Joshua Jackson: I Wanted To Quit Acting After Dawson’s Creek

(Getty Images)

Joshua Jackson revealed during a new interview with Elle that he wanted to quit acting after “Dawson’s Creek” ended in 2003 because the show was such a “grind.”

The actor noted that there is “so much less to do” on his Showtime series “The Affair,” which is only 10 episodes long, compared to the hours he spent filming a full season of “Dawson’s Creek” for network TV. “At that time in my life what I wanted to do was not be an actor,” he recalled. “I was quite burnt out. It’s a lot of work. And on that show we were doing 22 episodes a year.”

Jackson explained, “It’s a grind. Truthfully, the process of making 22 episode of television a year is not very pleasant. I just wanted to stop. It wasn’t until the following year when I went and did a play in London that I actually enjoyed being an actor again.” When discussing whether TV would be different without him if he had quit, Jackson joked, “I think pop culture would have survived without me.”

The actor, who has been with his girlfriend Diane Kruger for eight years, also talked about how he’s a feminist who believes in chivalry. “I mean, it’s not the patronizing, patriarchal version [of chivalry] where women aren’t competent and capable,” he explained. “Maybe I just inherited my mother’s version of feminism. But to me you can be simultaneously kind and chivalrous without being patronizing.” Jackson continued, “I feel like there’s a degree of grace with which you can live your life when it comes to the opposite sex and you should. It comes easy. It’s actually a net benefit to your life, right? When you behave well towards somebody regardless of what you’re receiving, you feel better about yourself. So be decent to people.”

What do you think of Jackson’s comments?