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Jon Gries (left), starred in the film ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and returned for the Fox animated series.
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“Back in ’82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile.”
What actor doesn’t dream of at least one role for which they will forever be remembered?
For Jon Gries, no doubt, that character is “Uncle Rico” in the 2004 cult classic high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite.
Samaire Armstrong and Jon Gries star in ‘Around June’
Uncle Rico is a ball of confusion, hard-packed with conflicting characteristics, the classic enigma hiding inside a mystery hiding in plain sight. Like everyone else in the movie, Gries’ character’s every appearance is a subtle rasslin’ match with funny.
JON GRIES audio excerpt: “All of a sudden, Uncle Rico’s a wide receiver (on the cartoon)! I said, ‘Wait, guys! He’s a quarterback! He makes videos of himself throwing a football! You’re messing with a pedigree here!’”
Jon Gries interview with Mr. Media, Bob Andelman, February 28, 2012
You can LISTEN to this interview with actor JON GRIES, star of AROUND JUNE and FOX’s NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, by clicking the audio player above!
Oh, and he has his own personal time machine in the kitchen.
And Gries is so proud of Uncle Rico that he – like the rest of the cast – gladly returned to action for the new Fox animated series, “Napoleon Dynamite,” which airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”
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What you may not realize is that for Jon Gries, Napoleon Dynamite was just one of more than a hundred film and TV appearances in a long running career. For example, did you make the connection when Gries played Ben Linus’s father, Roger, in multiple episodes of “Lost”? (The last one, in season six, had scenes that involved dynamite and a high school lesson about Napoleon. Hmm.)
Gries has five new movies in release this year, including Around June with Samaire Armstrong of “Entourage” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” Unicorn City, Natural Selection, Five Time Champion and Deep in the Heart. He has also written and directed an indie film, Pickin’ and Grinnin’.
Around June Website • Order Around June from Amazon.com Jon Gries Twitter
Bob Andelman is the host and producer of Mr. Media® Interviews. He is also the author or co-author of 16 books, including Fans Not Customers with Vernon W. Hill, founder of Commerce Bank and Metro Bank UK, Mind Over Business with Ken Baum, The Consulate with Thomas R. Stutler, The Profiler with Pat Brown, Built From Scratch with the founders of The Home Depot, The Profit Zone with Adrian Slywotzky, Mean Business with Albert J. Dunlap, and Will Eisner: A Spirited Life. Click here to see Bob Andelman’s Amazon Central author page. He is a member in good standing of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (member page).
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