Born in Vancouver, 22-year-old Joshua Jackson spent his formative years in California, moving back to Vancouver with his family at the age of eight. It was there that he launched his professional career, appearing in a series of television commercials promoting tourism in British Columbia. While his family shuttled between Vancouver and California, Jackson also sang with the San Francisco’s Boys’ Chorus.

Over the past year, Jackson has been busy filming three new projects. He will first appear in the indie drama The Safety of Objects, written and directed by Rose Troche, co-starring Glenn Close and Dermot Mulroney and making its debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Other up-coming films Jackson stars in are Sony/Screen Gems Lone Star State of Mind directed by Dave Semel and HBO’s The Laramie Project based on Moise Kaufman’s acclaimed play with an all-star cast including Laura Linney, Peter Fonda. Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo and Camryn Manheim.

In describing his character, Pacey, Jackson admits, “A few years ago, I had similar issues to what Pacey is dealing with. We both grew up in a community-based atmosphere. He grew up in a much smaller town, which has its own limitations and benefits, but I grew up in a community where I knew everybody in the neighborhood, went to school with all the same kids and spent a decade of my life with the same people. Like Pacey, I also have an offbeat sense of humor and get in trouble for it. But neither of us is mischievous for mischief’s sake. Pacey’s in his own world, doing his own thing, which unfortunately seems to offend a lot of people.”

Jackson continues, “Pacey’s basically an outsider at school and also feels disconnected from his family. He’s always been told he’s a screw up, so he feels like he can do anything he likes and has nothing to lose. He finds a group of friends that take him for what he is and appreciate his oddball quality. Pacey’s also the odd man out in his family, who can’t relate to his Sheriff father or his deputy brother. He’s closer to his mother and sisters, but his sisters have been of at school. Because of this family dynamic, Pacey is much more comfortable with women and it is his relationship with Andie that finally causes him to start to turn his life around. This year, one of his sisters will return home and that’s going to be an interesting dynamic to explore. I was raised among females, it was just me, my mom and my sister and I’m more comfortable being around women because of that, too.”

Unlike his DAWSON’S CREEK character, however, Jackson excelled at an early age. Landing his first feature film role in Michael Bortman’s Crooked Heats, the Mighty Duck trilogy quickly followed. While playing Charlie, the coach’s hockey prodigy and the team’s voice of reason, he also appeared in Andre the Seal and Digger. More recently, Joshua had scene-stealing cameos in Columbia TriStar’s Cruel Intentions and Urban Legend, and featured performances in Universal Picture’s The Skulls, Warner Bros.’ Gossip, Bryan Singer’s Apt Pupil and Scream 2.

As a regular on DAWSON’S CREEK, Jackson and his dog now live in Wilmington, North Carolina, but still calls Vancouver home.