Sweet! An interview with "Napoleon Dynamite" star Jon Heder!


NOTE: My original Q&A with "Napoleon Dynamite" star Jon Heder appeared in The Oregonian’s ArtsWeek section on Sunday, July 4, 2004. We’re totally re-printing it here -- largely because, at present, the formatting of the official online version makes it tough to distinguish question from answer. So.





Jon Heder does such a good job playing the title character in "Napoleon Dynamite" that he may have just cursed himself.

The film -- written and directed by Heder's former Brigham Young University classmate, Jared Hess -- follows the misadventures of an odd, introverted high-school student in a small Idaho town.

No, not odd: Make that supremely odd.

Mr. Dynamite is a gawky lad with a bad perm who wears moon boots, draws imaginary animals and dances like a god -- when he isn't lashing out at people and avoiding eye contact. "[He's] that kid who sat next to you in math class and never said a word to you -- he just sat there drawing magical creatures," Heder explains. "We wanted to pay tribute to those kids."

Heder plays Napoleon as a hilariously passive-aggressive antihero -- it's the sort of vivid, quotable performance that kids mimic for months, maybe years, afterward. And Heder, a 26-year-old Salem, Ore. native and BYU computer-animation student, disappears so thoroughly into the part that he could be typecast for, well, forever.

The beautiful part is that he doesn't seem to mind -- even though he just moved to L.A. to try his hand at an acting career.

"I think about it sometimes," he says. "You know what? If [typecasting] has to happen, 'Napoleon''s a good movie. I feel good about the performance, and it's not a bad movie to go out on."

We talked to Heder about the movie's potential as a cult hit; his already rabid fan base; and how to dance to Jamiroquai without a net. An edited transcript follows. ("Napoleon Dynamite" opened in Portland July 2.)

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M.E. RUSSELL: I'm a huge fan of "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai -- the song Napoleon dances to in the film's climax.

JON HEDER: Sweet, dude -- as are we. [As we shot the dance sequence], we played a couple of Jamiroquai songs -- but we were pretty sure we'd never get the rights. But there's nothing better to dance to than Jamiroquai.

Q. I understand you did your own choreography for that.

A. Actually, I didn't really even choreograph it. I pondered it for a few seconds, but dude -- I don't know how to choreograph! I told [director] Jared Hess, "Dude, I do best when I'm in front of a mirror, and I'm going with the flow -- so just throw on the music and I'll dance to the love." I mean, my preparation was just dancing in college -- in front of the mirror. No training.

Q. There's an incredible '80s vibe to the movie. There's that Jamiroquai song, sure -- but there are also moon boots and a girl wearing a ponytail on the side of her head. There's just a sort of timelessness.

A. Jared wanted to create this setting that was like a time capsule. They have the Internet, they have Backstreet Boys -- but there's no one there to keep them in check about what's up-to-date and what's cool and what's not. That's why you see people wearing '70s and '80s clothes, and you see people wearing the Hammer pants and Uncle Rico wearing all the '70s stuff…. I literally think of Preston, Idaho as a big attic where you throw all your stuff -- and you just don't throw stuff away.

Q. "Napoleon Dynamite" reminded me, stylistically, of the films of Wes Anderson ["Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore," "The Royal Tennenbaums"].

A. I think he was an influence, but I don't think Jared was trying to be just like him -- and I don't think he is just like him…. The influence isn't necessarily so strong on plot as it is on characters. Jared said, "I don’t want to tell a strong story, but just kind of … give a movie -- with all these characters that we've all kind of grown up with -- and throw in these experiences that are true to me, and true to probably a lot of other people."

Q. You said in another interview that a couple of "Napoleon Dynamite" fans actually called you on your cel phone.

A. Gosh -- how does this word spread? There were these 15-year-old kids in Chicago, and they got a hold of my wife and were like, "Hey, we love the movie." So she gave them my cel-phone number. These kids are harmless -- so far, I haven't gotten any letter bombs or anything. I think they truly were huge fans.

Q. Well, you may be on the verge of getting a real cult of fandom for this role.

A. Hey -- even if this doesn't make it big, we'd still like to shoot for cult status. It's one of those kinds of films. And so far, it's turning out that way.

Q. Now, you have a twin brother, right? Did he do all your stunts -- like when a flying piece of meat knocks you off your bike?

A. My twin brother?! Whatever! I did it all myself!

Q. Did you get hurt?

A. Yeah, it hurt, but it wasn't serious. We're not talking about jumping off buildings -- I was getting hit with a piece of steak! It did rip off my glasses and give me a bruise. And the bike-jumping scene [where Napoleon does a rather pathetic wipe-out on a shallow ramp] didn't hurt.

Q. I'd love to run through a list of Napoleon's character traits. There's the lack of eye contact….

A. This kid is socially awkward and clueless. That's how he lives in his world -- he closes his eyes, says, "Dang it!" and escapes to his own world.

Q. He also seems like he's a very angry guy -- he has these explosive fits.

A. A lot of the inspiration came from my younger brothers. Socially awkward kids have families, so they have to express something -- but they don't know how to express it in a socially acceptable way. They express it like everybody's their older brother. You'll say, "Adam, what's wrong?" and they'll say, "Shut up, you idiot!" They think the world's against them, so they're always on defense, trying to protect themselves -- even when you pay those kids a compliment.

Q. I also noticed Napoleon rarely moves his arms when he walks.

A. He's physically awkward -- not very good at sports -- so I was trying to convey that he has no balance. He would be a terrible gladiator.

Q. You've moved to Hollywood -- and you're working in computer animation?

A. I moved to L.A. to pursue more acting, but I studied animation in college, and I'd love to continue to do it.

Q. The logical question, then, is: Will there ever be an animated "Napoleon Dynamite"? Is there more to do with the character?

A. Yeah, there's a lot to do. I don't know. We don't want to overkill. It's not up to me -- it's either Fox [Searchlight] or Jared; I think we're just gonna wait and see how the movie plays.

Q. What sort of parts are you getting handed to read right now by your agent?

A. A lot of the same kind of…. There's no real offers. Some of them are real good; some of them are real … exaggerated.

Q. But you don't look like the Napoleon Dynamite character -- they gave you a real tight perm for the movie. When people meet you, are they shocked at how little you're like Napoleon Dynamite?

A. Oh, yeah. Most people are like, "Oh, my gosh -- you don't look anything at all like him."

Q. For years, Tom Hanks had to endure people walking up to him on the street and doing Forrest Gump impressions. You've created a similarly vivid character in Napoleon. I know it's exciting right now -- but are you concerned that you're going to be haunted by this character?

A. Ultimately, I won't be really heartbroken if I don't get a lot of other really good stuff.

Q. You also made all the drawings that Napoleon does in the movie. And you've actually made a point in interviews of saying, "I draw much better than Napoleon does."

A. Well, I have to say it -- I'm in animation. People will think, "How does he get into animation if he's a horrible draw-er?"… Especially the picture of Pedro riding on a dragon -- it's just horrible. It's one of my favorites because, dude, nothing makes sense on this. He's got elbows coming out of his shoulders!

Posted: Mon - July 5, 2004 at 09:46 PM        

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