'Napoleon Dynamite' Actor Efren Ramirez Looks Back on an Iconic Role

A little over 20 years ago, Efren Ramirez was a young actor getting his career off the ground when a strange role came across his desk: Pedro, a shy Mexican teenager befriended by an awkward outcast named Napoleon Dynamite. The ensuing performance, and the movie, would become the stuff of legend: As the title character of Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder gives an eccentric performance for the ages, but Ramirez holds his own at the opposite end of the equation: Pedro is quiet, patient, and lacking in self-confidence...until Napoleon talks him into running for class president, leading to a rousing coming-of-age story for both characters.

The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess, Napoleon Dynamite is screening at the Playhouse this week ahead of A Minecraft Movie, which Hess directed as well. In the video below, Ramirez talks to the Playhouse artistic director Eric Kohn about what it was like to receive the role of Pedro and how the opportunity has changed for him over the years. Check out Napoleon Dynamite this week for a special introduction by Ramirez ahead of the movie.