'Napoleon Dynamite' star says film based on life experiences

[Kolesar]

Plain Dealer
8/29/2005, 4:12 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

DELAWARE, Ohio (AP) — The star of the cult hit "Napoleon Dynamite" said making the film gave him the chance to "celebrate the nerd within me."

Jon Heder, who plays the film's curly haired, awkward namesake, appeared with Aaron Ruell, who plays Napoleon's older brother Kip, at Ohio Wesleyan University north of Columbus Sunday.

They said they could relate to the movie, which follows Idaho outcasts trying to find their place in the world.
"We created Kip and Napoleon from ourselves and from people we knew and experiences we had," said Heder, 27. "It was fun to celebrate the nerd within me."

The movie's low budget — it was made for $400,000 over 22 days — forced the cast and crew to improvise. "All of our clothing came from thrift stores or Wal-Mart, and we did our own stunts," said Ruell, 29.