Watchmen Set Visit: Jackie Earle Haley

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Watchmen Set Visit: Jackie Earle Haley

Source:Ryan Rotten

February 17, 2009

ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! talked to Jackie Earle Haley on the Vancouver set of Watchmen about playing Rorschach:

CS/SHH!: When we spotted you in the jail cell you were lifting weights, those things were incredibly heavy. You've been training for a while for this film.
Jackie Earle Haley: Once Zack chose me and I can't tell you how thrilled I am about that. I realized I needed to start gaining some weights and start lifting. I started on my own with my crew and my buddy Jason Clay, I was training with him. We were doing some isolated stuff and then my karate crew, we worked out together on that. When I got here, I started working with Clay who was also our still photographer. I actually started to learn a lot of great stuff about working out and eating. And a lot of it has to do with zone dietish type stuff. I discovered I was eating wrong. Way too many carbs and not enough protein. The concept of low fat doesn't work well. And this program we're working on is incredible because these guys know how to get a full workout in less than 30 minutes. I really discovered it's high impact, you're getting cardio and everything and you're getting core training which amazed me. When I got here, I thought these guys would be all about getting the arms big. They were not worried about it, that would take care of itself. I love talking about it, I'm obsessed right now.

CS/SHH!: How are you dividing the character between Rorschach when he was on the kidnapping case and the '85 Rorschach?
Haley: How he was in the book. Not sure how to answer that. Except I think it's only Rorschach and there is not Walter Kovacs. I think that everything conspired to make it that way. This guy never had a chance. He's just one messed up individual. Every bit of vigilante work that he does is the inner child striking out. Smacking his mom in the face every time. I think some kids can grow up in an environment like that and survive it and be a normal, adjusted person to a degree. Function in society. And some people get a bit more twisted by it. Little Walter Kovacs didn't stand much of a chance. I think as he started to grow older, there are those examples of gray, complexity, justification, started to amount to a point where it's all just a bunch of bullsh*t. There's right and there's wrong. Mom needed to raise her kid. She needed to do certain things so she could make money. So she could feed this child and bring him up. But in so doing she's resentful of him forcing him to have this responsibility. Mom's justification is "Life is complex, Walter. Sure, I did some things but they justify what I was like." This justification f**ked his life totally. And he recognizes that. The reason to justify the behavior is the gray.

CS/SHH!: Can you talk about emoting beneath the mask?
Haley: We're doing a little bit of everything. It depends on what's going on with the camera, how far away it is. Sometimes I'm wearing the mask with tracking dots and my eyes are exposed. Sometimes I'm wearing a full Rorschach that's fixed. Sometimes it's dark, I can see all of you but it's like throwing a neutral density filter up. This is an interesting aspect of the character. As an actor... a vast majority of my role is wearing a sock over my head. That's different. When you look at it externally, there's Jackie looking back at this character in the movie, I've got a sock on my head. But when I look at it from the character's standpoint, it's this cool empowering character-discovering process. I do find when I'm with the makeup and hair people and wardrobe design, when you're going through that process, it's incredible way of finding out about the character. It was neat watching Rorschach get built. At one point I had this whole helmet on my head and that wasn't working out. But when all was said and done, we kept tweaking and dialing it in, one night I was doing the cemetery scenes, it's cold. We're here and it's raining in Vancouver, but they've got these rain machines making big drops. There's a shot where I'm walking up to the grave and there's this huge light behind me. I was casting this perfect shadow on the ground and I just went, "Wow, jeez..." It was like I was in the cartoon, I was in the comic book and the lines were just so perfect. That was pretty empowering when that starts to come together. My mind is able to get deeper into the guy. It's like walking onto a set like this, the world starts to come around you. This whole red head thing... it's a transformation too.

CS/SHH!: How familiar were you with the source material?
Haley: I've never been a huge comic book fan. Growing up, a lot of my friends were just really into comics and for some reason, I just discovered reading a lot later, when I was 15. I just started reading novels, I do recall seeing the characters, so I had heard about it. I recall three or four years ago I read people were suggesting me for this role. I think I flipped through a comic book, not the graphic novel. As this became a reality, I really dove into it. And I now want to read more graphic novels. Because you read this on a first pass and you're like, "Wow this is really good." Then you get into the depth on the second pass. At a certain point, I had to let it go so I could just focus on the Rorschach stuff. Because the book is so full of amazing depth and symbolism. All of that stuff you read just ties together.

CS/SHH!: Rorschach is the most popular character in the book, why do people take to him so much? Is it his complexity?
Haley: I don't know. I think maybe it gets back to what I was saying before. We all know we live in this complex world, but it'd be neat if things were a lot more simple. A lot of times, too, the complexity is in the eye of the beholder. Other people who have a third party perspective, it's a lot more simple. I don't know.

CS/SHH!: What's it like working with Patrick again?
Haley: Awesome. As a matter of fact, we were doing our first scene together and it was in Veidt's place where we get there and are looking around. There I am in my sock and there he is in his goggles and I said, "Who would've guessed this sh*t about two years ago?" He started laughing. Hey in two years time we're going to be standing here in these outfits!

Watchmen opens in conventional and IMAX theaters on March 6.

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Posted by: PROLIFIK1 on February 17, 2009 at 00:46:43

The anticipation is piling up. I hope I'm not disappointed...

Posted by: MOVIE MASTER on February 17, 2009 at 00:57:03

lol dis dude never read watchmen and looks identical to walter funny stuff

Posted by: J. Jonah Hexas Texas on February 17, 2009 at 02:18:38

I can't believe it's only 3 weeks away now. This movie is going to blow some minds, I have no doubt. Yet again defining a new boundary on what it means to be a comic book movie, what a comic book movie can be. Classic cinema!

Who Watches The Watchmen?

I will, about 3 or 4 times at least.

Posted by: Tyrone on February 17, 2009 at 06:43:12

The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. I look forward to taking a bite, but there is no high anticipation. Hopefully they got it right, but if not, keep looking forward because there is more to come. I bought the GR to get familiar with the story, and I think Snyder tried as much as he could to stay close to the source material. However, in the end Moore is right because they changed enough of it not to be the same. If it's like IM, then good, the changes will be necessary for film. If it's like B&R, look out another one down the drain.

Posted by: Rorschach on February 17, 2009 at 15:13:28

Hurm. Niki, if you don't stop spamming, I will snap your pinky fingers...

.']['.

Posted by: Justice on February 17, 2009 at 15:23:31

It seems niki has just asked with a pretty please, to start a war on spam. Vigilantes and Bounty Hunters will find you, and when you scream and shout save me, we will whisper...F that...we will scream in your face, NOOOOOOOOO

Posted by: Arch enemy on February 18, 2009 at 20:22:41

This movie will either be epic or a nightmare...I'm hoping for the best. Maybe with IM,TDK, and Watchmen hollywood will see that if you invest talent and story we'll see these movies multiple times, tell others to see it, and buy the special addition DVDs

Posted by: The One on February 18, 2009 at 20:29:32

IMAX...all the way

Posted by: batgirl25 on February 19, 2009 at 17:17:50

I saw the movie already thanks to a special screening through MTV Spoilers and let me tell you that you will not be disappointed by this movie. It just blew me away. It was definitely more enjoyable and thrilling to watch this compared to TDK..and believe me I was not expecting that. Rorschach is a badass and you better believe Snyder and Jackie Earle Haley nailed it.

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