A rock and roll romance has come full circle. Two stars from the beloved 2003 film School of Rock have tied the knot over two decades after first meeting on set.
Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale were only 10 years old when they crossed paths at the movie’s audition. The film, which stars Jack Black as a down-on-his-luck former rock musician who forms a band with a group of elementary school students, became an iconic part of their childhoods.
Hale portrayed Marta, the spirited backup singer with pigtailed hair, also known as “Blondie,” as referred to by Black’s character. Massagli played the role of Frankie, the “Tough Guy” who provided security for the kids’ rock band.
Massagli was captivated by Hale’s performance during the audition, sharing with the New York Times, “I was like, ‘Wow, that girl’s really, really, really something else.’” Hale had impressed the producers with her show-stopping rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy, creatively altering the lyrics to be about the movie’s director, five-time Oscar nominee Richard Linklater.
Massagli recalled that when he was asked to sing at the audition in New York, he nervously performed the only song he knew by heart—Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”
Once they both landed roles in the film, they reconnected during the shooting of the movie a year later in New York.
Hale revealed that the young actors playing the rock band members became fast friends, bonding during school hours on set and fun trips to Benihana. Their mothers also grew close, and even Black joined in on the fun, having lunch with the kids and playing games between takes.
Although they were friendly, Hale and Massagli confirmed that neither of them had a romantic interest in the other during filming.
After production wrapped and School of Rock hit theaters, the group of young actors kept in touch via a long-running group chat. Eventually, both Massagli and Hale moved away from acting.
Massagli transitioned into law and now works as a music product counsel for TikTok, while Hale became an OB-GYN sonographer.
Their paths crossed again in 2018 when both were pursuing degrees at Florida universities. They met up for lunch and sent a selfie to their moms, who had maintained their friendship since filming.
“We thought that was kind of it,” Massagli recalled. “But we just kept grabbing dinners and going out for weekends. We were like, ‘Something’s brewing here.’”
Though it started as a friendship, Massagli admitted that the early stages of their relationship felt familiar, thanks to their shared history and the bond their families had formed. Hale knew quickly that Massagli was “endgame,” as she recalled telling a close friend during a trip to Miami, “I think I’m gonna marry this guy.”
In the same year, Massagli invited Hale to stay at his Miami home to avoid her long commute from Fort Lauderdale during her residency program. When Massagli returned home a week later, Hale had fully moved in.
By 2019, they relocated to Brooklyn, and in June 2023, Massagli proposed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in front of the Temple of Dendur. After Hale said yes, the couple celebrated with dinner at Nino’s, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, and Champagne at the Carlyle.
On January 4, 2024, Massagli and Hale were married in a grand ceremony at the Park Château Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, New Jersey, a venue reminiscent of Versailles. The couple had always envisioned going “all out” for their wedding.
For the reception music, Hale and Massagli entered to Kanye West’s “Through the Wire,” and danced their first dance to Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.” The DJ was instructed to play songs that would feel like “if Studio 54 never closed,” according to Massagli. In a playful tribute to School of Rock, they danced to “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks.
The couple was joined by nine of their School of Rock castmates, who came to celebrate their union. While Jack Black couldn’t attend due to filming commitments, Hale shared that he was “so nice and generous with his words” and made sure to commemorate the occasion privately.
Hale also had a sweet reunion with the film’s backup singers, reflecting on the fun they had. “We were just dancing together to some old-school disco, and then there was some sort of ad lib in the song, and we all just hit it,” she said. “We looked at each other and we’re like, ‘That just happened. We still got it.’”
Guests were treated to a lavish three-tiered wedding cake, cannoli served on the dance floor, and a food truck offering McDonald’s as they exited the venue.
