It's been over a decade since Jon Heder led the campaign to 'vote for Pedro', but the 'Napoleon Dynamite' star still carries a little part of the character.
“I like to think I'm pretty normal... yet there's a little part of me that sounds like Napoleon and other goofy characters I play. It's just naturally who I am... Some days people think 'well now you're doing a character', and I'm like 'no, that's just me'.
“I'm shooting this film right now and some of the cast members, all they do is ask me to quote it ['Napoleon Dynamite']. Quote it all. Day. Long,” he says.
The independent film, 'Ghost Team', is being shot in Long Island. “It's a horror comedy... in the vein of 'Ghostbusters', but on a smaller scale. I play this guy who assembles a team of essentially loser-types who want to go find ghosts. They go up to this abandoned farm and they have an adventure.”
Nothing like 'Ghost Team One' apparently... “'Ghost Team One'? A horny, asian spirit? Wait, this is a film? What?! Wow,” he laughs. “It sounds like a Navy Seal squad or something.”
When it comes to the doughy – a word he had never heard before, but wants to start using (you're welcome) – duffers he frequently plays, he enjoys delving into the layers of their simple personas. “There's always different kinds of idiots and goofballs and weirdos. There are so many different levels that you can explore and have fun with. I never feel like it's completely repeating ideas... There's something about the characters I play that I really enjoy, because I relate to a lot of them.
“I do enjoy doing serious roles and trying to discover more... There's something very endearing about it. I don't take myself that seriously and that's why it's hard to do drama sometimes. It's not a lack of self-esteem, it's just hard for me to take myself seriously... It's definitely acting when I do the serious stuff, but I enjoy both.”
Twins Jon and Dan HederBut sometimes audiences can have a hard time taking a comedic actor (like Steve Carell) seriously – when they've known them a certainly way for so long – Jon says he knows how much harder it is, and he respects them for it. “Someone like Will Farrell – who's done dramatic work, but not that dramatic – even just looking at him makes me laugh. But if he chose a role or a project that's serious, then I would feel inclined to take him seriously because I know HE's taking it seriously.”
Though Jon enjoys taking on dramatic roles, when it comes to the dark-side (ex. The Joker), he's out. “There's a little creepy inside of me. I think it would be very interested to figure out how to totally dive into a character like that. But I'll admit there's a certain amount of restraint that I think I would, not necessarily exercise, but that I have.
“A lot of times those actors, they're hardcore. They're not happy. They either wind up – it's horrible to say, but – dead, or unhappy. I have a family and I'm very happy and I want to do interesting projects and hopefully I'll find projects that will be a challenge me, but that I will also be able to go home at night and return to myself and not feel like I've changed.”
Donning a costume is second nature to Jon, and when it comes to dressing up for Halloween, he can get pretty creative. “One year I couldn't find anything so I just put on my outfit from 'Blades Of Glory'... I did my hair up and my makeup and called myself Starlight Express, a character from the 'Starlight Express' musical, 'cause it glowed and lit up and everything. It was cool, but I didn't wanna copy myself.”
But when it comes to Comicon or Supanova, he's never tried sneaking in unnoticed in a costume – purely because he can't find the right one. “I've always wanted to put on some kind of lucha libre mask or something, I just need to find the right mask that doesn't stop my breathing.”
Jon touches down in the land of Oz for Supanova in November. “I've been to Australia before but I haven't been to the places I'm going for Supanova this year; Brisbane and Adelaide... There's always pretty sweet [yes, he said it like Napoleon] people there... Last year I met Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister in 'Game Of Thrones' – that was pretty rad [said like Chicken Joe].”
And he won't be disappointed in the line-up, it's way better than macaroni, 20 eyes-closed strike outs, 5 broken windshields, and 6 dead birds. Supanova's freakin' awesome guest list includes: Nick Frost ('Shaun Of The Dead', 'Hot Fuzz'), Matthew Lewis ('Harry Potter'), Peter Mayhew ('Star Wars'), Barbara Eden ('I Dream Of Jeannie') and Bob Layton (writer/ artist of 'Iron Man', 'X-Factor', 'Hercules: Prince Of Power') plus characters from 'Get Smart', 'Arrow', 'Stargate', 'Dragon Ball Z' and more.
Looking to the future, Jon hopes to get behind the camera more, in terms of writing and directing. “I'm always trying to get a couple of projects off the ground. I'd love to write [feature film scripts]... There are a couple of little projects I've helped. It's slow-going, with balancing trying to find jobs in acting. I'd like to find more that I can act but also lift off the ground and get going and be a part of creatively.”
Supanova will be held at Adelaide Showground 21 & 22 November and Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 27-29 November.
