Watchmen come to London, Jackie Earle Haley talks film

Feb 24, 2009, 12:22 GMT

Jackie - who plays one of the central characters, Rorschach - told BANG Showbiz: "I had to gaze into the abyss for months and months to get into the mindset of this character. © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

'Watchmen' received its world premiere in London's Leicester Square last night (23.02.09).

Stars of the film including Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Carla Gugino, director Zack Snyder and co-creator Dave Gibbons walked down a special yellow carpet for the event.

Jackie believes the current world political climate makes the film - which follows a group of costumed, crime-fighting vigilante superheroes who are outlawed from using force and integrated into normal society - extremely relevant.

Jackie - who plays one of the central characters, Rorschach - told BANG Showbiz: "I had to gaze into the abyss for months and months to get into the mindset of this character.

"I think he has affected me more than I realised. Especially with everything that's going on with the world, I can just see how the self centered behaviour is excused and justified.

"It's weird, it's like a little piece of his cynicism has travelled with me."

'Watchmen' is an adaptation from an award-winning comic book series.

The special effects laden, big budget film has been in the making for a number of years, with the project stalling at several stages of production.

Alan Moore, the creator of the comic book series, distanced himself from the film.

However, co-creator and original illustrator of the comic books Gibbons is happy with the end result.

He said: "Less than a week ago I saw the finished thing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it absolutely lifted me.

"I think it faithfully represented the drawing, detail and the composition of the comics but even more than that it's got the weight of it, the moral ambiguity of the original. I think it's amazingly on message."