Efren Ramirez

He may have been the exhilarating and intellectually magnificent sidekick in "Napoleon Dynamite," but unbeknownst to most, Pedro Sanchez is not actually a real person. Just in time for a special performance at the Student Union Memorial Center, the Arizona Daily Wildcat was fortunate enough to get a chance to prod deeper into the man behind the magic and mystery that is Pedro: Efren Ramirez.

Wildcat: In the movie, you baked a cake for a girl. What's the strangest thing you've ever done to get someone's attention?

Ramirez: I actually broke into this girl's house, and I went into her bedroom. And this is sort of planned, of course. I spoke with her little brother who was about 8 years old at the time. ... I went to her bedroom and actually decorated her entire ceiling with glow-in-the-dark paint. So I painted her entire room like the universe. ... She's been my girlfriend now for a couple of years.

Wildcat: Who would play you in a movie of your life?

Ramirez: I don't know, I just turned 22. So that's kind of tough because my life is just beginning. ... I just hope that whoever does play me is known for their skills in magic and mystery.

Wildcat: If there was a dance-off between you and John Heder, who would win?

Ramirez: I think in the actual dance-off itself, he would throw some sweet dancing moves, and I would throw my sweet dancing skills. And then together, I think we'd merge and we'd be like the hip-hoppers who just do a duo.

Wildcat: How long did you have to go around with your head shaved for the movie?

Ramirez: After I shaved my head, when I came back to Los Angeles and my friend picked me up, I was heading to my agent's office and the first thing that happened I got pulled over by the cops. And the first thing he asked me was, "Are you affiliated by any gangs?"

Wildcat: Since you were filming in Idaho, have you ever done anything strange with a potato? Any other kinds of fruits or vegetables?

Ramirez: Well I wouldn't call it strange, but watermelon seems to be great. ... It's on a much more intimate level with a woman. ... When you have just great sex, and then what you do is, you feed your woman. You give her fruit, grapes and strawberries, and watermelon. ... It's precut and everything.

Wildcat: Would you ever consider feeding her potatoes if you were in Idaho?

Ramirez: No, no. That's not romantic.

Ramirez and Aaron Ruell (Kip) will be speaking in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd. tonight at 7. Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for the general public.