Pacey Grows Up

Joshua Jackson Talks Bobby, Politics and Broken Windows

Go figure. The very day I am supposed to go interview Joshua Jackson about his role in Emilio Estevez’s multi-character melodrama Bobby would be the very same afternoon Seattle decides to have one of its most powerful wind and rainstorms in over a decade. Why does this matter? Instead of sitting all warm and cozy down at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel I had to go back to my downtown apartment and deal with a blown-in window and a living room full of waterlogged paperwork and a mountain of soggy wet leaves.

Not my idea of fun to say the very least.

Thankfully, the former television cutie who got his start as Pacey on “Dawson’s Creek” is a good sport, going out of his way to give me a call a few hours later so we could still conduct our interview via phone during his lunch break between appointments. Talk about commitment. The actor must really feel the film is worth the effort on his part.

And it’s easy to see why. After having to play The Good Kid (“The Mighty Ducks”) or The Troubled Teenager (“The Skulls,” “Cruel Intentions”) so many times that doing so again would probably drive the poor guy nuts, Estevez cast the actor as an intelligent and driven adult. More so, he let him make the most of the thinly constructed character, Jackson far more dynamic and multifaceted than I’d ever have expected him to be. It’s a splendid turn on his part, and talking to him about it (even with the wind blowing through the plywood and the damp musty smell emanating from the carpet) proved to be almost as winning as watching the actor accomplish the task on screen.

Sara Michelle Fetters: What was it that originally drew you to the project?

Joshua Jackson: The script. I had read it back in 2000 and thought it was wonderful. It really spoke to my own personal politics, but at the same time it was extremely fair and balanced, something you don’t see that often in political motion pictures.

[Also], it really spoke to a momentous time in American politics. The 1960’s were such a turbulent period and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy was such a turning point in many ways. Emilio [Estevez] really tapped into that with this and it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of.

Svetlana Metkina and Joshua Jackson in Bobby.

SMF: A lot has happened in six years. I imagine that this project has morphed quite a bit from the time you were originally approached about being a part of it.

JJ: Yes it has. Ironically, the part I was the most interested in at the time, the role of [Kennedy aid] Wade Buckley, eventually ended up being the part I was asked to play. I imagine that if we had made this picture back in 2000 that would not have been the case and I would have ended up playing one of the two strung-out poll workers portrayed by Shia Labeouf and Brian Geraghty. But I’ve done so many rolls like [those] I’m actually kind of glad we ended up making this movie now.

SMF: Why is that?

JJ: It’s rare you get to be in a movie that so overtly talks about politics, that really has something to say. Wade is such a great character in regards to that dynamic. He’s a true believer; someone who honestly thinks Kennedy has the potential to change things going on in the country. Emilio wrote him to be a driving force, a conscience figure helping to bring people into the fold. I liked that. He was a smart, passionate and a very driven young adult and I could relate to him.

SMF: Even though Bobby concerns itself with that tragic night of the assassination in 1968, many of the topics and issues threading through the picture are extremely relevant to today. Do you agree with that statement?

JJ: Sadly I do. There is an odd bit of cosmic timing going on with this [picture] I think. Bobby is a real reminder of a more genteel time in American politics, a time when, I think, as a country we really started to get the idea we could feel hopeful again. I mean, while we were trapped in this war in Vietnam on the verge of going nowhere and while the civil rights movement had suffered a tragic loss with the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I think Bobby Kennedy really spoke to the ideals dearest to us as a nation.

When he died, I think we lost a lot. The idealistic heart of the nation broke and, with the election of [Richard] Nixon, we saw the resurgence of conservative America take hold once again. In a way, I think we lost faith in ourselves, faith in the ideals many of our parents celebrated during the 1960’s.

Now, look at today: we’re stuck in a war going nowhere, race relations are in the news again thanks to [Hurricane] Katrina and talk of immigration reform, conservatism is dialed up thanks to those on the extreme side of the political spectrum, and so on and so forth. Who is there to point the way forward? Who is there right now to lead the way? I think this movie touches on those issues, brings up questions people really need to be thinking about when they decide which direction they want this country to be headed in. You only get the democracy you vote for, right?

SMF: True enough. That said, just from a strictly filmmaking perspective it had to be intimidating being part of the cast Emilio was able to assemble for this picture. What was that like, walking on set with all these amazing actors like Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne, William H. Macy, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Christian Slater and Freddy Rodrigez, just to name a scant few?

JJ: It was intimidating, definitely, but invigorating, too. This was the best and brightest cast I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of. To be a peer in that ensemble was really something else. While I share most of my scenes with Nick [Cannon], just being there day-to-day with actors like Anthony Hopkins, William H. Macy, Martin Sheen and Laurence Fishburne was just phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better environment to work in. The energy on the set was extremely alive and electric.

Christian Slater and director Emilio Estevez on the set of Bobby.

SMF: What’s next for Joshua Jackson? Any big projects on the horizon?

JJ: There are always things brewing and projects that I am interested in, but not really too much I can talk about right now. I am filming a cameo in The Battle of Seattle in a few months, however. I’ll be going up to shoot those scenes in Vancouver [British Columbia] soon.

SMF: The movie about the WTO riots that happened here just a few short years ago, the one starring Charlize Theron?

JJ: That’s correct. Like Bobby, the script for that is really sensational and I’m just glad I get to be a part of it.

SMF: But it’s about Seattle, and you’re shooting it in Canada?

JJ: [chuckling] Well, I can’t really say too much about that. I just go where the cameras are. That is kind of funny, though, I have to admit. Maybe they didn’t want to deal with the weather? How’s your window doing again, by the way?

SMF: Normally I’d have a witty comeback, but seeing as I’m staring at a piece of plywood where a big pane of glass used to be, I think I might just have to admit you have a point. [laughing] Thanks again for taking the time to speak with me and for being so flexible. I really appreciate it.

JJ: Not a problem at all. Good luck on getting that window fixed.

SMF: Maybe we’ll talk again after you’re next film and we’ll get a chance to sit down face-to-face.

JJ: Sounds good. You take care.