NAPOLEON DYNAMITE STAR REPRISES ROLE IN NEW VIDEO 20 YEARS LATER

Napoleon Dynamite is endeared to an entire generation of audiences who came of age in the early 2000s. Jon Heder wants fans to know Napoleon is now even more awesome by showing off his new "upgrades."

Jared Hess' Napoleon Dynamite was a surprise hit at the global box office, earning almost $45 million (against a $400,000 budget) within a year of release. The 2004 film remains a cult favorite because of its eclectic ensemble of characters, especially its titular character Napoleon (played by Jon Heder). The film ended on a promising note with Napoleon on good terms with Deb but it also begged for a sequel that never happened. Heder has since cameoed in character in talk shows and product commercials, but fans never really knew what happened to after the film's end credits. A short sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live finally showed an older Napoleon, who is now physically jacked.

Heder reprised his role alongside his "recast" friend Pedro (originally played by Efren Ramirez). The comedy skit showed a grown-up Pedro played by Guillermo, whose dry and nonchalant demeanor perfectly casts him in character. The scene confirms Pedro hasn't lost his touch and is running for re-election at their 20th high school reunion. Napoleon has moved up as well, flaunting his bulky physique after clocking five million pushups. He still loves Tater tots so much that he installed bullet-proof pockets on his pants as protection from prying hands. The skit even recreated the film's "give me some of your tots" scene of Napoleon's tots being boot-squashed.

Jon Heder Confirms His 'Tater Tots' Scene Is A Fan-Favorite

Heder said fans still reference that tots scene whenever they recognize him in public. "The tots line is actually the one that gets yelled to me the most," he told People. "Which I will accept." He also revealed his own kids are "very aware of the craze" the film started. "My daughter actually enjoys it. She's 7. She's like, 'Oh, can we watch clips from the movie?'" he added. "[My son] understands it for the fame aspect. I don't know if he cares that much about the movie. But he loves to tell people who I am."

Heder recently speculated on what a Napoleon Dynamite sequel would look like, hinting at his failed relationships with Trisha (played by Emily Kennard) and Deb (Tina Majorino). "I think it's not looking very good for most of them," he said. "Napoleon is probably paying child support to two different moms, with two different kids ... maybe Trisha was a fling. Like, 'Let's give it a go ... no, I was right the first time… It didn't work out with Deb." Heder previously detailed his pitch for the sequel but warned fans the story would be dark compared to the original.

Napoleon Dynamite is streaming on Hulu.

Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live via YouTube

2024-07-01T06:03:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd