What Happened To The Actor Who Played Michael Moscovitz In The Princess Diaries?

Anne Hathaway shot to stardom in the 2001 Disney comedy "The Princess Diaries," in which she portrayed Mia Thermopolis, a socially awkward teen who finds out she's the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Genovia. In this blockbuster movie, Mia's main love interest is Michael Moscovitz, her best friend's older brother, whose hobbies include playing in a band and fixing cars. The second installment gave Mia a different romantic pairing, though, and the character of Michael, portrayed by one Robert Coppola Schwartzman, was never to be seen again. Who exactly is Robert? What has he been up to since? And will he be in "The Princess Diaries 3," which is apparently in the works and is said to be released in 2026?

Also known as Robert Carmine (a name that honors his famous grandfather, composer Carmine Coppola), this American actor, filmmaker, and musician is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, as well as the cousin of Sofia Coppola — one of Francis' three kids — and Nicolas Cage. Indeed, the entire Francis Ford Coppola nepo baby network includes brilliant directors, producers, actors, DJs, and artists. As for Robert, he was born on December 24, 1982 to actress Talia Shire ­­— Francis' sister who is best known for portraying Adrian Balboa in the "Rocky" franchise ­­— and entertainment attorney Jack Schwartzman, the producer of the James Bond film "Never Say Never Again." All of Robert's siblings have made careers in the industry: Jason Schwartzman appeared in several Wes Anderson films; Stephanie Schwartzman worked behind the scenes on "Edward Scissorhands" and "The Birdcage;" and John Schwartzman is best known for his cinematography work on "Jurassic World," "The Amazing Spider-Man," "The Rock," and "Seabiscuit."

Although Robert's breakthrough role was in "The Princess Diaries," he was first cast as Paul Baldino in Sofia Coppola's debut film "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999. According to Variety, the reason he didn't reprise his role in "The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement" was because he was touring with his real-life band at the time (much like the explanation given for the character's disappearance). Today, this lesser-known Coppola clan member has amassed over 65,000 followers on Instagram and more than 33,000 followers on X. So, for those wondering what the "Princess Diaries" cast is up to today, here's a rundown on Robert's main career achievements and personal life.

Like his "Princess Diaries" character, Robert Schwartzman's main passion is his band. The singer-actor credits his family for nurturing his love of music, especially his illustrious composer grandpa, his mom Talia Shire, and his brother Jason Schwartzman's band, Phantom Planet. He told The Gazette in 2018 that Shire "always had classical music playing in the house" and that his brothers exposed him to The Beach Boys, Electric Light Orchestra, and Queen while growing up. "Being a '90s kid, I loved Blur," he added, "but I also loved the oldies but goodies station."

Inspired since childhood, Schwartzman formed a pop-rock band in 1999: Rooney, named after Ed Rooney, the high-school principal portrayed by Jeffrey Jones in the 1980's classic movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." As of 2025, the band's member lineup consists of Schwartzman on vocals and guitar, Boaz Roberts on lead guitar, Sean Sobash on bass, Matthew Jordan on keyboards, and Maxwell Flanders on drums.

The band has released several EPs and albums with songs all written and composed by Schwartzman: "Mastedonia" in 2002, "Rooney" in 2003, "Calling the World" in 2007, "Wild One" and "Eureka" in 2010, "Washed Away" in 2016, as well as "El Cortez" in 2017. They've performed solo and with other bands at numerous venues across the United States, from Albuquerque to Salt Lake City and Detroit. At the time of publishing, Rooney's three most played songs on Spotify are "When Did Your Heart Go Missing," "I'm Shakin'," and "Blueside."

Whether on his own or with Rooney, Robert Schwartzman has collaborated on various musical projects. For one, he co-wrote Ben Lee's "Sex Without Love" (2007), Demi Lovato's "Party" (from her 2008 debut album, "Don't Forget"), and We the Kings' "Friday is Forever" (2011). In 2008, he produced songs and played the keyboards, bass, and drums for the Japanese dance-pop group Clique Girlz, from "Then I Woke Up" to "The Difference In Me." You might also remember him performing "Letting You Down" with the Jonas Brothers during their 2008 "Burnin' Up Tour." Rooney also composed the theme song for the CGI-animated series "Iron Man: Armored Adventures," which aired on the Nicktoons Network in 2009.

In 2018, when asked about the difference between working in the music and movie industries, Schwartzman told Coup de Main, "Movies take more time and there's more people involved, and movies are challenging because there's more money needed ... With music, I put a lot of pressure on myself personally when I make these projects because I just want them to be the best they can be, and I spend a lot of time tweaking and trying to make it good ... I want people to like it, and I don't want to put anything out if I don't feel 110% about it."

On October 25, 2011, Robert Schwartzman took a step back from his band to release his first solo effort, "Double Capricorn." Entirely produced, written, and recorded by him at his Los Angeles studio, the album is about 36 minutes long and features 10 tracks, including "Out of My Mind," "Just a Dream Away," "Love Is All Around," and "Second Chances." The latter's music video starred his brother, Jason Schwartzman, and mother, Talia Shire. Brian Bell, Weezer's rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist, also made a notable appearance. The musician expressed his enthusiasm for this enriching solo experience, telling Highlight, "It feels liberating to step outside my band and try something new. I'm inspired and excited by so many styles of music; I've always felt limited by sticking to one sound."

This wasn't just any artistic venture, though. All proceeds from the album were donated to the Tibetan Healing Fund, a non-profit organization that provides healthcare and education to Tibetan women and children. It turned out Schwartzman was profoundly inspired by one of his family's stay-in guests, a Tibetan Buddhist Monk and doctor of Tibetan medicine. "I used mostly drum machines and programmed beats; a mix of inorganic sounds mixed with organic sounds ... a blend of quantized parts with human performed parts," he told Highlight. "I feel this album has a lot of sides and shows a lot of my musical interests."

Musical projects aside, Robert Schwartzman has remained quite active in the film industry, where so many of his family members shine and where he's received multiple accolades over the years. To begin with, he wrote, produced, and directed "Dreamland" in 2016, which featured an appearance by Talia Shire and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film won him best director of first feature at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. He also directed "The Unicorn" in 2018, starring Lucy Hale. That one was nominated in the Narrative Feature category at the South by Southwest Film & TV Awards, and it even nabbed the best of fest prize at the Hill Country Film Festival.

Schwartzman then made two indie dramedies: "The Argument," featuring Dan Fogler and Emma Bell, in 2020 and "The Good Half," which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and included big names like Nick Jonas, Brittany Snow, and David Arquette. In 2024, he also co-produced his cousin Gia Coppola's "The Last Showgirl," which starred Pamela Anderson, Brenda Song, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista. The film won several awards, including best indie feature at the Astra Film Awards.

"With each movie I've made, I learned something, whether I am aware of it or not. Maybe it's a better sense of the rhythm of storytelling," Robert told Icon vs. Icon in 2024, stressing on the importance of casting. One thing is for certain: He's always on the lookout for the next movie to work on, regardless of its genre.

Business has been good for Robert Schwartzman, but that doesn't mean he's been neglecting his personal life. In fact, he's quite the family man, having been married to Zoey Grossman since September 9, 2017. Grossman is a photographer and an animal activist, and her work has spanned several major brands such as Nike, Reebok, Swarovski, Sephora, Dior, Marc Jacobs, and YSL. She's no stranger to the film industry either, having played an assistant in Schwartzman's "Dreamland" and directed the short "BB Dakota: The Escape." In 2021, on their fourth anniversary, Schwartzman posted one of their candid wedding photos on Instagram and captioned it with, "We met in elementary school, in first grade. I took her back there and proposed where we took our yearbook photos. I married my best friend; I couldn't ask for anything more. It gets better every moment."

Together, Schwartzman and Grossman are busy juggling their eclectic careers and raising two sons, Lennox and Nino. In an Instagram post from February 14, 2022, Grossman recalled that she felt overwhelmed when she found out she was carrying twins during the COVID pandemic, but she expressed her gratitude for having her husband's unwavering support and love every step of the way. She concluded the post by addressing their babies with, "Thank you for giving me a purpose I never knew I had and for showing me a capacity for love that is greater than an infinite [number] of sparkling stars in the universe."

Apparently, Robert Schwartzman enjoys making indie movies just as much as distributing them. And so, in 2018, having honed his business skills and secured the support of the Coppola clan (as always), he launched Utopia with his business partner Cole Harper in Los Angeles. This agency is responsible for the release of the films "Mickey and the Bear" (2019), "Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets" (2020), "Vortex" (2021), "Sharp Stick" (2022), and "I Used to Be Funny" (2023).

Aiming to provide seamless and direct channels for filmmakers seeking more control over who sees their projects, the dedicated duo has also founded the tech platforms PowerFlix and Altavod. "Altavod was created to give filmmakers better opportunities for self-distribution," said Schwartzman to Deadline in 2020. "With Altavod, filmmakers have full control over rental and purchase pricing, release dates, location availability, and creative marketing aspects." For its part, PowerFlix helps with trailers, theatrical bookings, and consultation meetings with distribution professionals.

Helping other filmmakers navigate the intricacies of the distribution process has been a real joy for Schwartzman. "I just really love doing it," he told Cryptic Rock in 2024. "Now I'm getting to work on movies through distribution as well. My life has kind of been a web of all these experiences that all lead back to the creative process, entrepreneurial thinking, and being independent with how I make things ... I find the problem-solving aspect of making things to be equally as fulfilling."

Between creating music, performing on stage, overseeing his companies' operations, as well as directing, writing, and producing indie films, Robert Schwartzman hasn't been actively seeking major acting roles. Still, he has played a few minor movie and TV characters since "The Princess Diaries," including uncredited appearances and short films. For instance, he performed with Rooney in Season 1, Episode 15 of "The O.C." He was then cast as Ben in the 2017 comedy film "It Happened in L.A." with Michelle Morgan, who both directed and starred in the film. You might also recognize him as Darron in the 2019 drama film "Lost Transmissions," opposite Juno Temple, Simon Pegg, and Alexandra Daddario. In 2023, he also appeared in the comedy "Not an Artist." To date, this was Robert's last acting role.

What's more, Julie Andrews has made it clear what she thinks of another "Princess Diaries" sequel, but will Robert be returning as Michael Moscovitz in the third installment? Well, in the novels written by Meg Cabot that inspired the franchise, Mia and Michael actually get married. Schwartzman, for one, wouldn't mind portraying that romantic lead again — something that would certainly enthrall the "Team Michael" fanbase. "People have asked me, like, 'Would you do another one, if they brought it back? Or [if] they brought that story back?' Of course, if the producers and the studio felt that that story is going to live on with the same actors," he told Variety in 2022. "How cool is it to just be able to have been a part of a movie that really had an impact and still is out in the world?" At the time of writing, any further information regarding his involvement in the third installment is merely speculation.

As a multitalented artist and entrepreneur, Robert Schwartzman has found himself pulling the creative, strategic, and financial strings of several feature films, be they documentaries or fictional works. He directed and co-produced "Hung Up on a Dream," a musical documentary centering on the iconic 1960s British band The Zombies. The band was known for its unique blend of psychedelic rock, jazz, and baroque pop. Schwartzman's film, which honored these influential artists like no other, won the Audience Award in the best documentary feature categories at the Nantucket Film Festival and Borrego Springs Film Festival. Together with Rooney, the musician-filmmaker even joined The Zombies' lead singer, Colin Blunstone, for a few unplugged performances on stage following the film's first screenings.

Schwartzman then served as executive producer for Tyler Measom's "Takin' Care of Business," which followed Canadian rocker Randy Bachman on his quest to find long-lost meaningful items, such as his 1957 Gretsch guitar. Schwartzman then executive-produced "Linda Perry: Let It Die Here," which chronicled the personal and professional life of the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of 4 Non Blondes. Finally, in 2025, he took on the role of executive producer for the project "I Live Here Now," a horror-thriller film written and directed by Julie Pacino. This release scored a nomination for the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.

Robert Schwartzman honored his famous uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, twice in 2025. On April 26, he attended the 50^th Annual AFI Life Achievement Award at the in Los Angeles to honor the filmmaker's prestigious career. Then, on September 21, he led a Q&A at the Landmark Theatres Sunset in the same city, following the screening of "Megadoc," a behind-the-scenes documentary about Coppola's 2024 film "Megalopolis." Running at 2 hours 18 minutes, "Megalopolis" is a $120-million science fiction drama that is set in an alternate U.S. inspired by the Roman Republic. It features a large ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, and, unsurprisingly, Coppola's sister Talia Shire. 

Schwartzman has been involved in several of the Coppola family's projects over the years, and in the case of "Megadoc," it was his Utopia company that ensured its distribution across North America. While Nicolas Cage changed his name to make his own mark, Schwartzman chose to embrace the Coppola legacy instead. And despite not landing lead acting roles in recent years, Schwartzman has made a name for himself as a seasoned singer, musician, composer, producer, director, and film distributor. So, you'd do well to keep tabs on what creative or business endeavor he'll be presenting next — so long as you don't confuse him with the other Robert Schwartzman, a European race car driver.