BUZZY MAG: Joshua Jackson “Fringe” Interview
By Abbie Bernstein
Joshua Jackson describes his visit to 2012 Comic-Con and his subsequent meeting with the press at the 2012 summer Television Critics Association tour as his “victory lap.” Jackson has spent five seasons playing Peter Bishop on FRINGE, the Fox series created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. In that time, Peter has reconciled with his mad scientist father Walter Bishop, played by John Noble. Then Peter learned that he’s actually from an alternate universe, the son of an alternate Walter (also played by Noble), but kidnapped as a child by this universe’s Walter when his own Peter had died. Then Peter fell for Fringe Division FBI agent Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, and her alternate universe self. In order to save both universes, Peter put himself in a machine that caused him to never have existed – but he fought himself back into existence. Now he, Olivia and Walter are in 2036, fighting to save the world from the Observers.
It’s not every role that let’s an actor do all that (in fact, no other role comes immediately to mind). Jackson, a native of Vancouver, B.C., who originally rose to fame as Pacey on six seasons of DAWSON’S CREEK and in the big-screen MIGHTY DUCKS franchise, is well aware of this. He’s also well aware that, due to the Nielsen ratings, a fifth season of FRINGE was in doubt, and that the Fox network took the passion of the show’s fans into consideration when deciding to order a final thirteen episodes to wrap up the storyline.
“It’s not lost on me what a gift that is,” Jackson says. “Say what you will about DAWSON’S CREEK, but the way that we were able to finish up that show or even MIGHTY DUCKS – the people who loved it loved it, and the people who want to tear it down will tear it down. And you know what? Frankly, FRINGE is the exact same way. For the people who love science fiction, it’s a great show; for the people who just can’t get into science fiction, they just don’t understand at all. But the opportunity for us, for me as an actor and as a man and as a guy who’s been doing this for more than twenty years now, not everything resonates. You have a career, and a life is long and you tell stories because you want people to enjoy them. And this story has resonated with people and I know how rare that is, so I want to enjoy the process of honoring people’s commitment to the show, honoring my own commitment to the show and just finishing up in a way that, when I look back on this in six years, I don’t go, ‘Ah, I missed that opportunity...’”
Fringe returns with a NEW episode on Friday, January 11, 2013 at 9/8C on FOX. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EPISODE TRAILER FOR 'THE BOY MUST LIVE.'
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