Joshua Jackson has been in the public eye since he was 13. He quickly became a household name with the ‘90s cult classic Dawson’s Creek, where he starred as the quick-witted and charming Pacey Witter. To date, Jackson is still adored by fans for that very role. If you tell him he was your teenage crush (if one can spill that as professionally as possible), he’ll laugh and say that he hopes not to disappoint before the interview begins. But trust me, he never does.

Despite his fame, the 43-year-old actor is down-to-earth, affable and charming – perhaps it’s his Canadian roots that keep him very much grounded.

While the actor has been busy with several projects, this month he is back to voice FBI agent Nate Russo in Oracle 2: The Dreamland Murders— the Canadian Audible original audiobook by Andrew Pyper that is now available on audible.ca. In this sequel, Russo is trying to track a serial killer, while his psychic powers lead him to an abandoned amusement park, Dreamland.

Jackson is currently in Los Angeles with his wife Jodie Turner-Smith and their two-year-old bundle of joy, Janie. We sat down over Zoom to talk about his return as Nate Russo in Oracle 2 and about the foundation of his relationship that we completely and totally stan for.

The Allure of Oracle 

For the Vancouver-born actor, this audio format was new to him and that intimidated him. In fact, the challenge was a draw for him and he relished this opportunity to explore the tools at his disposal when it came to this storytelling format.

“What first drew me to it honestly was just that the story was really good, regardless of what format it was going to be in. And then, I like a new challenge. So I’ve never had the opportunity to do a performance that was audio only,” Jackson explains. “I was interested in just from a performance standpoint, interested in like how to tell the story of the character or in the case of the first season, like tell the whole story, just with your voice and make each one of the characters whole and their own entity and pitching your voice into different places. So from a technical standpoint, I was curious about how to do that.

Continuing on, he says notes the reason he wanted to do it was because “Nate is a really fascinating sort of classical noir character and I thought it would be really fun to have the opportunity to tell that story.”

Telling a Human Story

It’s the human connection in this psychological thriller that makes the story all the more real and terrifying. “It’s what I think heightened storytelling allows you the opportunity to do. You use these scenarios, like, in our instance, you know, crime thriller, but also a supernatural thriller, you use these scenarios to examine very recognizable human things: the desire for connection, the duty to help, the inability to accept love or reciprocate love, like all of these things that we all do in some version of ourselves. I think you use this big, big story to tell these very human moments,” he says.

On His “Soulmate” Jodie

Jackson and Turner-Smith have become the it couple on red carpets recently. From the Critics Choice Awards earlier this year to this month’s Met Gala, the couple was serving looks, love and lust – and the internet loved it.

 

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With their chemistry being so incredibly palpable, I asked him about the secret to their relationship – what I wasn’t prepared for was how Jackson gushed about his wife and the idea of soulmates.

“I think this is what people will talk about when they talk about soulmates, right? You meet someone who is just your right match. There are other things that are true, like you have to work at a relationship, and you have to make sure that you are checking in and you’re engaged, but with some people or one person, it is just an easy fit. We just fit really nicely together. I enjoy her joy, she enjoys my joy, we lift each other up. We love having this baby together. In ways that is surprising, I think to both of us. We enjoy being married to each other, we enjoy being married, which I don’t think either one of us really knew was part of our lives’ plan. It’s just wonderful and it’s simple and it’s the most nourishing thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

At this point, I just had to ask him about the moment he knew Jodie was his soulmate. He smiled and answered, “I mean, looking back on it. I think I knew the second I saw her. Well, there’s a version of our story… the sweet version that we will tell our daughter, is that she literally walked into a room and I saw her from across the room and was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to be next to that woman.’ And that’s my wife.”

Someone please put these two in a movie together stat. Jackson is not opposed to that idea.

The Pressure of Stepping Out on the Red Carpet

While the power couple has us rooting for them on the carpets, I wondered about the pressure of stepping out and bringing their best selves forward as a couple. Jackson was quick to admit that the pressure is on the women, and he admires the fortitude that Turner-Smith brings.

“It’s a lot easier for a man. I mean, the pressure is not on us. One of the wonderful things about my spectacular wife is that situation can be quite intense for women. It’s both intense from the pressure of like wearing something, looking spectacular. And then also when you’re there, there’s a bunch of strangers literally yelling at you. So it’s not the sexiest moment you’ve ever had. I really appreciate how much she approaches that from a place of power and joy. She really steps into it. I have yet to see her be overwhelmed or feel put upon like she really steps into being this glowing, gorgeous, radiant woman that she is.”

For a conversation that started with supernatural horror and gore, and ended on a cheesy, rather cute note about soulmates, this was one for the books.

Oracle 2: The Dreamland Murders is now available on audible.ca.

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