Jack Black had an unlikely admirer whom he says helped him “at the right moment” in his career.
Black, 52, revealed that Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft gave him crucial support years before he became a star in movies like “School of Rock” and the “Kung Fu Panda” series.
Pal Bob Odenkirk writes in his upcoming memoir, “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama,” that he once asked Black how he exhibited so much confidence on stage — especially when he was unknown.
“F–kin’ Anne Bancroft,” Black replied before explaining that he and Bancroft’s son, Max, whom she shared with Mel Brooks, attended the same Los Angeles high school, Crossroads.
“We did a production of ‘The Miracle Worker’ that Anne Bancroft was in the original movie of [and won an Oscar for], and so she came to the show, even though Max wasn’t in the show,” Black told Odenkirk, according to the book.
“But she knew that we were doing this play, she knew the author, and she came and gave us a little pep talk before the show,” he continued.
The “Jumanji” star went on to explain that after the show, he returned home to find a message on his phone’s answering machine.
“A tape that I played hundreds of times, he recalled. “She said, ‘Jaaack … born to do it … you were born to do it.’ That just meant so much to me.”
And Odenkirk, 59, astutely noted “the real miracle” was that Black “believed her.”
The message had an extra sparkle because Black’s mother adored Bancroft.
“She was great,” he said. “She was my mom’s favorite actor in ‘The Turning Point.’”
Bancroft died in June 2005 at the age of 73 after a private battle with uterine cancer.
A rep for Black did not reply to Page Six’s request for comment.