Napoleon Dynamite actor had unique clause added to contract after only being paid $1,000 for film that made $46m

The lead actor from Napoleon Dynamite had a unique clause added to his contract after being paid only $1,000 for the film.

This was despite the cult classic film earning a massive $46,000,000.

Jon Heder starred as the titular character in Napoleon Dynamite, a socially awkward teenager who embarks on a campaign to try and help his classmate Pedro win school president.

Also starring Efren Ramirez and directed by Jared Hess, the movie became a major classic despite having been made for a shockingly low amount of money.

The indie classic was made for just $400,000. To place this in the context of modern movies this was 0.5 percent of what Robert Downey Jr alone was paid for Avengers: Endgame, and 0.27 percent of the budget of Hess’ newest film, A Minecraft Movie.

Hess’ cult classic was able to be made on such a low budget in part due to the small amount the actors were paid, but also because it was filmed rapidly over a period of just three weeks.

Based on a typical tough working week of 50 hour, this would mean he was paid just under $7 an hour for his time, and he was likely working even longer hours on the movie than that.

When Napoleon Dynamite became a shock hit, however, Heder was left feeling a bit of a chump for how little he made compared to the box office.

In an interview with Stuff NZ at the time, Heder confirmed that he had ‘initially’ only been paid that much before stating they had gone ‘a little bit higher’.

Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite (Searchlight)

This was because the star was able to renegotiate his contract to make sure he got a percentage of the profits when the money began rolling in.

Part of the film’s producers being able to negotiate this despite having such a low budget is the bidding war that occurred between distributors.

Sony ended up buying the rights for a massive $5 million, much of which would’ve gone to the producers but which would’ve also allowed them to pay the actors more before the movie came out.

In addition to this, Heder, Ramirez, and Hess have all expressed interest at various points in returning for a sequel.

Heder is open to a sequel to the film too, and would you imagine make a bit more than $1,000 (Searchlight Pictures)

Ramirez told ComicBook in 2024 that ‘everyone wants a sequel’, saying: “I can say this, legally, that the door’s not closed yet.”

He added: “When you have a really good story, whether you make a prequel or a sequel, you can really explore the depths of these characters - where they would be, or where they came from, or what led them to be where they’re at.”

Heder said of a possible sequel: “I would come back if Jared [Hess] decided, ‘Hey, let’s go ahead, and let’s see if we can pull off the magic.’

“We’ve thought about it. We’re always playing with the idea. I know I’ve talked a little bit with Jared, and it’s his baby, so I’m just like, ‘You pull the trigger on that.”