Video:Patrick Wilson Interview - Watchmen at Comic Con 2008
with Rebecca MurrayPatrick Wilson is Nite Owl II in the edgy dramatic film 'Watchmen' based on what's considered to be the greatest graphic novel ever written. Nite Owl's an interesting bird, and Wilson talked about taking on the role at Comic Con '08.See Transcript
Transcript:Patrick Wilson Interview - Watchmen at Comic Con 2008
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con.
Patrick Wilson – 'Dan Dreiberg' / 'Nite Owl II' in Watchmen
We actually talked before you could officially say you were hired on. You gave us some hints but you won't say it. Now that you've played him, what do you think?
Patrick Wilson: "Oh man, it was everything I wanted and more. It was just such a thrill to be a part of this process and to try and give some life to Dan Dreiberg. It's pretty thrilling."
It's a heavy weight on your shoulders though because everyone loves this novel and they're expecting this to come out perfect. Do you feel that when you're filming or do you put that aside?
Patrick Wilson: "I guess the easy answer is no, and only because, you know, I can only concentrate on playing the scene, doing this the right way, because if you get caught up in everything else, then you're not really talking about the task at hand. And luckily you've been given such a great source material that... And when your director is die-hard in trying to tell that story, then you're just following his lead, you know? I mean, because so much can happen over the course of shooting and editing and marketing, and all this, you can't get involved in all that. You feel like you want to make a movie that the fans are going to dig and really love, but maybe reach a wider audience, so that's sort of what we're going for."
This guy is so interesting. He's got such a journey. How easy was it to tap into that?
Patrick Wilson: "I don't know if it's easy but it was very clear, you know? Anytime I had questions I'd always go back to the graphic novel and they were always answered. You read that thing four or five times and then you sort of understand where it's all coming from, so I mean it's incredibly layered. There's a safety in knowing that there's that much material there because you're not just trying to create something out of a very thin one-dimensional character. I mean, these are very real, flawed people."
And getting into that costume – you're acting underneath a mask. Is that easy? Hard? How do you convey things?
Patrick Wilson: "Well I think that was a question of the lenses and the goggles, you know, because certainly as an actor some of the most expressive is your eyes. So how do you find those moments? It's funny. There are moments in the graphic novel where Dan's got his glasses on, then he doesn't have his glasses on. Then he's in the suit. Then he's got the cowl off and no glasses. Then you sort of wonder, 'Okay, what does he need his glasses for? Is he near-sighted? Far-sighted?' All those things that you sort of really dig into. But we sort of found, I think, a nice common ground of when the goggles were on and when they were off - all those sort of organic, clumsy experiences. Because I wanted to have those shots of him with his goggles around his neck. I wanted to work that in, the cowl down. All that stuff made it very human."