TORONTO – Jack Black says he hopes his irreverent film “School of Rock” – in which he teaches fifth graders about rock “n’ roll – will turn into a regular TV children’s series in the style of “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.”
“I miss Pee-Wee, that was not only the best children’s show at the time, it was the best TV show period,” Black tells Zap2it.com. “My dream has always been to do something with kids, and something that I would enjoy seeing, too.”
Although Black’s doing well in film, with “High Fidelity,” “Shallow Hal,” “Orange County” and the upcoming “School or Rock” (coming out Oct. 3) under his belt, he’s willing to do a regular TV show with a great cast and wacky double-entendres, much like Paul Reubens’ character.
A fan of classic “70s family films like “Bad News Bears,” “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Meatballs,” Black says he thinks kids today don’t appreciate schmaltzy family films and like them even less than the parents who have to take them to see those movies.
“Learning bad words don’t hurt kids, but what’s worse about censorship and what causes more damage is that we’re making stupid kids who don’t know good comedy,” says Black, who is at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“School of Rock” was written specifically for Black by his friend and Los Angeles neighbor Mike White (who wrote and starred in “Chuck and Buck”). Directed by Richard Linklater (“Slacker”), the film stars some real-life musical prodigies who’ve not been in movies before, as well as Joan Cusack. Critics have raved about the movie, calling it one of the funniest at the film festival.
When reminded of W.C. Fields’ warning for actors not to work with either children or animals, Black responds, “Well, that means no one should work with me, because I’m both a child and an animal!”
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