'Midnight Special' Stars on Movie's Wild Ride

The sci-fi drama focuses on a young boy with special powers who's gone missing.

ByABC News
March 16, 2016, 8:50 AM

— -- The new movie "Midnight Special" takes viewers on a wild ride as the U.S. government tries to hunt down a young boy with special powers who goes missing.

The character, Alton, is played by 13-year-old Jaeden Lieberher. Alton is on the run in the Deep South with his father, played by Michael Shannon, and their friend, a man named Lucas, played by Joel Edgerton.

"We were stationed in New Orleans and we were using very different landscapes from around there," Edgerton told "Good Morning America" news anchor Amy Robach of the shoot. "Jaeden's character can't really be out during the day so we are doing a lot of night shoots."

"Also, you can see three guys on the road when you stop and get supplies, because it's not the healthiest menu," Shannon said. "You just have like a bunch of chips and Twinkies."

Lieberher wears goggles in the sci-fi drama, part of his character's superpowers.

"I had to wear these blue goggles and at moments when lights come out of my eyes, they put these LED lights inside of the googles," he said. "I couldn't see anything and I had to act as if I was in pain."

The movie also stars "Girls" actor Adam Driver as the head of a government agency assigned to find the trio. Driver found out while shooting "Midnight Special" that he was cast in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

"I was excited for him because about mid-shoot he found out he was going to play a version of like a Darth Vader character," said Edgerton, who also has a role in "Star Wars." "I had this new reverence for his character. I thought, this guy's life is about to completely change."

Lieberher, the youngest of the movie's main characters, has already had life-changing roles starring along the likes of Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams and Bill Murray, who taught him meditation.

"I was doing this big scene in 'St. Vincent' and he took me aside because was a little nervous and we mediated," Lieberher said.

Lieberher said he also had a great time with his "Midnight Special" co-stars.

"They are both amazing actors so just watching them, and they just make the set a fun environment," he said of Edgerton and Shannon.

"And the same is likewise," Edgerton said. "Often you meet somebody who has such a kind of fresh imagination particularly working with young people, like Jayden, and you kind of go home and you also take away a lot of lessons on your own."