School of Rock has always been one of the most fondly remembered comedies of the 2000s. In fact, it was the highest-grossing music comedy until Pitch Perfect 2 came along in 2015 and has since been turned into a successful stage musical and TV series.
But now one particular scene has taken on an extra layer of poignancy over the last week, as it went viral on Twitter with one of the movie's stars sharing their reflections on it.
The scene in question sees Tomika open up on her anxieties about performing, stating that she is afraid people will laugh at her because of her weight.
Related: School of Rock: What Jack Black's class looks like years down the line
Jack Black's Dewey responds by saying: "You heard of Aretha Franklin, right? She’s a big lady, but when she starts singing, she blows people’s minds, everybody wants to party with Aretha.
"You know who else has a weight issue? Me. But once I get up on stage, start doing my thing, people worship me. Because I’m sexy, and chubby, man."
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When asked why he doesn't go on a diet, Dewey responds: "Because I like to eat. Is that such a crime?"
The scene was first shared early this week (April 18) by Hamish Steele, the creator of Netflix's upcoming animated horror series DeadEndia. "This scene is more revolutionary than I think they even knew and it really stuck with me as a child," he wrote. "Especially the last line."
Related: Jack Black explains why a School of Rock sequel is unlikely
Maryam Hassam, who played Tomika in the film and now performs under the name Mayhrenate, also shared the video and said: "As a child I didn’t realize the fullll impact of the scene but it definitely hits different today. Glad to have played a part in such an important moment/scene."
Many fans of the film who saw School of Rock as children also shared their fond memories of the scene in the comments and opened up about how it touched and impacted them growing up.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
