Wild About Movies: Jon Heder Interview Just Like Heaven

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Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder
Just Like Heaven official website
September 13, 2005

By Tim Nasson, Wild About Movies publisher

Not much has changed for twenty-eight year old Jon Heder since he shot to the tip of every movie lover’s tongue as Napoleon Dynamite - his film debut.

Though Napoleon Dynamite was a box office smash, ($45 million), considering it cost next to nothing to make, ($400,000 to film, $10 million to market), Heder is still not on Hollywood’s A-list, nor do most who know nothing about movies know who he is.

That may be about to change. Heder, who got his start in acting as a kid in a stage production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has four movies coming out within the next few months. The first, Just Like Heaven, in which he co-stars with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo.

This time he is not the lead, but still a weirdo – an employee, Darryl, at an occult bookstore. “I guess looking goofy can pay off,” laughed Heder, when I spoke to him last year before Napoleon Dynamite was released.

Heder, who has an identical twin brother, couldn’t have looked any nerdier, geekier or goofier in Napoleon Dynamite, what with that hairdo, those 70s clothes and that monotone voice. “That was my real hair, not a wig,” Heder revealed, proudly, of his do in Napoleon Dynamite. “I had a permanent but it was all my hair.” Jon Heder

Heder doesn’t go the perm route in Just Like Heaven but his look is not what one would call contemporary, jockish or preppy. “I would say a cross between grungy and retro,” giggles Heder, when asked the best way to describe his on screen looks.

In person, Heder, who is happily married, is far from a nerd, rather sharply dressed: in a suit, button up shirt, no tie and hair styled somewhat conservatively, compared to his on screen hair. Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite

Coming up for Heder, after Just Like Heaven, more roles that accentuate his goofiness. In The Benchwarmers, Heder is among a trio of guys who try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads. He lends his voice to Sony’s upcoming animated film Monster House. And in School for Scoundrels Heder plays a young guy short on luck who enrolls in a class to build confidence to help win over the girl of his dreams. But it gets complicated when his teacher has the same agenda.

“All that matters is that my life is not complicated,” says Heder. “It’s quite simple, actually. I hope it stays that way.”

2008 Movies_2009 Movies

In The Spotlight!

"2008 Movies" & "2009 Movies" & "2010 Movies"
TODAY: Movie Poster & Website Premieres
Step Up 3 in 3D
By Tim Nasson
Publisher, Wild About Movies

Wild About Movies provides you with the most comprehensive movie posters, movie trailers, movie synopses, Behind The Scenes of movies, and celebrity interviews, and current, updated movie release date information - than any other movie website. At WAM you are able to peruse the movie trailers, movie posters and movie synopses of more than 500 movies not yet in theaters (and thousands of movies formerly in movie theaters and currently on DVD, including all "2009 DVDS" and "2009 BluRays"). The latest additions to the Wild About Movies database: The (delayed) Rob Marshall movie "Nine," The movie "Kick Ass" and two Paul Bettany movies "Creation" and "Legion." The - now - non Avatar entitled movie "The Last Airbender" and Dwayne Johnson in and as "The Tooth Fairy." Aging actors Mel Gibson in "Edge Of Darkness" and Sylvester Stallone in front of and behind the camera in "The Expendables" and "Rambo 5." Also "Lovely Still" - featuring Martin Landau & Ellen Burstyn. Matt Damon in the Paul Greengrass movie "Green Zone." Jake Gyllenhaal as "Prince of Persia" and Rose McGowan as "Red Sonja 2010." And Seth Rogen is "The Green Hornet." "Witchblade 2010," as well as sequels: "Nanny McPhee 2" and "Narnia 3" and everything from Daniel Radcliffe (naked at WAM and fully clothed) in "Harry Potter 7: Part 1," to the Disney 3D films "Cars 2" and "Toy Story 3." Michael Douglas in "Wall Street 2." And the requisites, "Cloverfield 2" and "Iron Man 2." Need more movies? The big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" - finally - with a release date in November 2009. Also, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's two year delayed next collaboration, "Shutter Island." In addition, the big screen comedy "Leap Year" and the non comedy "The Escapist," and Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" and "The Hobbit Movies." And Kenneth Branagh's "Thor." Also "The Smurfs Movie" and the big screen version of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and Ben Stiller's "Chicago 7." And a slew of animated and non animated Walt Disney and non Disney movies, many in 3D: including "The Smurfs" and "Fraggle Rock: The Movie" and "The King of the Elves" and "Rapunzel," "The Bear and the Bow;" "Newt," "The Princess And The Frog." And also "How To Train Your Dragon." How about Heath Ledger's final movie, "Dr. Parnassus." The four Jonas Brothers in the big screen adaptation of "Walter The Farting Dog" and Also: Zac Efron naked but not in "Me And Orson Welles." Also, Chace Crawford in "Footloose 2010." Benicio Del Toro as "The Wolfman." And James ("Titanic") Cameron's "Avatar;" and Robert Downey Jr. as "Sherlock Holmes." In addition, the sequel to "Twilight," and "New Moon," "Eclipse" and all starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. And, "Captain America." Also, check out all of the "2008 Movies" that were released in movie theaters. We also bring you "2010 Oscars" pre-coverage - and the movie trailers and movie posters of all "2009 Movies" & "2010 Movies" in theaters, including today's IN THE SPOTLIGHT - "Step Up 3"... (continue)