Celebrated television and film star Joshua Jackson has been a constant presence in Hollywood for over thirty years, first rising to prominence when he appeared as hockey player Charlie Conway in the beloved '90s sports franchise The Mighty Ducks. Jackson became a certified heartthrob when he began portraying the lovable misfit Pacey Witter in the 1998 teen drama sensation Dawson's Creek, causing audiences all across the world to swoon and helping the charismatic actor achieve mainstream success.
While Jackson has gone on to have prominent roles in hit shows like Fringe, The Affair, Dr. Death, and most recently in the newly premiered ABC medical drama Doctor Odyssey, he has also appeared in a slew of popular films over the course of his stellar career, many of which even his most diehard fans may have forgotten. Let's take a peak at 9 movies you forgot Joshua Jackson was in.
9 Urban Legend (1998)
Urban Legend (1998)
- Release Date
- September 25, 1998
- Director
- Jamie Blanks
In the hair-raising 1998 slasher Urban Legend, students at a prestigious New England university find themselves being gruesomely picked off one by one in a series of horrific murders reminiscent of classic folklore legends, a chilling pattern Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) notices after her close friend Michelle is brutally killed by someone lurking in the backseat of her car. Natalie teams up with aspiring journalist Paul (Jared Leto) and fellow student Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart) to get to the bottom of the terrifying murder spree.
Joshua Jackson appeared in the horror flick as frat member and resident jokester Damon Brooks, who attempts to capitalize on Natalie's emotional state and take advantage of her, only to be fiercely rejected. Things go from bad to worse for Damon, as he soon is targeted by the malevolent force terrorizing the students, leading to a grim and gory fate.
Urban Legend was a success at the box office but garnered a negative response from critics, going on to earn over $72 million but being deemed a rip-off of Scream. Nonetheless, the movie is regarded as one of the first major Hollywood productions to reintroduce folklore and urban legends.
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8 Shutter (2008)
- Release Date
- March 21, 2008
- Director
- Masayuki Ochiai
A remake of the Thai supernatural horror film of the same, 2008's Shutter focuses on newlywed couple Ben and Jane Shaw (Joshua Jackson & Rachael Taylor) as they relocate from New York to Japan for Ben's job as a photographer, where an unimaginable tragedy strikes after they are accidentally involved in a fatal car accident that seemingly leaves a girl dead. The pair begin to wonder if they are being haunted by the mysterious figure they hit in the woods, after Ben's camera begins to capture ominous blurs in his fashion photographs.
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An Underwhelming American Remake
As the strange and unexplainable occurrences continue escalating and grow more violent, Jane starts to explore the identity of the girl from the woods, and is stunned when she discovers Ben hasn't been forthcoming over who her identity truly is.
Made on a modest budget of $8 million, Shutter grossed $48 million worldwide and was a certified box office hit, though critics were less-than-impressed by the uninspired American remake and deemed the horror flick inferior to the original, receiving just an 11% Rotten Tomatoes score and 33% Popcornmeter.
7 Gossip (2000)
Touting a star-studded cast of Hollywood up-and-comers including Kate Hudson, James Marsden, Norman Reedus, and Lena Headey, the 2000 psychological thriller Gossip chronicles a class project that goes horrifically awry after college roommates Jones (Headey), Derrick (Reedus), and Travis (Reedus) set out to start a rumor in hopes of seeing how fast it spreads across the school for their joint final paper. Their seemingly innocent experiment takes a dramatic turn when Naomi (Hudson) accuses her boyfriend Beau (Jackson) of sexual assault as a result of their rumor.
A Harrowing Social Experiment
Featuring impressive performances from its young and talented ensemble cast, Gossip has a thought-provoking premise that effectively explores the power of words while also keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with its many twists and turns. Though neither a critical or commercial success, the engrossing thriller debuted at the height of Dawson's Creek's popularity and allowed Jackson to venture into more mature acting territory, showcasing his range as a leading man as he more than held his own alongside his talented fellow co-stars.
6 Cruel Intentions (1999)
- Release Date
- March 5, 1999
- Director
- Roger Kumble
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon delivered iconic performances when they joined forces for the 1999 romantic drama sensation Cruel Intentions, a modern-day retelling of the Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' novel that follows diabolical stepsiblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil as they create a twisted bet amongst one another that involves the notorious lothario attempting to seduce and win over their virginal classmate Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon).
An Undisputed '90s Cult Classic
In the beloved '90s cult classic, Jackson portrays Sebastian's frosted-haired accomplice Blaine Tuttle, who helps his scheming pal out by cruelly tricking Annette's close friend Greg, and blackmailing him into helping convince the blonde beauty that Sebastian is in fact a good person.
Cruel Intentions was a knockout with audiences all across the world and sparked a major pop culture phenomenon due to its risqué storyline and the magnetic on-screen chemistry between its dynamic cast, and in the 25 years since its debut, the juicy drama remains a gem of the decade and a fan-favorite.
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5 Bobby (2006)
- Release Date
- September 5, 2006
'80s icon Emilio Estevez decided to showcase his skills behind the camera when he both directed and appeared in the riveting 2006 drama Bobby, which provides a fictionalized account of the events that led to the shocking assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, after the prominent politician won crucial primaries and showed up at the Ambassador Hotel's Embassy Ballroom to deliver a speech to his supporters. The picture chronicles the hours leading up to Kennedy's death after being shot by his assailant, Sirhan Sirhan.
Jackson & Estevez Are Reunited Once Again
Estevez wrote, directed, and co-starred in the ambitious and entertaining film, enlisting the talents of famous faces like Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, and William H. Macy (to name just a few), with Jackson appearing as the character Wade Buckley, Kennedy's campaign manager.
Bobby notably reunited the Dawson's Creek star with Estevez, whom he had worked with in the celebrated '90s franchiseThe Mighty Ducks, and though it failed to make a major splash with critics the fascinating drama still earned a B+ CinemaScore and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama.
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4 Scream 2 (1997)
- Release Date
- December 9, 1997
In the highly-anticipated follow-up to the Wes Craven slasher masterpiece, the aptly named 1997 film Scream 2 once again centers on resilient final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she attempts to put her brutal past behind her while attending school at Windsor College. Plagued by the horrors she experienced during the Woodsboro massacre, Sidney and her fellow survivors and friends Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) are terrified when a copycat killer begins to wreak havoc on the community.
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A Minor-Yet-Meaningful Appearance
Jackson makes a brief appearance in the pulse-pounding horror sequel as film class guy #1, who engages in a passionate in-class debate with Randy and Sarah Michelle Gellar's character Cici Cooper over the impact of the fictional movie Stab (which was based on the Woodsboro massacre).
The minor role marked yet another collaboration between Jackson and Scream 2 screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who went on to create Dawson's Creek, with both projects being filmed during 1997. Scream 2 was a rare horror sequel that managed to attract both a positive critical and fan response, thus paving the way for more chilling sequels.
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3 Battle in Seattle (2007)
- Release Date
- September 7, 2007
Queen of the Damned alum Stuard Townsend made his directorial debut when he helmed the 2007 political action thriller Battle in Seattle, which is loosely inspired by the massive anti-globalization protests that occurred during the 1999 WTO (World Trade Organization) Ministerial Conference in which more than 40,000 protesters showed up to riot and push back against the convention. The gripping film delves into what happened over the course of five days as protesters took to Seattle's streets in an act that began peacefully but ultimately took a violent turn.
Townsend Winningly Explores the Infamous Protests
While the characters in Battle in Seattle are fictional, the thriller itself is based on true events and focuses on peaceful activists like Django (André Benjamin) and Lou (Michelle Rodriguez) as they get swept up in the dangerous riots, with Jackson appearing as fellow protester Randall. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it received a mixed response, garnering appreciation for its passionate exploration of the protests and dynamite performances, but was criticized for sanitizing what truly went on during the turbulent time period.
2 The Safety of Objects (2001)
Inspired by a series of short stories by author A. M. Homes, the 2001 drama The Safety of Objectsstars Glenn Close as family matriarch Esther Gold, who finds herself detaching from her husband and daughter as she cares for her beloved son Paul (Jackson), who is in a coma following a traumatic car accident. Esther's heartbreaking story is interwoven with those of her neighbors, with the compelling film demonstrating how their actions and decisions forever altered the course of their lives and contributed to the tragic accident.
A Powerful & Poignant Look at Human Nature
The Safety of Objects also stars familiar faces like Dermot Mulroney, Timothy Olyphant, and Kristen Stewart and provides a riveting look at the complexities of human behavior, as depicted through the various unique families affected by the devastating car accident. The New York Times commended both the dazzling performances of the ensemble cast and director Rose Troche, writing in their positive review, "[Troche] assembles the damaged human elements of Ms. Homes's world with patience and precision, and more often than not chooses dry understatement over easy satire or obvious sentiment."
1 Cursed (2005)
- Release Date
- February 25, 2005
Jackson teamed up with the '90s queen of Halloween Christina Ricci when the duo starred in Wes Craven's 2005 horror comedy Cursed, which centers on orphaned Los Angeles siblings Ellie and Jimmy Myers (Jesse Eisenberg) as they find themselves being viciously attacked by a chilling creature after stopping to help a woman injured in a car accident. The traumatized pair begin to realize they are slowly starting to transform into werewolves after the horrific ordeal, and must race against the clock in hopes of finding a cure.
Jackson Sticks to the Horror Genre
The project reunited the actor with both Craven and Kevin Williamson (who once again wrote the screenplay), with Jackson starring as Ellie's boyfriend Jake Taylor, delivering a delightfully wicked performance as Ricci's not-so-innocent on-screen beau.
Despite its stacked supporting cast including Judy Greer, Milo Ventimiglia, and Michael Rosenbaum, Cursed ultimately became a box office dud with even Craven himself expressing his dislike for the final result. In 2018, there were calls for the studio to release the Craven cut featuring original footage never seen before, but the campaign never came to fruition.
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