Joshua Jackson Was ‘Caught off Guard’ By Dawson’s Creek Song at Emmys

Joshua Jackson was not ready for the Dawson’s Creek theme song to be playing during his appearance at the 2024 Emmy Awards.

“Matt [Bomer] and I, we were standing backstage and, as you get closer, I think we were both getting into the sweaty palm moment,” Jackson, 46, recalled to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, October 10. “I think literally we were talking about, ‘How are we going to walk out here? Are we too stiff? Are we trying to play it cool?’”

Bomer, 47, and Jackson were preparing to present the Governor’s Award to one of Dawson’s Creek’s executive producers, Greg Berlanti, when they heard Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Wanna Wait.”

“We’re literally in the moment of like, ‘Well, I don’t know. What do you think?’ ‘I don’t know. What do you think?’ And we take our first step, and they start playing the [Dawson’s Creek] theme, and that was just a genuine laugh,” Jackson told the outlet. “That was me being caught off guard and laughing.”

During the awards show in September, Jackson was seen smiling while he was on stage. “Ah, yes, this song,” Jackson quipped at the time.

Jackson played the role of Pacey Witter on the show from 1998 to 2003. The series centered around Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) who was navigating school after the death of her mother. She became pals with Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and best friend Pacey.

While Dawson and Pacey both had a mutual love for Joey, Jackson’s character ultimately got his happily ever after with her. (Jackson and Holmes dated during season 1 of the series, but parted ways after a brief romance.)

Jackson, for his part, has expressed his praise for the decision to have Pacey end up with Joey. “I am the advocate!” he quipped to Entertainment Weekly in 2022. “I had a whole conversation with Kevin [Williamson] about this. Like ‘Look, I get it. This is the idea that you had in your head [to have Dawson and Joey end up together], but I’m just gonna ask you to watch the tale of the tape and this is the more interesting end for these characters.’”

As for Van Der Beek, the actor ultimately agreed that Pacey and Joey being endgame was the right call for the story. “It felt right to me,” he told Entertainment Weekly in a 2018 reunion with the cast. “It seemed like it made more sense.”