Jumpin' Josh Flash
"You want to compare me to the Brat Pack, feel free, I mean I don't have a problem with
that. If you want to compare me to Joe, the guy who fixes your plumbing, that might be a different story."--Joshua Jackson
That's Josh Jackson. Even in the middle of the whirlwind of success that is Dawson's Creek, he views it with a high degree of amusement. When I talked to him on the set in Wilmington, NC, he was so animated that the PAs kept warning us to keep down the noise. Josh would simmer down, but soon he would be off waxing philosophical, pondering marriage proposals, and laughing his cynical laugh.
Total TV: What's it like working with Kevin Williamson?
Joshua Jackson: The hottest man alive, the busiest man alive, I mean this guy like owns the keys to the kingdom right now. It's incredible. He's caught up in this whirlwind of really legitimate hype, you know, Scream 1, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, I mean it just generates all this money. And we just got really lucky that this was his first television project. I mean it's nice and he's such a good guy, you know. And he's really a perfectionist and the scripts that he writes are really easy to do. There's not a whole lot of acting required cause his dialogue rolls off the tongue, you know, he writes in a manner in which people speak, which makes it extremely easy for a person like me to just go out there and say the words and regardless of what else I'm doing, if I'm saying the words it's OK.
What was it like doing promo stuff for Dawson's in New York City?
Totally surreal. They flew me and James up there for the Seventeen magazine function, which was truly one of the more bizarre experiences of my life. We step out on stage, me and James, both in our Blues Brothers suits, cravat ties and the hats. Everybody starts screaming. They had no idea who we were, just screaming for the sake of screaming. It was so funny. They rolled the clip, not one of them was watching the clip. It was just crazy. And then the next day, wake up--so tough--wake up, get all cleaned up, dress myself, which is really the hardest thing I had to do all day, get into the limo service and drive to our Entertainment Weekly photo shoot in you know this beautiful loft somewhere in New York. Wearing this $2,000 suit that they put me in, the nicest piece of clothing I will ever wear, and then take my limo service back to the hotel. Oh, what a day.
It's killing me. So that was my weekend in New York.
What's the hardest part for you, the biggest challenge?
Trying to be funny. I mean it's just--it's something new to do but like I said, you know, it's written well which makes my job just so much easier, it's unbelievable. If it was written poorly or if I had to struggle with it, I don't know, maybe it would be difficult but because we have good writers who are putting thought into the dialogue, into the actions that we're putting on screen, my job becomes so easy. I just basically have to show up and know the words that they've written for me and I'm golden. So really the hardest part is just adapting myself to working these hours and you know learning how to contain my energy so that I'm still awake by the time I get to the end of the day. Cause I'm generally a fairly boisterous guy.
The show's publicist said that you're reading John Locke.
Yeah, she's very proud of me for that. For whatever reason it's my particular bent as I have an interest in philosophy. Michelle reads Herman Hesse and I read John Locke and Bertrand Russell and for right now it interests me. I'm just going through and trying to read them--any knowledge is good knowledge, so the more you read the better. I've been trying to get through John Locke's Essays on Human Understanding but it's really kind of droll stuff, you know, he's a brilliant guy but not such an eloquent writer.
You sound pretty fired about education in general.
Well I mean--coming from my mouth it's a little hypocritical considering the--heinous education that I've received so far. But yeah, I mean post-secondary, going to a university is a major goal of mine when--you know, when this dries up.
When you say heinous education--
I have a G.E.D., that's the extent of my--
But you read John Locke.
It doesn't mean--it makes no difference. It's just that the G.E.D. is a farcical test. I've never been more ashamed of myself in my life than when I got to the end of that test and just went, oh, God, I can't believe I just did this. They give you 7 hours.
So you're planning on going back at some point?
I definitely--I intend on--I'm going to a post- secondary institution. I mean I'm not a grades-oriented person, I have no desire to be an A or B student, that's not what drives me. But just learning in general. And going to school just to--to sit amongst, you know, a group of my peers and reap the benefit of having 40 minds tackling a problem which means that you inevitably are going to have 40 different views on which way to do it. And just learning from that. I think it's great. I mean I think that's the biggest blessing of the university atmosphere. I can read all the books I want but I can only think with one mind and I don't have access to a bunch of different people who are tackling the exact same circumstances that I'm tackling and I just--I can't wait. And I'll probably build it up into something more than it is, but I just--I can't wait to dive in there and do stuff like that.
What is your parents' attitude about the whole experience?
Well parent singular, just my mother. My mother really wants me to go to college. But she rationally understands that absolutely this is not something that I could say well, I'll do this after college. Hollywood will wait on me. So she knows. And as much as she'd like me to be going to the university right now, she's pleased as punch that I'm getting to do something that I enjoy doing and it's setting me up to do whatever I want for the rest of my life. If this show were to run a couple of years, I would be happy to have a comfortable enough cushion that I could go to college and have a couple years without being in the immediate jeopardy that most kids are, when they turn 19, when you move out on your own for the first time and you know you work your start-out job. And 90 percent of my friends right now are going, oh, man, this is not high school and this is not my parents' house, what am I doing? So--so yeah, I mean this is just--it's a golden opportunity and I'm just so thankful that I'm able to be here and my mother absolutely understands that. I mean it's huge to have your parents' support, I mean it's massive. So yeah, because it's just me and my mother and my little sister, it's--you know, it's immeasurable having her be behind there.
What's your major criticism of the other teen drama shows like Party of Five?
Before this show I didn't really watch a lot of the teen-oriented dramas. And I don't know if I'd have a major criticism. I've seenParty of Five a couple of times and it just--you know, it represents these trials and turmoils--less so of growing up through high school which is what our show's about but more just you know family relations, pain, that's part of being a teenager. And you know it's difficult and your relations between your family members are inevitably going to change through these years. And then you have your shows like Beverly Hills 90210 which is really--it's more escapism cause I don't know anybody who owns a Porsche. And then My So-Called Life I've seen a couple times and I think that was a good show, that was a really good show, but it's just--there was no happy times, you know, those kids were always--it was always some sort of heavy melodrama, from what I saw. I mean this is all very spotty knowledge because I haven't seen every episode. I think that's the difference. I hope the difference between our shows, is that yeah, teendom is tough and it's difficult and it can be very uncomfortable but there are happy times too. So I think if we do it right, you know, the more holistic approach, both sides of the coin, you know, yeah, life is hard sometimes but life is also really good sometimes as well. So I think that's the difference.
I think at some point people get tired of all the whining on those shows.
You know, there are tragic parts to people's lives but not all the time. Nobody's life is entirely tragic. I really hope nobody's life is entirely tragic, or you--you'd give up and you'd just kind of shut down as a human. So--and tragedy's only poignant if you have happiness, you know, you can only really appreciate true tragedy if you've had joy. So I think you know if we do our job right here you get to see a more holistic view of going through your teen years. And I think that's really important.
It's portraying something that is positive and good and you know monumental earth-shattering life changing decisions are not made every three seconds. I mean dealing with the pain and tragedy of life in general is good and it's--you know, it's positive to have it out there because misery loves company. And if you're going through a rough time and you see a kindred spirit on television, which is a very intimate medium, because you're bringing it into your house and you're sitting in your living room watching these people probably week in, week out. So you get to know these people very well. It's--you would need to show the other side as well, I mean these people need to be having a good time. Life has to be good sometimes or else we might as well all do a lemming leap. It's got to be good sometimes.
How about your experiences with all the publicity?
I got two marriage proposals from Japan after the Mighty Ducks movies came out. From Japanese girls. Yeah. The nation of Japan. They wrote me letters and expressed their desire to have my hand in holy matrimony. It's bizarre.
Did you ever write back?
No, I didn't, I never wrote back to the Japanese girls.
That's too bad.
Yeah. I'm sure they moved on to the next Mighty Duck, I don't know, maybe they had a list. I probably wasn't even first on the list.
What do you think about comparisons to the Brat Pack?
I've never minded being compared to anybody, you know. I mean if you want to--that's actually a funny comparison, like Emilio Estevez would get a kick out of me being compared to him 10 years ago. But being compared to the Brat Pack, that's not a problem. The Brat Pack were successful actors and they made good movies and seminal movies that marked their age. So I have no problem being compared to someone--I mean especially if I'm being compared to someone successful. Sure. Compare away. It doesn't bother me. You know, people are always like, man, I don't like being compared to so and so. You want to compare me to the Brat Pack, feel free, I mean I don't have a problem with that. If you want to compare me to Joe, the guy who fixes your plumbing, that might be a different story.
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