Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Zack Snyder of Watchmen

Director Zack Snyder and actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan offer some insight into the tunes that fuel this spring’s most anticipated film, Watchmen…

A Taste:

Frank Sinatra

Even superheroes need to rock out. Music is a central element of director Zack Snyder’s hotly anticipated big screen adaptation of one of the most revered graphic novels of all-time, Watchmen. Bob Dylan figures heavily, and one of the film’s masked heroes, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), likes his heavy metal hard and fast.

About the film’s Dylan connection, Snyder explains, “Those three Dylan songs are referenced in the graphic novel, and they speak to the overall tone of the book. When we made the movie, the idea was to find that tone. It’s that inexplicable Watchmen quality that’s a slightly meandering and visceral experience all at the same time.”

He continues, “Not only is Dylan music of revolution and music of the common man, but it’s also intellectualized. The cool thing for me was when I realized ‘The Times They Are A-Changing’ was the right song for the title sequence. I felt like you instantly know you’re not in a normal superhero movie. For someone who has no idea what the graphic novel is, they may think, ‘Oh, this is like X-Men or something,’ but the movie starts, that song comes on and it’s not normal. I do love the instant statement Dylan’s music makes too.”

For Jeffrey Dean Morgan, music was crucial for his character, the Comedian. He even used it to get into the Comedian’s dark head space. “Going into a film, I usually make a playlist on my iPod for my character. It can change throughout the film. The Comedian listened to some Frank Sinatra and some really heavy metal [Laughs]. I found some weird speed metal, which I listened to when doing the Vietnam scenes. A soundtrack always helps. Jackie Earle Haley and I were probably isolated more than anyone, on set and off. When you’re in that dark mindset, you like to be alone. If we went out to dinner, it was like, ‘Wow, we’re out in public!’ The Comedian, being a little bit different than anything I’d ever played before, had an important soundtrack. I listened to it the other day, and I was like, ‘Wow, I was fucking nuts. That’s some insane music!’”

Jackie Earle Haley adds, “Making a character playlist is a great thing to do because music can have so much mood and feeling to it. It can help trigger a certain attitude. I don’t picture my character Rorschach listening to music at all though [Laughs].”

Check out our exclusive Watchmen playlists below!

Zack Snyder’s Watchmen Playlist (Bob Dylan Selections):

1. Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changing”
2. Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”
3. My Chemical Romance – “Desolation Row”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Playlist for “The Comedian”:

1. Frank Sinatra

—Rick Florino
03.03.09

Tags: Frank Sinatra, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Watchmen, Zack Snyder