Heder Puts the Geek Behind Him |
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The 29-year-old wunderkind from NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004) seems to have tapped into a persona that resonates well with audience-goers: that being the alienated underdog.
In the recently released SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS (2006) Heder plays Roger a down on his luck fellow who take a class so that he can build up his confidence to win the girl of his dreams (played by Jacinda Barrett, the focus of last week's "Take a Closer Look" column).
Ironically, Heder succeeds where other marginal actors playing loser fail-he is able to come across as disarmingly charming while portraying a failure. And this is not to say that all of Heder's past and future roles will be as less than ideal male figures; rather to indicate he is quite good at accentuating the appeal of flawed characters.
In the sports folly, THE BENCHWARMERS (2006), Heder joined the comedic ranks of Rob Schneider and David Spade to round out the trio baseball team that looks to rival other teams in the league.
Perhaps it is his slight overbite, his tall (he's 6'1"), lanky physical presence, or his glazed over-like expression that makes him appear as a half-witted hardship case or perhaps it is his masterful delivery which convincingly lure audience-members into believing in his plights against the rest of humanity; either way Heder depicts his characters in ways that draw you in and get you to route for the slightly offbeat guy.
Another possible theory behind the likeability of Heder and the range of roles he plays is that possibly movie-goers, who tired of looking at the pretty boys, i.e., Brad 
Heder as a Pupil in SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS |
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Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Ashton Kusher, Jude Law, and Adrian Grenier, are now seeking a more genuine, multi-dimensional actor on screen.
And not funneling all of his talents into on-screen performances, Heder is also distinguishing himself as a voice-over talent – lending his speaking abilities to the feature animation films, MONSTER HOUSE (2006) and SURF'S UP (2007), as well as, the television show 'Robot Chicken'.
Along the lines of the 'challenged' comedians that have come before him, the awkward intellectual Heder is in good company with the likes of: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jason Swartzman, and Jason Biggs.
Attributing to Heder's wholesomeness may be his upbringing. Born in Fort Collins, Colorado, Heder and his family subsequently moved to West Salem, Oregon. The son of a physician, Heder comes from a relatively large family inclusive of a twin brother named Daniel, three other brothers, and one sister. He landed his first 'major' acting gig, while still a youth, participating in a children's-theater production of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.
Further completing his conservative origins, Heder studied 3-D animation at Brigham University in Provo, Utah, and spent two years in Japan on a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was at Brigham Young that Heder met Jared Hess, the director of his break-out film, NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE.
Heder, who is a Mormon, has publicly endorsed the religion when outside of the US.
As Heder recently said, "It's tough now, because am I like an 
Heder at Bat in BENCHWARMERS |
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ambassador (for Mormonism) now? I was representing the church on my mission, and now I'm representing the church again in some ways. Sometimes I downplay it. 'I'm a Mormon. This is what Mormons do.' That's not my thing. I want to get up there and tell entertaining stories but that are also to a certain extent clean."
Non-interested in doing films with gratuitous nudity or other non-contextual sensational acts, Heder has been known to say, ""I don't think I ever will do a sex scene because of my religion and my personal standards. Coming into this business has opened up many doors where I'm constantly making a decision on each project."
Fortunately for Heder, he may now be in position where he can be particular about the roles he accepts and those he declines. Up next for Heder is a duo of films including: MOMMA'S BOY, in which as a thirty-someting still living at home, he appears along side such luminaries as: Diane Keaton and Jeff Daniels; and BLADES OF GLORY, another sports-comedic farcical flick in which Heder plays an Olympic skater who must compete as part of a pairs team or remain disqualified from the competition. –Will Ferrel also stars.
In the hands of Heder, Mormonism takes on a whole new dimension- one of irreverence, humor, whimsy, intelligence and likeability. Quite possibly, in presenting such a positive role model—one who is well-mannered and well-intentioned, young men and women everywhere emulating Heder's fundamental good qualities may become the hip new thing..
Jon Heder on MatchFlick
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A capsulized profile on an emerging talent, i.e., actor/director in the film world and a snippet as to why he or she is destined to soon become a household name.
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| Nancy Simon |
A Chicago-based freelance writer and film enthusiast, Nancy has an insatiable curiousity and knack for picking out talented, promising individuals.
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