2 weeks Ago By People
With his role on Doctor Odyssey , Joshua Jackson has gone from teen heartthrob to "zaddy" — and he's completely OK with that. Speaking with PEOPLE at the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards , the actor, 46, spoke recalled growing up in front of audiences' eyes since his time as a teen on Dawson’s Creek in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For Jackson, a dad-of-one , he considers becoming a beloved TV boyfriend a "goal" — and says, "I'm there finally after all these years.
" "I did get called 'Zaddy' on set, like literally on camera," he jokes. "And I think that's a moment for me. I took it.
I was good with it. I earned it." In response to a joke that he's become somewhat of a "Captain Zaddy" (referring to the nautical premise of his ABC drama), Jackson laughs.
"I'm gonna get that made, actually, that'll be my chair back next year: 'Captain Zaddy.' " Related: Joshua Jackson Names the 1 Dawson's Creek Storyline He 'Didn't Think' Was 'Needed' (Exclusive) Speaking with Vulture on Thursday, April 3, the actor also spoke about his teenage years, which featured tons of coverage in Tiger Beat — and spoke about how being called "Daddy" still makes him blush, despite onscreen jokes about the nickname. "It still makes me blush when you say it, so I guess that’s a good thing.
It’s not really part of my self-conception," he told the outlet. "I’ve been doing this for 36 years. I’m very happy to still get to do it and still have people tune in.
" According to the TV star, being objectified is "1,000 percent" some of the reason that the joke makes him blush. "Not for nothing, we are in those whites 90 percent of the time," he added. Related: Joshua Jackson Weighs in on the Internet's Theory About Doctor Odyssey – But Is He On Board? Jackson starred as Pacey Witter in Dawson's Creek on the WB from 1998 to 2003.
The six-season show, set in the fictional small town of Capeside, Mass. , followed a trio of best friends, including Jackson’s Pacey, James Van Der Beek 's Dawson Leery, Katie Holmes as Joey Potter and finally Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley. More than 20 years after Dawson's Creek debuted, Jackson has fully transformed from a small town kid to Dr.
Max Bankman, the on-board doctor of a luxury cruise ship Doctor Odyssey . Elsewhere in his conversation with Vulture, he spoke about the iconic TV doctor characters he took inspiration from for the role. "He’s extremely Marlboro Man in the modern era," Jackson told the outlet of Bankman, delving how he tries to play the cruise ship doctor larger-than-life.
"...
How to make a human out of the character? Do you think I did? Because I’m not sure I did." "And I’m not being self-deprecating," he continued. "I feel like Max is more iconographic than anything.
He does have a backstory, but I’m more interested in him as an icon, rather than, Who’s the man behind the curtain? " Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Doctor Odyssey airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.
ET on ABC. Read the original article on People.
