The Observer, April 28, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 26
Director of Napoleon Dynamite talks about new-fangled project
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Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Jared Hess, the director of Napoleon Dynamite and the upcoming feature film Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black.
The script of Nacho Libre is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta, a Mexican priest who secretly became a masked luchador (wrestler) in lucho libre fights (free-style fighting) in order to earn money for his struggling orphanage. Hess had been a fan of films about the luchador for quite a while so he, his wife, Jerusha Hess, and Mike White decided it was time to try their hands at it.
According to Hess, he and his wife, who also collaborated on the Napoleon Dynamite script, work very well together because though they are creatively different, they have very similar senses of humor. When writing a script, he makes characters and situations that interest him and he says, "it's ultimately what I respond to."
The film was shot in Mexico with a large cast and crew. Real luchadors were cast in order to capture the live atmosphere that is vital to the lucho libre fights. Most of the extras were also Mexicans from the Mexico City area. Hess says that they paid very close attention to detail in order to maintain the necessary atmosphere.
There has been criticism of exploitation of Mexicans but Hess denied these claims whole-heartedly. The intention of this film is to allow people to explore Fray Tormenta and he "never intended to indulge in stereotypes." Hess's goals are much greater.
Hess says that this film has a lot of heart and laughs. The main goal of this film is to have people enjoy the movie and discover the story of Fray Tormenta.
Of course, expectations are high for Hess' newest project, because he is coming off of the success of the immensely popular Napoleon Dynamite and Hess is now working with Paramount Studios. In contrast, Napoleon Dynamite was shot in 22 days with 20 friends from college. Hess says that this experience was a "kind of baptism." Nacho Libre will be his first 'big movie' and he feels very fortunate for the opportunity.
It has been two years since the release of Napoleon Dynamite and catch phrases from the movie are still constantly repeated, but that kind of popularity was not Hess' goal when he wrote the script. Hess says that he writes "whatever makes sense to the character." According to Hess there are no intentionally quotable lines in the Nacho Libre script, though whether audiences feel the same way remains to be seen. Gosh.
Hess doesn't consider merchandising when writing scripts nor does he consider demographics. His films, of course, have college appeal and that is important but the idea of a specific demographic doesn't play a role in the story-making process.
With the success of Napoleon Dynamite and the media buzz of Nacho Libre, it's safe to say that Jared Hess is at the beginning of a very promising career. In the meantime, you can see Nacho Libre in your local theaters starting June 16th or check out www.nacholibre.com.
