Maya Rudolph Reflects on Going to High School With Jack Black: “He’s Just Special”

Maya Rudolph holds a special place in her heart for Jack Black, not only because they attended high school together but also because he played a crucial role in her early involvement in improv. During an appearance on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show,’ the 51-year-old ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum reminisced about their high school days, crediting Black for introducing her to the world of improv.

“He was two years older than me, and he transferred in the 10th grade, and I was in 8th,” Rudolph shared. “My drama teacher put us together, and he was my improv coach for an improv competition we did and he got me into the improv class, and he took me to my first Groundlings show, which is where I ended up.”

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Rudolph expressed her admiration for Black, describing him as “the most inspiring person” and praising his consistent character since the day they met. “First of all, you have to understand something about Jack. Jack has been the same person since the day I met him. The exact same person. He’s just that guy. He’s just special,” she said.

Host Drew Barrymore expressed surprise at the connection between Rudolph and Black, to which Rudolph agreed, saying, “I mean, honestly, yeah.”