WASHINGTON, D.C. — Heroes descended upon the capital for Awesome Con this past weekend. Over three days, an estimated 60,000 people were expected for the geek-culture festival featuring celebrity guest heroes from Firefly, The X-Files, and Dr. Who.
The Washington Examiner spent the event with John DeLaura, who dressed as Dr. Henry Jones Sr., made famous by Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Impressed fans asked for pictures and shared their love for the onscreen dad.
“I was really excited about that particular character,” DeLaura said. “But also, somebody my age, there’s a limited number of characters that a person like me can play.”
The 72-year-old has been cosplaying Jones Sr. for almost a decade and has spent five years perfecting every detail to match the movie. Fans of the film take notice, as many would yell, ‘Dr. Jones!’ from across the convention floor to be able to ask for a picture.
“Oh, I love the attention. It’s really a big, big plus,” DeLaura said. “I had [the suit] custom-made from a bespoke tailor in Colorado. It took me several years to put all the pieces of the outfit together. Right down to the cufflinks he wore in the movie.”
The Washington Examiner spoke to some of the fans who stopped to take a picture about why this character means so much to them.
“Just infinite class, timeless style,” Heychickenhead, who was cosplaying Guy-Man from Daft Punk, said. “It’s very rare to see Indy with his father, and Last Crusade is also my favorite movie.”
“I really love the father-son relationship from the movie,” said Elona, a DMV resident. “I just think it’s a really positive depiction.”
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DeLaura, who grew up a fan of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, says he really enjoys all the costumes, even if sometimes he has no idea who they are.
“Looking at the creativity of all the different people here, the enthusiasm, the wide variety of people who are just excited and thrilled about movies, comic books, and video games,” DeLaura said. “It’s just an exciting environment.”
