How ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ fuelled a bitter $10million lawsuit
Stories about the regrets actors carry about certain movies they hated making always come through the Hollywood grapevine. While rumours about productions that have wholly ruined careers exist throughout contemporary cinematic history, what about a story that tore a family apart?
Numerous accounts of stars claim that a movie has ruined their life. After The Blair Witch Project was released, actor Rei Hance proclaimed that he was so traumatised that he “did not want to be alive anymore”. Similarly, Geena Davis and Renny Harlin’s marriage was destroyed as they worked on Cutthroat Island. But in the case of Efren Ramirez and his role in Napoleon Dynamite, his family took the hit.
The 2004 indie favourite is something of a silly coming-of-age gem. Beloved for its dry humour and all-round quirk, the movie has gained a cult fan base. Starring Jon Heder in the titular role, Efren Ramirez plays Pedro, his best friend and sidekick. Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, the film immediately became an indie cinema darling.
Napoleon Dynamite takes a turn when Pedro decides to run for class president against the most popular girl in school. Introducing the movie’s iconic ‘Vote For Pedro’ T-shirts, the design is essential merch for fans of the movie.
Featuring one of the most iconic scenes in comedic film history, the moment Napoleon gets up on stage and does an elaborate, choreographed dance routine to ‘Canned Heat’ by Jamiroquai put the film on the map. Constantly spiralling around the internet with fans of the film recreating the moment move by move, the scene made the film a staple for fans of dry humour or silly comedy.
While Jon Heder plays the titular character, going on to big Hollywood movies like Blades Of Glory and Just Like Heaven as the favoured comedic actor of the early 2000s, the film also made Efren Ramirez a star for his endearing role as Pedro.
Similarly, while Efren Ramirez was a successful actor before Napoleon Dynamite, the film was incredibly lucrative for him. Filmed on a budget of only $400,000, within a year, the movie had grossed $44million. From there and building on the success, Ramirez went on to more significant projects, able to take on higher-profile and higher-paid roles across TV and film.
But jealousy can be the devil inside most people. As Ramirez became a star, envy got the better of his family. Rather than supporting his newfound success, his twin brother, Carlos, allegedly exploited it. Trying to cash in on his brother’s success, the fallout ended up tearing the Ramirez family apart.
Carlos Ramirez started secretly making public appearances, posing as his brother. Obviously, this upset Efren. But it wasn’t just a family argument around the kitchen table; the conflict between the twins led to a $10million lawsuit. Efren Ramirez hit his brother with the case and, in turn, split his family in two.
The threat of a multi-million dollar lawsuit seemed enough to scare off Carlos, who later offered remorse for his actions. “I would love to talk to Efren,” he later told TMZ. “Maybe even work together in the future. His support would be amazing.”
He added: “I think it’s safe to say the magnitude of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and everything that has come along with it has ruined my relationship with my twin.”
A sad, dramatic story to come from a sweet film – the carnage of Hollywood seems to rarely just stay on set.
