Joshua Then and Now

by: Bob Thompson
Toronto Sun, April 3, 2000

The Skulls star Jackson talks about his growing fame

NEW YORK -- Don't expect Joshua Jackson to join the actors' diplomatic corps any time soon.

Smarmy bafflegab? Not for this 21-year-old. He's the straight-talking co-star of the hit TV series Dawson's Creek and the murder thriller feature The Skulls, now on screen.

Jackson is asked if the Rob Cohen-directed Skulls has something to do with Yale's secret Skull And Bones society.

"Oh, it has everything to do with it," says the Vancouver actor, who plays a university rower mixed up with the secret association.

Also in the picture, which was filmed last summer in and around Toronto, are Paul Walker, Leslie Bibb, Christopher McDonald, William Petersen and Craig T. Nelson.

While the movie is fiction, some of the references are purported to be accurate.

"I studied the 18-page Internet Skull And Bones dossier, which is basically a list of everybody, their positions in industry, their positions in government," Jackson says. "It also lists various nefarious acts and deeds."

Jackson also maintains that information he obtained suggests that former U.S president George Bush used his membership to great advantage during his CIA days.

To change the subject, Jackson adds, "And yes, I did my own rowing. I rowed my ass off, although the power comes from the legs."

Most of Jackson's casting power comes from Dawson's Creek, in which he portrays the down-to-earth Pacey. He admits that the show has faltered this season without Kevin Williamson's guidance, but he expects it to recover soon. He hopes so. It's his acting meal ticket.

Just three years ago, Jackson remembers being "desperate" for an acting job despite his appearances in the popular Mighty Ducks trilogy.

"I was begging, literally begging, for work before Dawson's Creek," he recalls.

His TV show led to smaller parts in movies such as Scream 2, Urban Legend, Apt Pupil and Cruel Intentions.

The Skulls is his first leading role. Next month, he's in the film Gossip with Kate Hudson and James Marsden.

It all adds up to fame and fortune -- and lots of teenaged fans who like his "Tom Hanks Jr." accessibility. Jackson's fine with that.

"Only one guy on earth has to deal with thousands of teens showing up wherever he goes, and I'm not Leonardo DiCaprio," says Jackson, who refuses to complain about the attention.

Mind you, he has had a few close encounters with fan hysteria. "There's a particular pitch that girls can hit with their voices," he says, chuckling. "You can't even simulate it in a lab.

"And the funniest thing is to watch this pack mentality, to see how little we've progressed from monkeys. All of us."

Those crazy kids. "Yeah, kids," says Jackson. "I want to move on to the panties-and-pictures part of my career, but given that the Dawson's Creek audience is mostly 12 to 18, I thought, 'Not good, that's child pornography.' "

Funny. But Jackson wasn't laughing last summer after he saved two females from drowning off the North Carolina coast.

"They repaid me by selling the story to The Star magazine," he says.

"I bumped into one of them at my local grocery store and she said, 'Hey, I just sold the story to The Star magazine!' "

"Next time," Jackson says, smirking, "I'll say, 'I'm sorry, I'll come out and save you in a second -- after you sign this waiver.' "