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Efren Ramirez With his legendary, understated performance as Pedro in Jared Hess' 2004 sleeper hit movie Napoleon Dymamite, it's safe to say that Efren Ramirez has already achieved cult status in Hollywood. But while students the world over have been quoting his one liners and sporting "Vote Pedro" memorabilia, Efren has been keeping himself busy working on no fewer than six new movies by day and spinning decks as International DJ by night. With movies on the way including Crank (with Jason Statham and Dwight Yoakam) and turning his hand to producing and composing, it looks like it's going to be impossible to avoid the apparently hyperactive 23 year old.
PIXELSURGEON: Tell us a little bit about your upbringing, and what made you want to be an actor?
EFREN RAMIREZ: Well, I was born in Los Angeles and grew up all over the city. Mind you my father always rented a house so we moved from house to house every 2 to 3 years. Both my parents had two jobs to make sure my brothers and me stayed in private schools. We started off in public schools but my father felt best for us to go to a private because he thought it to be safer. To keep my brothers and me out of trouble, my mother put us in after school activities; one of them being theater... it was pretty sweet.
Many people you know as Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite; how did you develop the character and personality of Pedro?
The work, the work, the work. My teachers Laura Henry, Diane Venora, and Gloria Gifford always taught me that. At the time I had been watching Charlie Chaplin’s work and Buster Keaton’s work. Through that, Pedro came about.
Did you realise that Napoleon Dynamite was going to be quite the hit it was?
Of course...! No, honestly, I had no idea. To my surprise, I am so grateful to what this film has done for my career. Now I must tell you, this is only the beginning wait until you see my next films. I enjoy the exploration of characters.
Considering the reception that The Alamo got, I don't suppose you regret turning it down for Napoleon Dynamite?
Again, I enjoy the exploration of character and what the work holds for me. I enjoy the dynamic of change within a character.
Has Napoleon Dynamite opened new doors for you, or has it been an albatross around your neck, with people pegging you for quirky Hispanic or Mexican roles?
You haven’t seen anything yet. Since Nappy D I’ve done about seven films... It has been wonderful. Every character is completely different. The work is always out there... and too in here... I am also working on creating projects. It’s a whole creative process.
There seems to be some confusion over your appearance or not in Nacho Libre, with Wikipedia suggesting you're in the film and IMDB saying you're not. Could you clear things up for us?
Well I believe I will be in the DVD section of this film. I had been working on a film in Arizona when I was asked to do a cameo for Nacho... they flew me in for a week. It was cool seeing Jared again. I'm really happy for him. Right after that I went into doing another film called Crank. I guess it’s alright to release this info - I play a transvestite.
You've been quite busy since Napoleon Dynamite, what are your favourite projects from the last couple of years?
Every project has meaning for me for many reasons - the project itself as a whole, the character and his world, and how the project gets projected to the world. It’s an interesting dynamic how it’s all juxtaposed. I must say the project that holds me is a film I did called Walkout (2006). It's about the Chicano movement in the sixties, where high school students in East LA walked out of their schools for better education. I think it’s an important tale to be told. Working on this project was great. It was wonderful working with Edward James Olmos, and of course HBO.
Apart from acting, your other main passion is DJing. Do you often get a chance to spin some Hard House these days or does acting soak up all of your time?
In between filming, I DJ at clubs around the world. I am always amazed to see how many fans there are regarding Nappy D. This weekend alone I did Seattle, Boston, St Luis, Tennessee, down to Miami, now I’m back in Los Angeles. This summer I’m doing Canada, New Zealand and Ibiza. It’s all been great!
You've been actor in some capacity for over ten years now; do you feel like a veteran or that you're only just getting started?
I'm only getting started. I look at Jonny Depp’s career, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Tom Cruise, Even further - Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin... Even Rudolph Valentino and I see how far they went with their career and know that I am no different. Working hard pays off. I love doing what I do.
What would be a dream role for you? Do you fancy a romantic lead or defeating an alien invasion? Would you like to do more comedy roles?
Every role is different. My dream role is to play the life of Salvador Dalí or the life of Sal Mineo. Stories based on true human beings because one can feel their struggles for self and long awaited expression through their work.
Tell us a secret about yourself that until today no-one knew...
My twin brother and I lived in a not so safe of a neighborhood so we would play in our backyard. And in this backyard we had this giant avocado tree. My twin brother and I would create an entire city with the laundry clothes pins making streets and roads and rivers, build wooden houses out of sticks and place out hot wheels on the little streets. When we were done we would climb up this tree. and enjoy what we'd done. It was an enjoyable time in my life...
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