YOU WON’T FIND JOSHUA JACKSON SHORT ON OPINIONS.
Overcaffeinated and overscheduled, he’s squeezing in
lunch between New York press meetings for his new
movie, The Skulls—a college-campus conspiracy
thriller—before he hops a flight back to North Carolina to wrap an
episode of Dawson's Creek. Still, he has the time—and interest—to
weigh in on just about any topic you throw at him. Like presidential,
candidate George W. Bush: “People say, ‘He doesn’t have much to say,
but he’s really charismatic.’ So? Are you that f—ing stupid? If looks
mattered, Brad Pitt would be President. Drives me nuts!” Or
his favorite literary villain, David Cop
perfield’s Uriah Heep: “He’s such an
evil prick, the worst kind of evil. I’d
love to play that character.” Or the up
coming Lord of the Rings movie trilogy,
which he can’t wait to see: “It’s not an
other science-fiction geek thing, it’s the
science-fiction geek thing.... Now I’ve
just revealed the fact that I’m an ab
solute geek. Josh Jackson: dork.”
Inner nerd aside, Jackson’s display
ing all sorts of new personas of late.
Leading man, for one: The Skulls
marks Jackson’s first feature starring
role—a shot at swapping supporting
parts in films like Cruel Intentions and
Urban Legend for headlining fare. “If
the movie’s successful, people will start
offering me a more diverse range of
roles,” says the actor, still best known
as Dawson’s Creek’s caustic Pacey. “If
it’s not, do I step back, step forward,
go sideways? I don’t know.”
Jackson’s direction will be clearer
once audiences see the Universal flick,
in which the actor plays Luke McNa
mara, a working-class scholarship stu
dent at an Ivy League college, who
joins the university’s elite secret soci
ety. Membership in The Skulls means
easy access to money, power, and sex.
Downside: blackmail, bribery—and
the cover-up of a killing. In short,
steep dues. “It’s a morality tale—
hopefully there’s that layer,” Jackson
says. “But all bulls— aside? You’re
just supposed to enjoy yourself.”
chummy campus atmosphere among
people who’ve just met—or, like Jack
son, 21, have never attended college.
For authenticity, Cohen ordered Jack
son and Harper to get up at 5 a.m. for
some weekend rowing lessons—their
character's are on the college team. “All
l ne cast—which in
cludes Leslie Bibb (The
WB’s Popular), Paul
Walker (Varsity Blues)
as a fifth-generation
Skull, and Hill Harper
(In Too Deep) as Jack
son’s outsider roomie—
certainly had a fine
time during the shoot
in and around the
University of Toronto.
“Josh and Hill and I
were like the Muske
teers,” says Bibb, 26,
STARRING ROLL Skulls
Jackson [with Bibb]
T
l naa to ao was nire a
Nazi crew coach. He
worked Josh and Hill
until they were droop
ing and dropping,” Co
hen laughs. “That put
them close together
very quickly.” Bibb
took dart lessons—then
played Jackson and
Harper for money. And
Cohen hosted rap ses
sions “about life and sex
and college,” he says.
“It was the microwave
who plays Jackson’s love interest,
Chloe. “If I’m lucky enough to get an
other movie this summer, I think I’m
screwed because that was the best
summer of my life. Great people to
work with. Great food, great drinks.”
One challenge for director Rob Co
hen (HBO’s The Rat Pack): creating a
version of how to cook a friendship.”
Walker seconds: “There weren’t any
a—holes. Josh is smart and funny as
s—. Leslie is sweet as can be—fun to
flirt with—Hill is cool.”
Bibb—the only woman with a sub
stantial role—also got a fast lesson in
how to be one of the guys. The testos
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