Napolean Dynamite star Jon Heder chats with recess' Varun Lella about his upcoming ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory, co-starring Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Craig T. Nelson.
How was it working with Will Ferrell?
It was great. There are pros: He is easy to work with, he is wonderful and funny. Cons: He's too funny and makes you look bad. There is no ego. All the guy cares about is making people laugh and entertaining people. He is a lot of fun to work with.
Was it hard to learn ice skating?
It was a challenge and I loved it. When they train you, you know that you are going to come home with a new skill, and, for me, that's awesome, because I like to rack up "the skills."
How was the atmosphere on the set?
It was great. It was like a workhouse. People ask if we had a fun time. Yeah we did, but, opposed to some of the other comedies I've done, it was hard work. It was comedy mixed with athletics. We would get there and want to be funny, but we also wanted to be good on the ice.
You have said that you were interested in doing animation projects with your brother. Anything in the works?
Well, I love watching [anime]. I don't have anything going on right now, but we are always looking and playing with ideas for future animations that we could direct or produce. We don't have anything right now, but it's something we have always wanted to do.
Does your religion [Mormonism] affect your work?
There are obviously certain comfortable barriers for me. As an actor you have to break down your comfort zones, but at a certain point you have to draw a line. So from the beginning you make certain decisions.
Were you and Will competing comedians off-set?
There is no question that he is the better comedian. More of the competitive parts came on the ice, like who is the better skater. We were both kind of new to it. I am not that competitive, but I take pride in my ability to get into a sport if I am new to it. I remember thinking that Will has three extra weeks of training and I can skate circles around him. He can skate comedy circles around me and I can skate real circles around him.
How did you end up breaking your ankle?
I actually broke it before we started filming, during training. I wish I could say it was doing a cool trick, but I was spinning and my body kept spinning and my foot didn't. There were a couple weeks where we thought the movie would get canned, but luckily I healed and the movie went forward.
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