20 Things You Somehow Missed In Napoleon Dynamite
17. Method Acting Orthodontics
Those who scrutinise the credits will find two odd inclusions among those filmmakers thanked – two dentists, Dr. H.M. Omaha D.D.S and Dr. Larry Stokes D.D.S. Both worked on Aaron Ruell (Kip) after the actor suggested that his character should have braces to complement his comb-over. However, he quickly realised his mistake. Ruell recalled:
“I just assumed that we'd be able to Hollywood it up and there would be some temporary things I'd put in while we were shooting and I'd just kind of take them out. And then flash-forward to, you know, showing up at Jared's place a week before shooting and I'm in the orthodontist's chair getting real braces attached to my teeth.”
The braces caused a week of pain for Ruell and actually moved his teeth. He wore them for the full 22-day shoot. Ruell’s actions were not as reckless as they appear, though. He was assured by the dental professionals that they wouldn’t have fitted the braces if they had any other effect than straightening Ruell’s teeth.