Following the success of Napoleon Dynamite, Heder — a Brigham Young University grad — acted in some films you may have seen. In 2005's Just Like Heaven, he played opposite Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon, as a psychic bookstore clerk named Darryl trying to help David Abbott (Ruffalo) discover the truth about Elizabeth Masterson (Witherspoon), a spirit who appears to haunt his apartment. In 2006's The Benchwarmers, he plays Clark, one of the nerds who make up a baseball team that represents all the people who normally get bullied because they have no athletic skill. That movie included some major talent, including David Spade, Jon Lovitz, and Rob Schneider. In 2007's Blades of Glory, he worked alongside Will Ferrell as a washed-up skater kicked out of the 2002 Olympics.
In an interview with The Tufts Daily, Heder said, "I really enjoy physical comedy, kind of turning your body into a cartoon. I just love bringing characters to life, whether it be through the words or through their movement and being. You can get so much about a character through the way they position themselves or the way they move or act — not act, but through the way they hold themselves."
After that, Heder played one of a series of suitors trying to win the attention of Kristen Bell's character in the 2009 film When in Rome. He played Lance, an illusionist, and his physical comedy skills helped him also learn some magic tricks for the film. In an interview with HitFix, he said, "In case I'm ever forced [emphasis his) to stop acting, yes, I can always go to the Magic Castle."
So, at least in 2009, he not only loved acting, but wasn't planning on disappearing.
