This week, FYI was able to talk with Efren Ramirez, who recently appeared in the movies “Crank” and “Employee of the Month.”

Ramirez was thrust into the national spotlight in 2004 with his role as Pedro in the quirky independent movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Ramirez also made an appearance at Iowa State last year while on tour with Aaron Ruell, who played the character of Kip in “Dynamite.”

In our interview, Ramirez spoke about his recent movies, life as Pedro and his job as a professional disc jockey.

James Pusey: You have two movies being released this week on DVD: “Crank” and “Employee of the Month.” First of all, let’s talk about “Crank.” I’m curious about how you fit into this movie and what kind of character you played.

Efren Ramirez: Well, my character’s name is Kaylo in “Crank,” and I actually play a transvestite. It’s a little bit different from “Napoleon Dynamite.”

J.P.: Where do you even begin to prepare yourself to play that type of role?

E.R.: It’s cool. You know, it’s being able to diversify, being able to jump into these characters and go “all right, let me explore this role.”

J.P.: In “Employee of the Month,” you work side-by-side with Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson. What was that like?

E.R.: Funny. It was pretty comfortable working on the set. I also gotta say it’s an ensemble cast, with Andy Dick and Dax Shepard and Sean Whalen . everybody knew what they were doing. My challenge was to go like, “These mofos are funny; what can I do to be as strong as these other actors?”

J.P.: Obviously “Napoleon Dynamite” was your breakout performance – it was a huge success. So when you were offered the part of Pedro, did you imagine the kind of success that movie would have?

E.R.: No, not even to this date. Between filming I also work as a DJ. I DJ at clubs all over the world. I remember in Des Moines, the masses of people were actually there at the club, and they’re big fans of “Napoleon Dynamite” . my job as an actor is to be able to surprise people with the work that I do.

J.P.: So when “Dynamite” got all this success, what was the weirdest part of the transition from being just another face in the crowd to becoming a pop culture icon overnight ?

E.R.: I would say – and I’m trying to be modest – it’s a responsibility. It’s being able to go, “Wow, I made this much of a difference?”

J.P.: How many times in a day do people come up to you and say they voted for you, or ask you to make their wildest dreams come true?

E.R.: (laughs) I get that a lot when I’m at clubs. It’s very welcoming, because that movie is what changed my life. It launched my career.

J.P.: When you’re not in front of a camera or scratching records, what sort of things do you do in your spare time?

E.R.: I’m reading or I’m painting. I’m actually reading “The Millionaire Mind” and “Sean Penn: His Life and Times.”

J.P.: So last year you and Aaron Ruell came to the ISU campus on your tour. What did you think of Iowa State?

E.R.: (laughs) Beautiful women. But that was fun, being able to go to universities and talk about education, and not everyone knows that I’m no different than anyone else. You just have to be ambitious; if you have big dreams, then reach for them.

J.P.: Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to talk to us.

E.R.: Yeah, my pleasure.