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‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ star unrecognizable decades after viral meme
Tom W.
The star of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has shared a new picture of himself decades after he went viral, and the transformation is remarkable.
It’s a good few years since Robert Capron became well-known on the internet, and nowadays you would hardly believe it was the same person.
Robert Capron starred in Diary of a Wimpy Kid as a child
Capron has now turned 28 and has been sharing pictures of himself as an adult on his social media.
That has quickly been picked up by those who remember him most fondly for his role as Rowley Jefferson in the kids' comedy franchise.
Now, he’s all grown up, an adult, and is totally unrecognizable from his character that went viral all those years ago.
On X, Pop Crave shared the side-by-side of the actor now and then, and in the comments fans were quick to express their shock.
“The glow up is serious,” one wrote.
“Oh, he’s so adorable,” said another.
“Bro didn’t have to grow up,” opined a third.
Of course, the truth is that the actor did - in actual fact - have to grow up, and most people look quite different to how they looked as a child when they do that.
Capron played Rowley in several movies within the Wimpy Kid universe between 2010 and 2017, but his most famous moment came in 2011’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
The clip, called ‘Rowley Waves and Looks Down’ sees Rowley’s pal Greg Heffley - played by Zachary Gordon - walking into the church with a pink shawl covering chocolate stains on his trousers.
Then, Rowley waves before regarding the shawl with a curious face.
It quickly became a meme.
Why, who knows?
Does it matter?
These things often happen without any great specific reason.
The memes overtook the films
Capron has previously spoken about his viral fame, claiming that he enjoys the meme recognition almost as much as the films themselves.
Why not, eh?
After all, not everyone has seen the films, but the memes have reached a huge audience.
In an interview in 2024, Capron said: “From the bottom of my heart, my favorite part now, truly,
"As somebody who went to high school and sent around some goofy GIFs and all of that, it is so delightful to me that I am now being sent around as a reaction GIF, presumably in a lot of different high schools.”
In that same interview, he added: “People talk about winning an Oscar and different things.
“I think like the goofball teenager in me is very proud to be a part of the meme pantheon that way, it’s very weird but I’m thankful for it. It’s kind of wild.”
There you have it - film stardom is all well and good, but memes and viral fame last forever.