Jon Heder was only paid $1,000 to play Napoleon Dynamite!
The movie grossed $40,000,000 in the U.S. alone. It was a huge success, especially so because the entire movie was made on a shoestring. For example, the whole film was shot in just 22 days, and was edited by producer Jeremy Croon in his apartment using a his personal Mac with Final Cut Pro. Here’s some other fun facts about the movie:
- Heder permed his hair for the film
- Tina Majorino, who played Deb, helped choreograph the famous dance scene.
- Heder drew all the drawings in the film except for the unicorn.
- Every plate of food shown at the beginning of the film is eaten by a character throughout the movie.
- Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez, who play the leads, both have an identical twin in real life.
- Has one of the longest cast credits in movie history: Every single extra was credited at the end
