Jack Black has admitted Maya Rudolph almost made him quit acting.
The pair both attended high school at the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, where they were paired up for an improvisation class.
They became fast friends, but Jack said her natural, raw talent left him concerned that he didn’t have what it takes to make it in Hollywood – despite enjoying success in numerous movies and TV shows.
He told Far Out magazine: “I was really enjoying being king of the hill of the theatre department, and then here comes Maya, and she was just so funny and gifted and relaxed, and it really made me question whether I should even continue, like, that’s how strong she was.
“It’s like I was (composer Antonio) Salieri and she was Mozart, and I was so jealous that it kind of paralysed me.”
He also told Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast in April 2025: “She was like three years younger and she was so good at improv I actually got intimidated.
“And then I had a crisis and I couldn’t do improv for like a whole year… ‘This kid is just a kid, and she’s so much better than me, what’s happening?!'”
However, Maya has credited Jack with being instrumental in launching her career, after taking her to her first show to watch the comedy troupe Groundlings.
Maya ended up joining the group, and was recruited for her career-making role in Saturday Night Live through her involvement with the troupe.
She said previously: “There’s so much to talk about when it comes to Jack because I’ve known him since I was 14. I met him in school, and he changed my life for the better.”
“You know when you find people and you both speak the same language? He was new, he was a couple years older and had transferred to the school, and I think my drama teacher was like, ‘You guys should hang out.”
“He coached me in an improv competition, me and a couple of girlfriends…Jack got me into the improv class early, when I was in eighth grade. You’re supposed to be in ninth and he got me in.
“He brought me to my first Groundlings show when I was a kid, and showed me this whole world. I didn’t even imagine I’d end up being there, and that would lead me to you.
“He changed my life… You feel so lucky when you have those moments where you had no idea you were going to meet someone that was going to be such a positive influence on your life, and he’s such a great goof.”
They also bonded over their love of music – Jack went on to take on the frontman role in Tenacious D.
She said: “We just spoke music the same way right away. We both had a love for Bobby McFerrin, and I didn’t know any 14 year olds that liked Bobby McFerrin.”
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