Joshua Jackson Was 'Caught Off Guard' When theDawson's CreekTheme Song Played at the 2024 Emmys: 'A Genuine Laugh'

Mar. 15, 2025

Joshua Jackson onstage during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024.Photo:Kevin Winter/Getty

Kevin Winter/Getty

Joshua Jacksonwas just as caught off guard as the audience was when theDawson’s Creektheme song played at the2024 Emmy Awards.

The actor, 46, walked onstage withMatt Bomerto present the Governor’s Award to Greg Berlanti and as he entered, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” began playing. At the time,Jackson couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him onstage.

“That was just a genuine laugh,” he toldThe Hollywood Reporterof the viral moment. “That was me being caught off guard and laughing.”

“Matt and I, we were standing backstage and, as you get closer, I think we were both getting into the sweaty palm moment," he said of what was going through his mind before stepping onstage. “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?'”

“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."

Matt Bomer and Joshua Jackson at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty

Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty

“I remember being so proud…to be a part of that show and at the same time, I didn’t understand how big it was,” Jackson said.

He described the series, which premiered on Sept. 26, as “a tribute to the ABC shows of my youth” toTHR.“I really wanted to work on something that, even with all of the drama, and even with all of the fates of medical events on every episode, that ended up in a positive place. This was that."

Joshua Jackson attends the premiere for ABC’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’ at Bel-Air Bay Club on September 18, 2024.Emma McIntyre/Getty

Emma McIntyre/Getty

At the show’s premiere in L.A., he told PEOPLE that he likes “pushing the envelope,” as Murphy is known to do, as he teased what surprises were to come onboard.

“I think it keeps audiences on their toes. It makes the show fun and he likes to push the envelope, but he also keeps the characters in the world grounded enough that it feels like it’s earned,” Jackson said of the medical procedural. “It’s not just craziness for the sake of craziness.”

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Doctor Odysseyairs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, andDawson’s Creekcan be streamed on Hulu.

source: people.com