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"Backstage With Joshua Jackson"
by The WB.com

The WB recently caught up with Joshua Jackson for a backstage chat about what this Canadian native is planning to do during his break from Dawson's. At the top of his to-do list are some Pacey-style camping trips in the U.S., plus a jaunt to Italy, where the Gemini hopes to be starring in an independent film. Read on and view the clips for more on Joshua's summer adventures.

While Joshua Jackson could have his pick of film projects, this year he's decided to take a serious turn toward movies that are anything but teen-friendly fare.

"I'm doing a movie for HBO called The Laramie Project. It's a small role, actually. It's essentially the aftermath of the Mathew Shepard killing a couple of years ago. It's inspired a theater company that directly after the murder, they went there to Laramie and lived there on and off for almost a year, interviewing people and gathering information about what it was like to live in Laramie after this tiny town became the focus of this international furor because of this gruesome, horrific event that had taken place there."

"They were documenting the psychological effects something like that had on the people in the town. Then they put on a play about the scars that go into the community psyche. And they are turning a version of that play into a film and I play one of the characters."

"I'm the bartender who served them the drink - the last guy who saw them before they went and strung Mathew Shepard up on fence line. Who became strangely enough this sort of quasi celebrity because he's a bit of a blabbermouth. It was very odd and this is one of the things that these people researched was the ways in which people coped with tragedy. And the way that this bartender coped with tragedy was just he told the story to anybody who would listen because he felt guilty."

Why did he choose this movie out of all the others?

"The cast on this Laramie project is phenomenal. I mean, phenomenal. Sissy Spacek is in it. Peter Fonda, Christina Ricci and Steve Buscemi. A very talented group which for me is always interesting because it puts me in a situation where I have to struggle to keep my head above water and the struggle is the fun part. It's the challenge of trying to not disappear in a scene with these people because they are so good at what they do."

Does that mean Joshua still suffers from stage fright?

Q: Do you still suffer from stage fright?
A: Oh yeah. All the time.

Q: Really?
A: That's the point. I mean I would hate to stop feeling like I had gotten myself in over my head.

Q: Do you still get that kind of rush with Pacey?
A: With Pacey it's a different kind of story because usually I'm more comfortable in that role. And there's a positive side to that and a negative side to that. With the comfort level it allows me to do things that I simply won't do if I am uncomfortable. But because I am so comfortable and I know that there are certain rhythms that you fall into with the different people that you're working with where you can explore that different vein.

Like this year for example with Katie we, in my opinion, we had this very strong chemistry so when we work together you can really explore that vein and how to express all of those emotions so that you have that skill set so the next time you need it, you can bring that level of emotion into it when you are working with somebody else.

The negative side of it is if you don't push yourself, which I am guilty of, then you fall into really bad habits. We do seven to eight pages of work a day which is a lot of work and sometimes it's just a survival thing, you're just simply going through it and not giving it everything you could.

Is Joshua's summer going to be all work and no play?

"I usually take two or three weeks and just drive across country. I actually camp. I mean, this is such a gorgeous country. And I just take my car and my dog and I camp. And I don't have a cell phone and I'm not reachable by anybody, basically. I plan [the trip] roughly. There are certain things that I use as bookends. For example, if I know I have to be in a certain place by a certain time I plan around that or if there are things that I really want to see."

"Like this year I know that I want to see the Carlsbad Caverns and so I know I will have to take the southern route. And I have friends in Tucson, so instead of taking the same route I took last year I wound up in the Apache National forest and had a great time. Fantastic time. I went white water rafting in Arizona and still had time to make it up to Telluride."

Does Joshua worry about camping alone a la The Blair Witch Project?

"Well, because I am camping with an animal, my dog, it is technically much more dangerous because there's a much greater chance that my dog is going to react poorly to a bear coming into my campsite and want to get into a fight then if it was just me. He is very territorial, especially because I am there, so it's stupid of me and massively illegal having a dog in a state or national park, but he's my dog and I love him and he comes with the package!"