How School of Rock's ending was changed by one of the movie's 13-year-old cast members

(Image credit: Paramount)

School of Rock actor Rivkah Reyes has revealed that the movie's ending was the idea of a fellow cast member, Kevin Clark, who was only 13 at the time.

"The ending wasn’t landing," Reyes said in a video on TikTok. (H/T Insider) "We tried one version of it where we win [the Battle of the Bands competition]. We tried another version of it where we lose and that’s it. It just wasn’t hitting. The team was just like, ‘What do we do about this ending?’ And Kevin is just like, 'It’d be cool if like, we lost and then the audience started cheering, 'School of Rock! School of Rock!' and then they bring us out for an encore.'"

Reyes added: "So this guy, at 13 years old, wrote the ending of School of Rock." The movie ends exactly as Clark suggested, with the band – led by guitarist-turned-substitute teacher Dewey Finn (Jack Black) – taking to the stage once more despite their defeat to perform AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).

Clark played Freddy "Spazzy McGee" Jones, the band's drummer, while Reyes was bassist Katie "Posh Spice". Clark passed away earlier this year after a car accident; he didn't act in another major movie after his role in School of Rock, but continued working as a musician. Directed by Richard Linklater, the movie was released in 2003 and also starred Mike White, Joan Cusack, and Sarah Silverman.

If you've already seen School of Rock, check out our list of the best Netflix comedies that you can stream right now.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.