There is no character in Watchmen as beloved by fans of the graphic novel as Rorschach, the homicidal, weirdly socially-conservative vigilante with a penchant for fedoras, trench coats, and white masks covered in ink blots. When the government outlaws superheroes in his alternative timeline, he refuses to hang up the costume and retire, unwilling to ever compromise his integrity or mission. Jackie Earle Haley, a former well-known child actor most recognizable for his part in the Bad News Bears movies of the ’70s and the countless television shows he guest-starred on in the ’80s, was cast in the part hot off his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as a pedophile in Little Children. I sat down with him recently to discuss his career, socks, and making Watchmen. Pedophilia, thankfully, never came up.

Cole Haddon: You’ve had a roller-coaster of an acting career, and I know a lot of it wasn’t easy for you. Can you talk about what the recent high has been like with Little Children and now Watchmen?

Jackie Earle Haley: Well, it’s been incredible. To have been a child actor and watch that stuff slowly drift away, and to struggle for a few years and have to kind of find my way in this world — then to have that come back when [director] Steve Zaillian called to put me in All the King’s Men, it just opened up this door again and I was invited back into this world. It just seemed like an impossibility, like it would never happen again. So I can’t really describe what it’s like to practice this craft again, which means so much to me. And to do it at this level. It’s really just been a pinch-yourself experience after the past couple of years, what with the Academy nomination and Little Children, working with Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson [who co-stars with me again in Watchmen as Nite Owl II]. Then to play this character. I was absolutely flabbergasted when [director] Zack [Snyder] called me and offered me the part of Rorschach.

CH: I had to read the graphic novel a few times to realize that Rorschach’s mask changes in every frame, that the ink blots are actually moving. The movie, of course, makes this so obvious thanks to CGI. Did you have a sense of what your mask was going to look like while shooting? And also, what’s it like playing a role with a sock over your head?

JEH: We had some fixed Rorschach masks for stunts that were farther away from the camera, so obviously we could see a still representation. But then [our digital effects guy] showed up on the set, opened up his computer, and said, “Check it out.” It was the first test that was done, and it was like, “Oh, that’s what they’re doing!” What they did with the blots, I thought, was incredible. It looks really cool. But it was a challenge or a concern, trying to act with a sock over your head. At first you’re kind of nervous because you’re taking away your main tool as an actor, which is your face. But at the same time, you’re playing this character, Rorschach, so there’s something really motivating about putting this thing on.

CH: Zack Snyder likes to beat the hell out of his actors in fighting training for his movies, but you’ve got two black belts. Did that help you out at all with the shoot?

JEH: I think what helped me in already having some experience with martial arts is I didn’t need to do what Jeffrey [Dean Morgan and the others] did, which was show up two weeks before and go into training. Everybody went into fight training, then into choreography — so I got to skip all the fight training. I also had the additional help that my character was covered, so I had a kick-ass stunt guy who was able to do a lot of it.

CH: What forms do you have those black belts in?

JEH: Kenpo and tae kwon do. I haven’t trained for a while, but [laughs] I think I can still break this table.

CH: Finally, how familiar were you with the Watchmen graphic novel? I haven’t found one cast member yet who had actually read it before becoming aware of the role.

JEH: I wasn’t fully aware of Watchmen prior to getting the role, but after hearing the movie was getting made — and prior to the role — I became aware of what it was, who Rorschach was, and what the material means to the fan base. I immediately started getting into it. It’s an amazing piece of work. Rorschach is an incredible character and an iconic character. He’s a beloved psychopath of Comic-Con. So I recognized it was something I really wanted to do and, the more I learned about the material, the more I was like, “Wow.”

**Slight Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the graphic novel**

CH: A lot of non-Watchmen fans might not know this, but you spend 85 to 90 percent of your screen time in that mask. Did you alter your performance for the prison scenes you finally got to remove it for?

JEH: Not much, not much. There really wasn’t. I looked at that, and wondered, “What should I do here?” But to me, the guy is Rorschach. Walter Kovacs [the person he was born as] is long gone, and I think he’s Rorschach with or without that mask.

The countdown to Watchmen is almost over. Come back tomorrow for my interview with director Zack Snyder, or, for more conversations with the amazing cast, check out these interviews with Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Tags: jackie earle haley, rorschach, watchmen interviews