What music star plays Otis in the 2005 movie "Because of Winn-Dixie"?

Music star Dave Matthews plays Otis in the 2005 movie “Because of Winn-Dixie.”

Otis is a gentle, musically inclined employee at the local pet store. He becomes part of Opal’s growing circle of friends after Winn-Dixie, the stray dog at the center of the story, brings several lonely people together in the fictional town of Naomi, Florida.

Matthews was already internationally known as the lead singer and guitarist of the Dave Matthews Band, but the film gave him a warm supporting role that showcased his understated acting style. Otis also plays guitar and sings, allowing the movie to use Matthews’s real musical identity as part of the character.

The film was released in 2005 and adapts Kate DiCamillo’s 2000 children’s novel. Wayne Wang directed it, with AnnaSophia Robb playing Opal and Jeff Daniels portraying her father, the Preacher. A common mix-up is to identify Matthews as the film’s composer; the original score was written by Rachel Portman, while Matthews appears on screen as Otis.