I had a chance to very briefly interview Napoleon Dynamite himself, Jon Heder (Benchwarmers, Surfs Up, Blades of Glory), the fantastic writer/director Jared Hess (Nacho Libre, Gentleman Broncos) and the brilliant Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carrey Show,Office Space,
Batman: The Brave and the Bold), about the 10th anniversary of the Napoleon Dynamite and the lasting impact that the film has had.
Jon Heder was definitely the man of the hour during the event; the whole celebration revolved around the reveal of a life sized statue in his own image. There was rarely a moment he didn’t have a giant smile plastered on his face. Jon Heder was happy to be there, and incredibly proud to be such a big part of what was being celebrated. I politely asked him for an interview while he was taking pictures with fans; the interview was very short, as his time was in high demand, but he thankfully obliged my request and answered my questions.
ARB: How does it feel to put out a movie that’s still so fresh and so well loved after 10 years?
Jon Heder: It feels good! It feels like your part of something big and you’re glad it hasn’t faded off into obscurity. I mean I guess anybody hopes for, especially something popular, like was it 15 minutes of fame or was it just the ‘it’ thing of the moment? But to have people still quote it…it sticks with them. To have people still quote it, and like, it sticks with them…I still hear people saying, “Every year our family watches this film”, so it’s great!”
ARB: It’s one of the most quotable films of all time, in my opinion. What’s your favorite quote from the movie, and are there any specific quotes you’re sick of hearing?
Jon Heder: I don’t know if I’m sick of any quotes, I think the biggest surprise…honestly the most quoted line, or at least the fan’s favorite line…you’ll never guess, but fans know will know is “Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner.”
ARB: That’s definitely my favorite!
Jon Heder: Everybody loved it! When we made the movie we thought dude if this gets big this is one of those movies that every line is great… like “Gosh, Lucky, and Sweet, you know? Those kinds of lines, but who would have thought that something so specific as “Fat llama, come get some ham?”
Thanks Jon! Be sure to read the other great interviews and my complete write-up of the 10th Anniversary Napoleon Dynamite event here only on FanboyNation!
ARB meets Napoleon Dynamite himself, Jon Heder!
Jon Heder seems like a great dude! He was also very amazing on the Aquabats Super Show!
Very cool!!!!