DH Exclusive | There's something gripping about darker characters: Jackie Earle Haley

Hollywood actor Jackie Earle Haley was born in Los Angeles and spent the better part of his growing up years there. He began acting when he was five years old and has come a long way since. He is remembered for the iconic characters that he has played like Rorschach in Watchmen, Ronald in the Oscar-nominated film Little Children and Freddy Krueger in 2010's A Nightmare on Elm Street. His television shows and web series are no less entertaining. The legendary actor turns 59 on July 14 and Sony Pix is celebrating Jackie’s birthday by screening Little Children. In an exclusive interview with Deccan Herald, Jackie takes us through his early years and talks about his best films.

What drew you to acting?

When I was five years old, my father was an actor and he was also a talk show radio host. Some friends were trying to cast the part of Dennis the Menace for cartoons and Dairy Queen commercials. And out of thousands of kids, they were looking in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago and couldn't find anybody. So, my father put me on tape and I ended up winning that part. And with my father being an actor, he was excited that I got the part. He got me an agent and I started going to auditions and I've been working pretty much ever since. I learned my craft on the set as opposed to learning it in schools.

Rorschach in Watchmen is by far the best role. Which is your favourite?

Rorschach from Watchmen was an incredibly fun character to get to play and it was a seminal comic book movie. Little Children was a complex and nuanced script. The director is amazing, you know, Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson, awesome actors getting to play that character, Ronnie McCorvey, it was a daunting and challenging character to play. And that part relaunched me back into acting. When I worked on Lincoln, that was a really interesting part, although it was much smaller. But I got to work with Steven Spielberg, and I've been a huge fan of him forever. Freddy Krueger is perhaps one of the most famous fictional characters to ever exist. So that was a great experience too.

Dark characters fascinate you. Why?

There's something about the dark characters that usually jump off the page. There are just so many different types of characters, in movies and on television that sometimes the characters are just kind of there. Usually, dark characters or unhinged characters seem to have a way of jumping off the page, they seem to have a way of being more integral to the story that's being told. And then in a lot of ways, they help find the hero of the story through the juxtaposition of your hero to the dark characters that are in the script. It helps to define the hero that we're all rooting for and watching and, it also helps to round out a story. There’s something that is gripping about darker characters.

Do you choose a script based on its subject, your character or do you look at it from the audience perspective?

I like all genres, whether it's completely fiction or dealing with the social issues that need to get out there. For me, what's really important is that the script is well written and it's complex, nuanced and engaging. It's important that the character itself has a beginning, middle and an end and that the character is developed well. It's also important to know who's directing, what their capabilities are and how long they've been doing it.

Is there a film that you wish you hadn't done?

There isn't any film that I wish I had not done. Sometimes, I do look back at several projects that I kind of wish I should have said yes to which I had passed on. There are definitely a few things that I wished I had done. But in terms of the projects that I've worked on, I think I've had a real blast and happy to have been a part of them.

What type of content sells in show business today?

The scripts have got better and the spectacles are amazing to watch. Television has come a long way in terms of scripts and being able to pick up where movies are leaving off. We're seeing a lot of complex and nuanced television shows that have incredible content, scripts and great direction. And I think slowly over the years, we're seeing that cinema and television have morphed into one. I love watching movies at home, I love streaming services that are playing original content as well as big spectacle movies.

Your television series such as Narcos: Mexico, Human Target, Preacher and Breaking Away did extremely well. How do you like working on web series?

Television has come a long way. We used to watch TV on a little square and it was standard definition, so, the resolution was really low. And the writing was very formulaic so that it would be pleasing to everybody. The more complex content was in the theatres, but nowadays, it's 4K television with high definition. Our television sets are now looking like a movie theatre screen along with all the new streaming devices. So, the writing, cinematography, and the sound and everything has reached cinematic levels. Now, whether you're watching a television show or you're watching a movie, you're getting a cinematic experience. And some of the shows that you've mentioned, like Narcos and Human Target was a fun show, but I'm pretty sure it was incredibly well-written with well-thought-out plots. Television series offer great concepts, it’s a fun arena to work in and very creative too.

How has the pandemic changed the way films are shot?

Well, I think we're slowly starting to come back now. Obviously, there's going to be some content that's being driven by doing zoom meetings and somehow turning that into the content. But I think, right now, as things slowly start to open up, they're going to create some safety measures for production. And I think that's going to have to do with isolating and quarantining people when you get them into an area to shoot and I think we have to separate them for a good couple of weeks and make sure that everybody tests negative for Covid-19. Everybody in America, are all quarantined strictly for a period of time and now we're at that point where, a lot of people are still kind of safely quarantining, but we're also trying to safely open up the economy in all areas, but production definitely will be a tricky one. But we've got a lot of people in the industry and the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild and the big producers are trying to figure out the smartest and safest way to approach getting back into production because it's definitely something that we all need. We all need to keep working because we all rely on our energy and on being able to escape and watch the shows that we love.

What are the plans for your birthday?

I don't have any plans right now, and now you've got me thinking about it. We’re still in quarantine here. We'll probably just have some friends over. We've been quarantined for a good three months or so.