Catching up with 'Napoleon Dynamite' actor Efren Ramirez, who played Pedro, before Saturday AMT show [Q&A] (2024)

Two decades ago, a loveable nerd by the name of Napoleon Dynamite danced his way into the hearts of moviegoers.

Every now and again it's normal to see someone wearing a "Vote for Pedro" shirt. And anyone over the age of 30 likely fights the urge to quote the movie when enjoying tater tots.

"Napoleon Dynamite" is a coming-of-age, cult classic movie with a lasting legacy. That's why, 20 years after the movie released, that some of the actors involved— Jon Heder (Napoleon) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) — are embarking on a small tour in celebration.

The "Napoleon Dynamite Live! 20th Anniversary Celebration" will visit American Music Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, featuring Heder and Ramirez. Gries will not be part of Lancaster's show. Tickets range in cost from $39-$59.

We caught up with Ramirez, whose role as Pedro in "Napoleon Dynamite" changed his life and career.

Here's what Ramirez said, in his own words.

(Editor's note: This story has been edited for clarity and length.)

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It has been two decades since ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ was released, and it released in this golden era of somewhat absurdist, coming-of-age movies. Why do you think ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ is still popular?

Efren: I think it’s because at some point in our lives, we feel like the big nerds ourselves. … Whether you’re a character from “Napoleon Dynamite,” or in real life, we’re just trying to figure life out. As different as we all are, we’re also almost the same. Life can be very complicated, but it gets easier when you have friends. When I read the script of “Napoleon Dynamite,” it reminded me of “Midnight Cowboy.” … They’re two different types of guys. … They realize how they’re alike. They’re estranged from society, and they’re just trying to figure life out. One of the most important things they realize is that friendship is about doing something for another person, and they do just that. With ‘Napoleon,’ instead of him thinking about himself, he’s thinking about others. He’s thinking about his friends’ predicament. He does something for him. Because of that, something great happens, not only for Pedro, but for everybody else.

Looking at your filmography, you’ve taken on a lot of different roles since being Pedro in ‘Napoleon Dynamite.’

After ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ hit at the Sundance Film Festival, I met so many wonderful people and wonderful artists. From Sir Anthony Hopkins to Jeff Bridges to Benicio del Toro, they all gave me great advice about character development and trusting the work that we do, and knowing its responsibilities. I honor Jon Gries, who plays Uncle Rico. He’s such a wonderful character actor. He really helped me a lot with developing and understanding and trusting the art of acting. … When you’re working on an independent film, all you have is each other.

Do you think that ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ could still be released today and reach the same level of notoriety?

There are some films that are timeless. We can watch, for example, ‘Gone With the Wind’ and be like, ‘Yeah.’ Many decades later, you'll think about ‘Oppenheimer.' … With ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ it sort of is a coming-of-age story about a guy who— as creative as Napoleon, hence as creative as Jon Heder is — what do you do with these talents? What do we do with your own perception of the world, and how can you give back? … From high school students, to college graduates, to college students, to even junior high, we all relate to it because we deal with the pressures of school. Sometimes we like (school), sometimes we don’t. We gotta deal with all types of people. As frustrating as it can be, you gotta keep on trucking and do your work.

Are there any quotes from the movie you still say?

My favorite character from the movie is Kipp, because has some of the funniest lines, like, ‘Your mom goes to college’ … He owns what he’s doing, and he’s so assertive in his actions and how he speaks. He has infinite confidence in himself for being such a little guy.

Tell me a little bit about the tour. The concept of it seems crazy, in a good way, with part audience interaction, part Q&A, part game show.

It started as a Q&A. We would have a moderator, and usually it was Jon Heder, Jon Gries and I on stage. … We’re entertainers, we felt that being stationary, sitting down on the couch and looking at the audience who are dressed as the characters ... we’re thinking, we need to take this further. Someone’s dressed as a llama. First, we got rid of the moderator, and then it became a musical act, with Jon Gries and me, and Jon Heder coming in dancing. … Now we sing, and play musical instruments. … And then I built a time machine, and added lasers, and I’m bringing in the flux capacitor in lieu of a time machine. … And then we have a trivia, where we pull two people out of the crowd and start to ask them questions and give them prizes. And then we re-enact some of the scenes, and then we have kind of a Q&A to explain the history. … There’s so much that we can only fit into an hour.

Why do you think that readers of this article should come out to see the show?

Because then, all of their wildest dreams will come true. It truly is entertainment, it’s entertaining. We’re entertained by how we interact with each other. Human behavior is really just that – how we deal with each other, and with ourselves. Life is hard, but it’s not impossible. Life can be funny sometimes. … When you watch a (movie) like ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ you go, oh wait, I’m not the only one that’s going through this. … People come up to me, and Jon, and Jon, and they tell us how ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ has saved them, ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ made them feel like they’re not alone, that we’re not perfect, that we’re quirky, that we’re odd and sometimes we have good days, and sometimes we have bad days, and it’s OK.