It takes a lot of range to go from playing the quietly awkward Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite to getting ripped and donning drag to join Jason Statham in the loud, in-your-face film, Crank (more on that below). That’s Efren Ramirez for you, an underrated and dynamic actor who swings wildly from genre to genre. MovieWeb spoke with him about the new film Seven Cemeteries, which also runs the gamut in terms of genre and style. It’s a comedic Western horror film that sees him as a snarky undead companion to the one and only Danny Trejo, who plays Bruno, a hardcore but quirky antihero seeking a ragtag team to help him protect a woman’s prized ranch from villainous drug lords. Again, it’s a far cry from his iconic role in Napoleon Dynamite, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
“I think Napoleon‘s so ingrained in people’s minds today and for the past 20 years because it’s relatable,” Ramirez told MovieWeb. “We all are, in every way, a specific character in a film like that, because we’re just trying to figure life out.” He continued:
“And that’s what kind of reminds me of
Seven Cemeteries,
because whether you’re alive or dead, you know life is an unsolved mystery that allows you to be able to cross a bridge to find a better understanding of yourself in relation to the world. If you do that, then there’s going to be a way of enjoying life with community, rather than having to go through things alone. So,
Napoleon Dynamite
allows that to happen because, in that friendship that Napoleon has with Pedro, they help each other out and make everyone’s ‘wildest dreams come true.'”
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Related
Efren Ramirez Talks New Film Seven Cemeteries & Making Crank with Jason Statham
Efren Ramirez discusses working with Danny Trejo on the new film Seven Cemeteries and looks back on Napoleon Dynamite and Crank.
Crank 3 and Going on Tour for Napoleon Dynamite
- Release Date
- June 11, 2004
- Runtime
- 88
- Studio
- Fox Searchlight Pictures
Ramirez also spoke about the joys of reuniting and going on tour with his castmates to celebrate 20 years of Napoleon Dynamite this year. “To be able to see a lot, almost everybody, together at the Sundance Film Festival for the 20th anniversary was very nostalgic,” explained Ramirez, “that nostalgic feeling of joy and that magic that, for us, while we were working on it, we had no idea it was going to be a big hit. We just did what we loved, and we loved what we did.” He added:
“To this day, when I go on tour with Jon Heder and the great Jon Gries, we are reminded of the mystery of human behavior. And then to be able to see the audience in the masses of hundreds in these theaters all across the nation, who are all dressed up as a character — for me, I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is what it’s about, being able to love art and the exploration of humanity.'”
Cinephiles might also remember Ramirez from his standout roles in the first two Crank films with Jason Statham, where Ramirez had returned as his first character’s brother for the sequel. Ever since Crank 2 was released, fans have wondered whether a third would come into fruition. “There was actually a talk about doing a third film,” said Ramirez. “I don’t know if I’m legally allowed to tell you what the story was, but it was pretty intense.”
Related
Crank 3 May Still Happen Says Jason Statham
Jason Statham says the original Crank directors have a loose idea but no script yet for Crank 3, though he’d do it in a heartbeat.
Jason Statham and the films’ co-director, Brian Taylor, have been open about doing Crank 3, but want it to be much more ridiculous and “fu*ked up” than the first two. As Taylor said in an interview with The Movie Crypt:
“My feeling about Crank 3 is that Crank 3 should be as exponentially more f*cked up than Crank 2 as Crank 2 was to Crank 1. Obviously, there’s been talk here and there […] Obviously, there’s a great movie there somewhere. I don’t know if it’s going to be Jason Statham in a wheelchair, 40 years from now, but I think there should be a Crank cinematic universe. Not just one movie. So who knows? There’s nothing in the works right now. But you never know. Me and [co-director Mark Neveldine] are brothers for life.”
From Quiver Distribution, Seven Cemeteries is now available in theaters, on demand and on digital.
