Joshua Jackson Talks Trek Audition, Fringe Secrecy

Actor Joshua Jackson, best known to TV audiences as Pacey Witter on Dawson’s Creek, is the star of Fringe, the upcoming sci-fi show created by Star Trek director/producer J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. In an interview Jackson revealed that he auditioned for a role in Abrams’ Star Trek. He also discusses Abrams famous secrecy for Trek and Fringe.

Jackson not only auditioned for Trek, but he believes it was that audition that got him his current job on Fringe. From the interview:

I had auditioned for Star Trek, which I think was sort of my audition for [Fringe]. Nobody will say that but I think that is the truth.

Jackson did not specify what role he auditioned for, but a good guess would for one of the big three (Kirk, Spock or McCoy) and my money is on Kirk. Jackson also commented on the measures taken by the production team to prevent secrets from leaking out into the public.

As much as I am enjoying working for J.J. and Bad Robot right now, he is like a hunted man. Everything that he does or writes down, people are trying to get on the internet. I have never dealt with so much security. My script has my name printed on it, they have to change the letters inside the script to serialize them so they know who leaked it in case it gets out. I also had to sign a non-disclosure agreement for when I get my script every week.

According to Jackson, the chance to do “good work with good people” is what attracted him to Fringe, and he finds the script by Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman to be “excellent”. Jackson also sung praise for Abrams, stating:

You can’t really get any better than J.J. Abrams as a producer on television or film. Alias was pretty damn good, Lost is excellent, and Felicity was good as well. He’s definitely made his mark on television. That is the difficulty of television, maintaining quality and being able to keep cranking these things out.

For the complete interview, head over to Total Sci Fi.

Fringe premieres on September 9th on FOX.

New Fringe Posters
In other Fringe news, Fox has released three new posters for the show (click to enlarge)

 

 

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First….
thing I’d like to sat is that he was more than likely auditioning for the part of Kirk.

More McCoy than Kirk to me…

Second…….ly
Does anyone else worry that this show is going to get any X-Files backlash from that awful movie that was just released? And this coming from an X-Files fan.

i agree with Cody,more McCoy but to much of a baby face.

with just a wee bit o young pike mixed in

Arrrrrr…

I get me underwear stitched wit’ me name and each pair be serialized so I can track down whichever pair leaks.

JJ Abrams should really do somethin’ aboot tha’ static electricity on his sets… and stop havin’ security beat me ta’ a pulp each time I steal one o’ his napkins… I canna tell ye’ aboot Fringe but I can tell ye’ what he likes on his bagels…

Also… I be tha’ only one who liked tha’ recent X-Files movie? (uh,oh… I feel the thread takin’ on a tangent away from its origi’null intent…) Go back!

Arrrrrrr…

I agree with 2 and 4. He definitely has that McCoy look.

Reading a post by British Naval Dude is like reading a comic written by Grant Morrison. You have to read it a couple of times to make any sense of it. ;)

Nice to see JJ casting more Lord of the Rings actors (‘Eomer’ is McCoy and now ‘Denethor’ is in Fringe).

3. THX-1138 The Fandom Menace –
“Does anyone else worry that this show is going to get any X-Files backlash from that awful movie that was just released? And this coming from an X-Files fan.”

I think the opposite. I think people who miss X-Files and were disappointed by the recent movie will be drawn to Fringe as its’ heir apparent.

I liked the “X-Files” movie. I liked the FIRST one more, but I still liked this one. Now, I eagerly await the rumored “Millennium” movie.

No, I think it will be one of those “pale comparison” shows. I think it will be along the lines of Dancing With the Stars/So You Think You Can Dance? and American Idol/America’s Got Talent. Or maybe it’s more like C.S.I./N.C.I.S. or Grey’s Anatomy/ House. Of course I don’t watch any of these shows and have no idea what any of them is about. I wouldn’t know if one were a pale comparison or not. As a matter of fact I have no idea why I’m commenting on any of this.

Oh yeah. Fringe looks a little too much like X-Files in concept to me. Ya’ know, FBI agents investigating strange, maybe paranormal goings on. Doesn’t exactly smack of “original” idea. Maybe the actual show will be different, but right now I ask myself what reason this show has for being.

If I’m not mistaken, Joshua Jackson was one of the actors in the running to play Anakin Skywalker in Eps. II & III. In retrospect, I wish he would’ve gotten that role!

I had the opportunity to preview the pilot (like so many others recently), and I must say, this show is so very much *not* like X-Files. The extreme, extreme, extreme basic premise is there, yes, but that’s all it shares.

They have a true pair of scientists on the show, albeit opposite each other on the spectrum, but the essence remains that a good majority of the show is grounded in science (or near-future theoretical sciences). No easily tossed explanations of aliens or mcguffins.

Looks are deceiving. Give the pilot a shot, and keep in mind it’s only the first episode. Acting is a bit shaky (chemistry, no pun intended), dialogue stunted in some areas (Anna Torv’s accent slips out a few times), but nothing that can’t be ironed out. Editing is topnotch. I’ll definitely give it a watch this year.

I saw Joshua Jackson do a 2 man play with Patrcik Stewart.

Immature to say, but THAT WAS ALMOST KIRK AND PICARD!

#13

Are you a plant? jk

I’ll grant the show a pass at first, but it needs to separate itself from X-Files immediately. I mean, is the basic premise FBI agents (right?) investigating odd stuff? Out of all the places they could have started premise-wise, why that? It would seem to be ham-stringing your show by making it so similiar to an already well established show concept. Why couldn’t the scientists work for the Department of Defense? Or have a show on Discovery channel and come across phenomenon that was so bizarre they couldn’t get anyone to take them seriously due to their links to TV?

Maybe I’m the only one on earth that sees it this way.

8. thanke’… Well, here’s a simpler post then:

can’t resist tha’ tangent…

Isn’t Phantom Freak Force FBI or whatever a show already (‘sides tha’ X-Files)????

15.
How aboot hookers? Each week a new “client” is some sort of weirdo alien supernatural doo-hickey. Their impetus ta’ track down and explain tha’ baddie is so they can get paid. Or they just have high-tone FBI agent clientele who spill tha’ beans aboot Bigfoot.

Anyways, we feature their boss (aka “pimp”) who develops this team o’ prostitutes which become freak experts outta’ experience (that’s their job description anyways.) The thing is, Chuckie tha’ Pimp just wants ta’ beat up on tha’ baddies, not try ta’ understand them or bring them out inta’ tha’ public- just pummel tha’ creatures until they pay up.

Chuckie’s Devils, we could call it… wait… how unoriginal and pedestrian it has all become… and thar’s enough trash on tha’ telly fur pets and children ta’ avoid as is…

Hmmm… maybe yer Discovery Channel bit is better… or maybe they could be pefume manufacturers… a family in a tourbus?

Arrrrrr…

I could really care less if the series is like “The X-Files” or not. I mean, it’s not like “The X-Files” is on anymore. It’s been SIX years. I think it’s about time that something like it came along.

Regardless, though, the REAL reason I want to watch is simply because it’s sci-fi and it’s from the creators of “Lost”. That’s a good enough reason for me.

#16

OOHH! No! I got it!

They are a bunch of celebrity judges forced to watch horrifying acts of deluded talent being perpetrated by the backbone of America’s trailer parks and left to ponder why Jerry Springer stalks around off-stage.

Or maybe they are a rag-tag fleet of crab ships searching for monstrous alien ocean bugs to sell at contemptuously high prices to restaurants that none of us can afford to go to. Unless we made as much money as the aforementioned crab ship crews.

No, no. This is it. A fun loving group of muppets entertain kids by day, teaching them how to count and say their ABC’s all the while discovering that they are in fact blessed with super powers like the ability to make cookies disappear, hide amongst garbage undetected, or wiggle and giggle uncotrollably when tickled.

#17

It is thus that the seeds for originality are sewn. Hand me the Kool-Ade.

Secrecy surrounding Fringe? That’s odd. Watched the pilot weeks ago. ;)

#3. I agree. Bad, bad movie.

he almost looks like kefer sutherland

11. THX-1138 The Fandom Menace –
“No, I think it will be one of those “pale comparison” shows. I think it will be along the lines of Dancing With the Stars/So You Think You Can Dance? and American Idol/America’s Got Talent. Or maybe it’s more like C.S.I./N.C.I.S. or Grey’s Anatomy/ House. Of course I don’t watch any of these shows and have no idea what any of them is about. I wouldn’t know if one were a pale comparison or not. As a matter of fact I have no idea why I’m commenting on any of this.”

THX, you are awesome!

Of course Fringe is an X-Files’ rip-off. Just about everything these guys do ( Abraham / Orci / Kurtzman / Lindelof) is derivative of other people’s work. I don’t necessarily hold this against them. They are grown up fan-boys, so that should be expected. I do wish we get a future generation of artist and producers, more seriously expressive and heavily influenced by Shakespeare, Dicken’s, and Shaw and not comic books, video games, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I can’t help but think this could make the movies and TV a hell of a lot better.

Izbot, my friend, if by awesome you mean troubled and obtuse with no guidance or sense of self, right and wrong, and dignity, then right you are!

Of course, if you actually think I am awesome, then thanks!

#24

How dare you besmirch the good name of our sixteenth President! Retract your statement or prepare yourself for defense! A nation demands satisfaction!

Oh, you meant Abrams. Very good then.

THX_1138, everything JJ does is un-original give me a break !!
This show looks like crap,
(Big X-Files fan, even loved the 2 film)
Couldn’t care less about the Fringe.

“Fringe premieres on September 9th on FOX.”

Let’s all watch it so FOX doesn’t cancel it after 5 episodes, shown in the wrong order.

#27

I think we are agreeing on some of this, no? But go ahead and take your break. You have five minutes.

Big X-Files fan for the first 5-6 seasons. 1st movie was OK. 2nd movie made me feel like flinging my complete X-Files series DVD’s into the river. But that would be polluting. And I didn’t want to make the Native American feller cry.

28.

You better hope they don’t air it in 5 different timeslots on five different days over 10 weeks.

Fox worries me more than Sci-Fi does. I can’t count the programs they’ve cancelled before their time. If they’d had any touch on reality, they would never have spawned off the ‘wrestling’ channel that grew off Fox’s castoffs and popular syndication.

Please, please, please don’t cancel Sarah Connor ya pseudo-Cracker Jack box graduates. Some of us actually *do* watch it (was there ever any question as to renewal? Do they live in the Antarctic and not even know there’s a movie that carries free marketing with it coming?).