Blame Reese Witherspoon (and a pair of tight, white, rather revealing 1990s throwback briefs), but Joshua Jackson is having a moment. Another moment. More than 20 years after the first one.
The former teen pin-up, now 41, is back on our screens as Reese’s long-suffering husband in the much-anticipated adaptation of Celeste Ng’s best-selling{
For some of us, the fire never went out after we fell for 20-year-old Joshua as brooding, teacher-shagging Pacey in Dawson’s Creek, the high-school drama with the most esteemed alumni of any fictitious educational establishment, including Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams. Katie and Joshua dated for the first two years of the show, and she refers to him as her ‘first love’ (us too, Katie). And though he ducked off to his native Vancouver and went under the radar for a few years in the ‘cult’ (read: not very popular) sci-fi series Fringe, when he returned as cuckolded Cole in the soapy drama The Affair, some of us spent five whole seasons puzzling as to how Alison (Ruth Wilson) could ever choose whiney novelist Noah (Dominic West) over strapping yet sensitive Cole. When I met Joshua on the red carpet for the show’s second season premiere (charming, very tall, delightfully naughty twinkle in his eye), it was all I could do to resist giving precisely that pithy review.
There’s something about Bill’s masterful handling of his hugely irritating wife that gives us the kind of sexy-but-wholesome comfort we need in these turbulent times.
Fans (by which I mean me) also admire him for his serious adult acting credentials, of course. His recent turn as Michael Joseph – the lawyer who defended Antron McCray, one of five teenagers falsely convicted and jailed for the rape of a jogger in Central Park in the 1980s – in Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed When They See Us, is a far cry from the teen melodramas of Capeside.
Bill Richardson, married to curtain-twitching busybody Elena (Reese) and father of their four teenage children, doesn’t immediately set him up for sex-symbol status; there’s a lot of Dad leisurewear, and those pants are definitely not intended to be a thirst trap. But there’s something about Bill’s masterful handling of his hugely irritating wife that gives us the kind of sexy-but-wholesome comfort we need in these turbulent times. In fact, sexy but wholesome is Jackson’s specific genre.
In real life, the actor’s taste in partners has always been impeccable. There was public mourning when he split with Diane Kruger in 2016 after 10 years of paparazzi-perfect coupledom (Diane went on to have a baby with the actor Norman Reedus). Thankfully, two years later, he began dating one of our very own – 33-year-old British model and actor Jodie Turner-Smith, star of the recent Queen & Slim. The couple married in December and, last month, she gave birth to their daughter. In a gushing Instagram tribute post to his wife, he thanked her for making him a father.
But just because he’s firmly off the market and a family man now, don’t let it stop you from indulging this thoroughly deserving crush; the actor himself endorsed it recently on US morning TV. When told of the breathless reaction to that underwear scene, Joshua merely twinkled and looked delighted. ‘I’m in my forties now. I enjoy being objectified.’ As you were.
Little Fires Everywhere is on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, 22 May.
READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About Reese Witherspoon And Kerry Washington's Little Fires Everywhere
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READ MORE: What To Watch After Normal People
Films, TV Shows And Books If You Love Sally Rooney's Normal People
1 of 12Before Sunrise
If you're interested in young, smart, attractive students falling in love, then Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise is essential viewing. Julie Delpy delivers one of the most charming on-screen performances ever – and it will make you wistful for European minibreaks.
2 of 12Like Crazy
Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones star in this heartbreaking story of an American boy and a British girl torn apart by immigration issues.
3 of 12Sing Street
Pivotal moments against the backdrop of Dublin? May we please recommend Sing Street – about a young boy moved to a new school in the 80s, who decides to start his own band. Your full heart can thank us later.
4 of 12Call Me By Your Name
When it comes to a love that shapes a life, the romance between Elio and Oliver one dreamy summer surely comes to mind.
5 of 12Frank
Alongside Hettie Macdonald, Lenny Abrahamson is the man directing the show that pulled at our every heartstring. You may have seen his huge hit, Room (also a book adaptation), but we also recommend Frank. Just don't expect longing looks across college greens…
6 of 12Anne Griffin, When All Is Said
A slightly older protagonist, but this book sees Maurice Hannigan, at 84, sitting at a bar and giving five toasts to the people who have formed his life. Will Connell one day sit at a bar thinking of Marianne? We can't go there right now.
7 of 12Louise O’Neill, Asking For It
Another young Irish writer, Louise O'Neill's books tackle a host of issues, starting in a YA format, but gripping for anyone to read. Asking For It tackles issues of consent and rape while Only Ever Yours uses a dystopian setting to make you reflect on the ways we think about female bodies.
8 of 12One Day, David Nicholls
A couple, entwined in will-they won't-theyness throughout their lives? Look no further than One Day. Don't be put off by the memory of the film. Dive back in to this book (if you've read it before) for bittersweet tears aplenty.
9 of 12Euphoria
When it comes to complicated relationships at school, Connell and Marianne have nothing on these guys. But the show is also interested in themes of consent, bodies and the lasting effects of childhood and adolescent scars. Just with a LOT more terrifying social media...Watch on Netflix.
10 of 12Love
Well obviously it's about love, tick. But it also tackles what happens when two seemingly incompatible characters try to give it a go.Watch on Netflix.
11 of 12After Life
If it's bittersweet love you're looking for, the sweet pleasure/pain can be found in Ricky Gervais' After Life, about a man coming to terms with the death of his terminally ill wife.Watch on Netflix.
12 of 12Modern Love
All love is here, so take your pick. This series, based around The New York Times column, is about all aspects of relationships and the one-off episodes feature a cast that would rival the biggest blockbuster. The actual column and podcastare worth checking out too. Watch on Amazon Prime.