The cast of "Because of Winn-Dixie" includes an 80-year-old Oscar winner (Eva Marie Saint for "On the Waterfront"), an Oscar nominee (Cicely Tyson for "Sounder"), a multiple Golden Globe nominee (Jeff Daniels) and an up-and-coming 11-year-old who's going to be in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (AnnaSophia Robb).

The actors all wanted to be in the movie (which opens today; see review in MovieTimes), in part, because of Dave Matthews.

Although it's directed by well-respected Wayne Wang, and although the book it's based on won the Newbery Honor award and is on The New York Times best-seller list, it's the chance to co-star in the first major movie with the frontman of the Dave Matthews Band that really got them all together.

"My mom and dad listen to him all the time," says Robb, who plays a girl who adopts a dog and names him after the grocery store she found him in. "Oh sure, I know who he is."

"Wasn't he extraordinary?" says Tyson, who plays a wild-haired hermit in the film. "I didn't know it was his first time acting in a big role like this. He's so talented."

And Saint says, "I didn't know about him, and when I said, 'Somebody by the name of Dave Matthews is in it,' my 14-year-old grandson played me all his music. He gave me the lyrics, because those lyrics are not that clear with any rock — is he rock? — well, I read the lyrics and he's such a poet. He did so much with that little role."

Dressed in a blue shirt and dark suit with a trimmed goatee and looking a lot less scruffy than he does in the film, Matthews said he has held out for years before committing to a major movie. He did a small part in "Where the Red Fern Grows" and wrote songs for "21 Grams," "Mr. Deeds" and "Matrix Reloaded," but never played as large a role as this ex-con pet-shop owner who befriends a girl and her dog.

"I've been reading scripts for years and years, and this felt right," says Matthews.

The film was ensemble enough so that he didn't have to carry the picture, and the story had a lot of heart, he said.

One of the songs he was kicking around is the "Butterfly" song, which he plays for Robb. He didn't want any of his public style to come through, so he ad-libbed this new ditty.

"... I tried really hard to make it seem like it was inspired by insecurity, or nervousness, that he started singing this song that he obviously had written for this little girl. ... "

Matthews adds that being a dad of 2-year-old twins also helped inspire the tender song. He says he particularly enjoyed working with Jeff Daniels, father of three children, who plays the preacher father of Robb's character in the film.

Daniels, who's known for bringing a guitar to the set, says, "I've always been a huge fan of his music, but I never wanted to impose on him and ask for a jam session or ask him how to do this or that with music."

But Matthews did ask Daniels for advice about acting, and Daniels says, "I told him to just play it like yourself, but instead of a guy who sells out Central Park in his 20s playing in a successful band, he goes to jail."

Another challenge was working with a baby pig, a goose, a few cats and dogs and a parrot that stood on his shoulder.

"The bird and I really kind of got into a whole weird thing; it got a little creepy," Matthews smiles wryly. "It would pull the hair on my beard, and it would go into my ears. It had this little black tongue. It was grooming me. It was awesome."