because it was so much a part of me — that character with the love of rock and not really fitting in the world of rock.”
According to Black, School of Rock also mirrors his experience with the entertainment industry in general, and when he got the role, “the planets aligned,” and he was finally able to make the movie he always felt he was born to make. “It didn’t really matter if I did anything else after that,” the actor admitted. “There’s my tombstone. I can just chill and relax now, because I did it.” And it’s fair to say that Black never looked back with any doubt about his career path.
