Destin native Dawson Fletcher recently celebrated his big screen debut at an early screening of “Ender’s Game” in California.
Millions of moviegoers followed, as the adaptation of the beloved sci-fi novel starring Harrison Ford took over the No. 1 spot at the box office by making $28 million in North America in its opening weekend.
Fletcher said the movie was very well received by the screening audience.
“It being a sci-fi movie, I wasn’t really sure if the jokes would really land, but they laughed quite hard a few times,” Fletcher told The Log. “It was good to see.”
Though his on-screen role in the film is small, Fletcher spent four months, a lot longer than he expected, on the set of “Ender’s Game.” His character, a member of an army of teens trained to fight an enemy alien race, starts the movie as a trainee and works his way up in the ranks. Much like the character, Fletcher spent a lot of time over the four months in military and stunt training.
“They tried to stay true to the book. In the book, a lot of characters move on, say, to the Dragon Army,” Fletcher said.
Working with an acting legend like Harrison Ford was a big learning experience, Fletcher said. One of the biggest lessons, he said, was how much time Ford spent in character.
“Watching him work — he’s been around so long and he knows what he’s doing, it was really cool,” Fletcher said. “He never tries too hard, yet he gives it that flavor that everybody loves. He plays Col. Graff in ‘Ender’s Game’. With this character, he was a little stern, but he also had some little jokes. I think he really nailed it. It was fun to watch him.”
The movie has already helped open doors for Fletcher, who has acted in guest appearances on CBS’ “Big Bang Theory” and ABC’s “The Goldbergs” this year. He also acted in a pilot for The Disney Channel. If the show is picked up, he’ll have a recurring role in the show.
“Ender’s Game” is in theaters nationwide, including Lively Cinema 10 and in IMAX at AMC Destin Commons 14.