Heder wanted the scene in the 2004 comedy to be “good”
Credit: Fox Searchlight
NEED TO KNOW
- Jon Heder improvised the iconic dance scene in Napoleon Dynamite without choreography, freestyling multiple takes for the final cut
- Heder felt immense pressure as the dance was the film’s climax and symbolized Napoleon’s pivotal moment of triumph
- He asked non-essential cast and crew to leave the set while filming to ease his nerves and focus fully
Jon Heder didn’t want anyone in the room while he filmed his iconic dance scene in Napoleon Dynamite, knowing he was planning to give it his all.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Heder, 48, explained that, before freestyling to “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai, he asked any actors and crew members who weren’t needed for the scene to leave.
“I kicked everybody out,” he reflected. “It was like shooting my first love scene. I was nervous. I was like, ‘I want this to be good, and what’s the point of having an audience when it’s all on me?’ I just kicked non-essential, you know, members of the cast and crew out.”
Heder explained that when the lights came on, he simply felt the flow of the music.
Credit: Fox Searchlight
“It was all freestyle. I never memorized anything,” he shared.
Heder said that he “liked to boogie” and would often jokingly freestyle in front of friends. He noted that director Jared Hess “had similar friend circles,” so he knew about Heder’s moves.
“He was like, ‘Jon, you like to dance?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ He’s like, ‘Can we put it in the movie? I want it to be the climax of the movie. Everything rides on that, so it’s got to be sweet,’” Heder recalled. “I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”
When the moment came, Heder did more than deliver.
“I danced until I was ready to puke, and then I’m like, ‘Give me some water. You guys, I’m dying here,’” he said.
The comedy also starred Tina Majorino as Deb, Aaron Ruell as Kip, Haylie Duff as Summer and Shondrella Avery as LaFawnduh. Jon Gries played Napoleon and Kip’s Uncle Rico, while Ellen Dubin appeared as their Aunt Ilene.
The coming-of-age comedy focused on Heder’s Napoleon Dynamite as he navigates friendships, his family, and high school life. In a previous interview with Portland Monthly, Heder admitted there was “a lot of pressure” to get the dance right.
Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty
“They were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to have you dancing in the movie as the climax. This is going to make or break the film.’ It was a lot of pressure. I was like, ‘Oh, crap!’ This isn’t just a silly little scene,” he said. “This is the moment where everything comes, and he’s making the sacrifice for his friend.”
“That’s the whole theme of the movie. Everything leads up to this,” he continued. “Napoleon’s been this loser. This has to be the moment where he lands a victory. He gets up there, and it’s quiet: no reaction from the audience.”
He noted that “any other film would have gotten a choreographer” to work with him, but they decided it would be best if he “just winged it.”
“I danced three times, and they took the best pieces from each of those,” Heder said.
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