[THE MAIN EVENT ]
The actress who became iconic as LaFawnduh Lucas reflects on the cult classic’s legacy, 20 years later
UpRising: How did you get cast for Napoleon Dynamite?
Shondrella Avery: I was doing a show called Girls Behaving Badly, doing pranks across America. My agent called and said there was a part that was available. No money, but the breakdown sounded like me: five-foot-10 African-American woman, full body, shapely. There was no one else in Hollywood that looked like me at the time; I don't still think there [is]. He sent me the script. I thought either this was the funniest movie I had ever read or I was the corniest Black person I knew. Probably was a little bit of both. I met with Jory Weitz, who was casting. The moment he saw me, he was like, “My God. If you can act as good as you look, you are LaFawnduh.” I was like, “Well, baby, that's not a problem.” Two days later, the gentlemen flew in from Utah. I said, “Where's my baby, Kip?” He was right there, flush red.
What attracted you to the script when you first read it?
It had a spirit of redemption, authenticity, and originality... It was acknowledging an underdog. I am completely against bullying. Ninth grade was the worst year of my life. I was bullied and tormented and teased because I'm six feet [tall] and I was awkward and gangly. It was awful. I feel people didn't identify with me because of my aesthetics, but I am who I am. So it spoke to me from that perspective of being you, no matter what—owning your own essence. I loved the characters. I thought they were wonderful. Here were these guys that were awkward and unique and not so popular. They were struggling trying to find themselves. I felt empathetic for these guys—but not sorry for them. But [Kip] could get this woman from Detroit who was voluptuous and sexy. I thought this is good that the underdog wins, because oftentimes, [filmmakers] misrepresent how they see people who are different.
It’s interesting that race is never explicitly mentioned in the film.
Not one time did we have to address color or race, because the heart doesn't have a color. The heart has feeling and the feeling is love. The beautiful thing is Pedro—a Latino guy [played by Efren Ramirez]—and LaFawnduh instrumentally changed the trajectory of the film. Pedro runs for [class] president. He’s confident. He can get girls. He just shows up as he is. Same thing with LaFawnduh. She gives Kip confidence. Gets him to change his whole swag. Encourages him to be more than he [saw himself as]. That's the dynamic of minorities. We are the least regarded in the country. Oftentimes, Black and brown people are overlooked and overshadowed for what they fear that we can do, which is help elevate people. This film personifies that.
There are many themes that could be taken from Napoleon Dynamite, including the power of cultural exchange. Life in Idaho is depicted as pretty bland until LaFawnduh shows up. Suddenly Kip is wearing a flashy chain and Napoleon gets an ovation from all of his classmates after dancing on stage to the mixtape she gave him.
When she gave him the mixtape, that took the film to a totally different level. The wonderful thing about that is, that’s actually [who] I am as a person. More importantly, that’s most Black women, right? “You like dancing, huh? Okay, let's come on over here and do this dance. Let me give you this little tape.” That is part of our nature as Black women. We're the balm of this earth. We do this lovingly. Black women have the ability to nurture and wake you up inside, you know? Turn the lights on.
What are some memories from filming that stick with you all these years later?
From the day I came to set to the time I wrapped, there was a [random] white man that was creepy and was [looking from] around a tree. This man would just show up and he would be ogling me to the degree where it was almost unsettling. I'd be like, “Hi!” And he would just shy away, then come back. He would just stare with wonderment in his eyes. It started out like, “That's so nice” to “Wait, what's going on? We have to watch him.”Apart from that, when we shot the extended ending, my family came to be in the movie because there were no Black people in Preston, Idaho. That’s my real family: my mom, one of my sisters, two of my brothers.
How do you think Kip and LaFawnduh’s story would have played out after they rode off into the sunset?
We would be together and still madly in love. I believe we would have gone to Detroit and opened up a durag company, for sure. Probably have about two or three kids. Possibly four. I'd be keeping it sexy and not too sweaty, with all things in order, as Black women do. He would be completely hip-hop, getting more integrated with Black culture. He would have mixtapes and be full-on rapping. He'd probably be teaching classes on rap, and be very devoted to it. And I would believe in his talent.You saw the rap at the [end]. [Aaron] wrote that himself. The first time we heard it was when the director said action. He was like, “Just keep the cameras rolling.” He thought I was going to break—but I don't break. When I heard the words, I'm like, “What in the world is going on with this song?” But I just still stood there listening. When he had the little tears like he was going to cry, I almost broke. I just went with it.
You voiced the character of Zirconia in the animated film Thelma the Unicorn, which released in May. How was that experience?
[Napoleon Dynamite filmmakers] Jared and Jerusha [Hess] reached out to me back in 2019; they had the opportunity to adapt this kids book. They knew I did voice-over work and they loved my voice. It took us like four years to do the film because of Covid—the whole film was done on Zoom, believe it or not. The project speaks to me because, again, it's about an underdog [becoming] a hero and accepting herself as she is. My character (Zirconia) goes from a mean horse to kind of nice, but initially I think I'm so high society. Jon Heder is also in the film. Even though Thelma the Unicorn is for kids, as an adult, you're going to understand the messages about following your dreams. If you really watch that film and pay attention to the music, you'll feel Napoleon's spirit.
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Napoleon Dynamite celebrates its 20th anniversary this year; it’s currently streaming on Hulu. Shondrella Avery has since been keeping busy as CEO and founder of the distribution and production company Glass Slipper Pictures. Most recently, she voiced the character of Zirconia in the animated musical comedy Thelma the Unicorn, now streaming on Netflix.
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