Terry Morrow: Jon Heder returns to 'Napoleon Dynamite' roots

Jon Heder says he can still identify with the character that made him famous. He's bringing "Napoleon Dynamite" back as an animated series Sunday on Fox.

PASADENA, Calif. — Eight years later, Jon Heder's connection to nerdy farm boy Napoleon Dynamite goes beyond loving tater tots and exclaiming "gosh!" in a breathy tone.

"I'm a lot like him," Heder says, sitting on a couch while talking about the new animated version of "Napoleon Dynamite," debuting Sunday on Fox. "We definitely share a lot of similar characteristics. We both love a lot of the same things."

And the character has never really left him in the eyes of many fans.

Heder, 34, doesn't mind that either. Reviving "Napoleon Dynamite" eight years after the feature film played in theaters and made him a star, Heder is back, producing the weekly series and providing the title character's voice.

The series picks up around the time the movie ended. For Napoleon, time has stopped. He still lives with his grandmother and bothersome brother Kip. His best friend is Pedro, and Deb is a girl who interests him.

Still, life has moved on for Heder.

Since "Napoleon Dynamite," Heder and his wife have had two children. He went on to star in other movies, such as "The Benchwarmers," "School for Scoundrels," "Blades of Glory" and "Mama's Boy."

Heder remains active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is into Scouting. Before he was famous, he served as an LDS missionary in Japan.

"Napoleon," though, has never really abandoned him.

"Geeky things are cool. I like collecting. I think ninjas are cool, and dinosaurs are rad," he says. "I want to learn skills. I want to learn how to throw nunchucks around."

Heder has changed physically in the past eight years. His blond hair is curlier and longer. He's filled out more and sometimes he doesn't sound like Napoleon at all.

If he picks up a call from a number he doesn't recognize, he'll disguise his voice until he knows who's there. Though he does not have that same draggy, almost sleepy tone in his voice as Napoleon, he still has many distinctive vocal mannerisms as the character.

"I don't think he could carry on this conversation," says Heder. "He'd want to get this over with (and say), 'Let's get this over with.' "

The cartoon version of "Napoleon" also can substitute as a sequel that will never come to the live-action feature film. For years, Heder thought he might make one. Fox wanted it.

However, Heder says he "got a sense" that Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, who directed and wrote the movie, weren't interested in doing more. "It was a one-time story," Heder says.

After so much time has passed, a sequel was less and less desirable to do.

"It can be sad when sometimes actors go back (to popular roles) years later, and they look differently," he says. "I think we're a little past (that point now). I mean, I think we all look pretty much the same, but it would be kind of sad going back to (a live action) movie now."

A cartoon version of "Napoleon" — which has the original main cast aboard — seemed like the best way to service fans panting for more "Napoleon."

The main difference between Heder and his alter-ego?

"I'm a little happier than he is. He's kind of clueless and thinks the world is against him," he says. "I'd like to think I am a little bit more clued in."

© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2012 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.