Suite! Kid Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse Graduate From NYU
Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse, whom you might remember for playing the adorable tyke Adam Sandler bonds with in Big Daddy or the title characters in the Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, have pulled a full-on Jodie Foster.
That's right, the 22-year-old twins have accomplished the double whammy of escaping child stardom without a scandal (save for one nude photo) and earning a college degree. They walked across the stage on Wednesday as part of New York University's Class of 2015. Both graduated with honors, but in very different fields: Cole studied archaeology, while Dylan opted for video game design.
The guys left the spinoff of their show, The Suite Life on Deck, in 2011. Dylan explained in a YouTube video seen by Huffington Post (but later set to private) that the guys pitched the idea of deferring college admission for one year while producing one more season of their show to Disney. They didn't want other people to lose their jobs over their decision to continue their education. However, the network passed, and the Sprouses headed to college.
We've tried to do right, to fix some of the negative stereotypes of child stardom. We've had some bumps, but I'm so glad we went to Uni.
— Cole C. Sprouse (@colesprouse) May 20, 2015
"Historically, Disney Channel stars don't survive well outside of the Disney environment," Dylan said. "We decided that we should go and get a higher education [and also] give time for people to forget about us. If we left and returned four years later after we've grown, gained an education, looked physically different... it would only do good for us."
Related: Zendaya Graduates High School, Val Chmerkovskiy Attends the Ceremony
Dylan's name popped up in headlines once again in 2013 after he was seen working part-time at a restaurant near campus. He quickly shot down rumors that he had already blown through his money.
"I am financially secure, and took this job as a way to primarily feed my over bountiful video game addiction," he posted on Tumblr. "I also took this as a way to try a new experience, working somewhat below the means I'm used to, as well as a way to socialize and get out of the house. I feel most comfortable when I'm working and doing something, to criticize someone of that is pretty odd. I will potentially return to acting someday, but in no way do I think any experience is a step down for me, but rather a new step in another direction."
Pretty smart, huh?
