'Napoleon' actor takes to the ice

The actor is one of the stars in 'Blades of Glory' with Will Ferrell.
By BRIAN McTAVISH
KANSAS CITY STAR
Jon Heder is on the phone from Los Angeles nearing the end of a long string of press interviews for "Blades of Glory," his comedy with Will Ferrell that hits theaters Friday.
Despite the cumulative grind of the process, Heder doesn't sound the least bit tired or distracted. He does sound aware of the personal stakes involved.
"Blades of Glory" may be a very silly movie about the world's first male figure-skating pair, the arrogant Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and the anal Jimmy MacElroy (Heder). But it's also Heder's biggest opportunity since coming out of nowhere to star as the goofy, fad-inspiring title character of 2004's surprise cult hit, "Napoleon Dynamite."
Q. Why did you say yes to "Blades of Glory"?
A. I thought it was pretty obvious.
Q. It was because of your peacock costume?
A. No, no. They hadn't made that yet. It was just an easy sell. I mean, the world of figure ice skating, plus two guys who have to skate together. Anytime I would mention the premise to anybody, they were like, "Oh, my gosh, that just sounds like such a great idea for comedy." I loved it right away.
Q. Were you at all apprehensive about getting on the ice?
A. Not really. I was like, "OK, I'm getting into something I don't know how to do. I'm not very good at it." But, definitely, I embraced it. I just started really working hard. I mean, not to toot my own horn ...
Q. Go ahead and toot.
A. I improved quite a bit.
Q. More than Will?
A. Well, you make that judgment. You know, we're just physically different people. Will's just huge in sports, but he's tall and, being that big of a guy, it's a balance issue about trusting your weight. And he's just got a little bit more of it.
Q. It looks like it's always you two guys skating, even when it can't be.
A. There's some great digital trickery. I'll bet you anything there are some moments that you think it's someone else and it's actually me. Will? It's definitely someone else.
Q. Is he really holding you aloft on the ice?
A. Well, he's holding me around my waist.
Q. Even when you're upside-down with your crotch in his face?
A. Because it was such a close-up shot, that might have been a dummy, honestly, a fake body.
Q. Was that OK with you?
A. I'm sure it was better for him.
Q. Will's been at this comedy-star thing longer than you. Were you nervous working with him?
A. No, I didn't feel nervous. Definitely, it was a huge mistake, because he just steals everything. But the guy's so easy to work with. He's so nice. He takes your ideas. You give him an idea and he'll do it. There's no ego. He's so low maintenance.
Q. How much of the movie was improvised?
A. Off the ice, yeah, there was improvising. But Will's kind of a master at it, and he's had a lot more training at it. And his character calls for more, because he's kind of this outspoken, raunchy sex addict, you know?
Q. Since "Napoleon Dynamite," have you felt typecast as the nerdy guy?
A. A lot of people look down upon typecasting. I'm like, "Dude, if you're typecast, that means you're getting jobs." But I felt that Napoleon and Jimmy were quite different characters. I mean, Napoleon's this crusty kind of an ugly greaseball teen-ager who can't do anything right. And he's quite a klutz. Whereas Jimmy is professional, and he looks immaculate. He's perfect about what he does.
Q. Your public wants to know: Will there be a sequel to "Napoleon Dynamite"?
A. Nothing's happening right now.
Q. Do you want it to?
A. I mean, it would be fun. I'm indifferent. If it doesn't happen, I'm fine. If it does happen, cool.
Q. Would you say "Blades" is your favorite Will Ferrell movie?
A."Anchorman" is kind of my favorite Will still. But maybe I need to watch this a couple more times. It's definitely my favorite movie with both Will and me in it.
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