Maya Rudolph Recalls Going to High School with Jack Black: He’s ‘Been the Same Person Since the Day I Met Him’

Maya Rudolphwill always have a special place in her heart forJack Black.

Apart from attending high school together, theSaturday Night Livealum, 51, credits the actor, 54, with getting her involved in improv at a young age.

“He was two years older than me, and he transferred in the 10th grade, and I was in 8th,” recalled Rudolph during an appearance onThe Drew Barrymore Show.

“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.”

Maya Rudolph and Jack Black at the Poetic Justice 2015 Fundraiser for Coalition for Engaged Education.Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Actors Maya Rudolph and Jack Black attend the Poetic Justice 2015 Fundraiser for Coalition for Engaged Education at Herb Alpert Educational Village on May 7, 2015 in Santa Monica, California.

Allen Berezovsky/Getty

TheBridesmaidsstar says Black took her to see the improv theatre group perform when she was 14 and sees him as “the most inspiring person.”

“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.

After hostDrew Barrymoresaid she would have “never guessed that we can thank Jack Black for Maya Rudolph,” Rudolph agreed and said, “I mean, honestly, yeah.”

As for what fans can expect from the show’s second season debuting Wednesday, Rudolph toldEntertainment Weeklyher character “is really embracing her new reality and focusing on being a boss, being in charge of her own life, and immersing herself in these relationships at her foundation and creating a family with them. You see so much of her personality that she’s discovering through them.”

Maya Rudolph speak with Drew Barrymore on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’.The Drew Barrymore Show/TikTok

Maya Rudolph Recalls Going to High School with Jack Black: He’s ‘Been the Same Person Since the Day I Met Him’

The Drew Barrymore Show/TikTok

Just two days after Black’sKung Fu Panda 4hit theaters on March 8, Nintendo announced in a statement onXthata newSuper Mario Bros. movie is in the works. Black voiced Bowser in the hit first film.

Jack Black at the ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Australian premiere.Don Arnold/WireImage

Jack Black poses during the “Kung Fu Panda 4” Australian Premiere on March 16, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.

Don Arnold/WireImage

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“We’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further, and it’ll have a bright and fun story. We hope you’ll look forward to it,” the statement read, adding that the film has a scheduled premiere date of April 3, 2026.

source: people.com