Yahoo News Jon Heder Says His Kids 'Are Very Aware' of the “Napoleon Dynamite” 'Craze': 'My Daughter Actually Enjoys It'
'Napoleon Dynamite' was released 20 years ago this month — and star Heder has been reflecting on the comedy film's enduring legacy
Michael Loccisano/Getty
Jon Heder in 2024Jon Heder's kids are even bigger fans of Napoleon Dynamite than he is.
In a new interview, the actor — who played the title character of the 2004 cult-classic film — revealed that his kids are big fans of the quirky comedy.
"They're very aware of the craze," Heder, 46, told E! News. "My daughter actually enjoys it. She's 7. She's like, 'Oh, can we watch clips from the movie?' "
The actor also said that his 10-year-old son "loves the reaction it gets" from fans.
"He understands it for the fame aspect," Heder told the outlet. "I don't know if he cares that much about the movie. But he loves to tell people who I am."
Jesse Grant/Getty
Jon Heder and his kids in 2018Twenty years since the movie's release, longtime fans still quote their favorite lines to Heder whenever they recognize him, he said, and the line that comes up the most often is: "Napoleon, give me some of your tots."
"The tots line is actually the one that gets yelled to me the most," he added. "Which I will accept."
Heder recently celebrated a mini-reunion for the movie to look back on two decades of its success, and even recreated one of its iconic scenes for a commercial that he said perfectly represents one of his character's favorite products.
In a short film, produced jointly by Ore-Ida and Searchlight Pictures, Heder dons Napoleon's trademark curly hair and aviator glasses to promote — what else? — but the brand's tater tots and a limited-edition pair of "tot-protecting pants" that resemble his iconic clothing from the film.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“What? Go get your own,” Heder says in the short film, responding to the "Gimme some of your tots!" line.
"It just seemed kind of obvious," Heder told E! News of the commercial. "If Napoleon is ever going to sell anything, it's either tots or Chapstick."
For the cast's reunion in February, Heder and his former co-stars Efren Ramirez and John Gries celebrated 20 years since the film's release with a screening and an audience Q&A session in Orlando, Florida. During the event, someone in the crowd asked Heder where he thought all of the characters would be today.
“I think it's not looking very good for most of them,” he joked in response. “Napoleon is probably paying child support to two different moms, with two different kids ... maybe Trisha was a fling.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
In an interview with PEOPLE last week, Heder also reflected on how the film has aged since its release, arguing that he thinks it's the perfect family movie.
"It's like anybody can love it," he said, noting that there's no cursing and no explicit content.
"We've met so many families that are just like, 'It's the one movie our whole family loves to watch together. It's the one thing that unites us. Like my dad or my grandpa who doesn't care about movies at all, will sit down with us and he'll chuckle out this movie,' " the actor told PEOPLE.
"We hear those stories all the time, and it's the best," he added.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
