Joshua Jackson says ‘Dawson’s Creek’ audition felt like ‘The Hunger Games’

Joshua Jackson landed a ‘Dawson’s Creek’ role without knowing who he’d be playing

Joshua Jackson looked back on the intense casting process for Dawson’s Creek, which was nothing short of a live version of The Hunger Games.

Reflecting on surviving the casting gauntlet, the 46-year-old revealed he auditioned back and forth for both Dawson and Pacey at least nine times before finally making it to the “Warner Bros. ranch.”

“In that room are 35 potential kids who are now, like, put into this Hunger Games moment,” he recalled during a recent episode of Dinner’s on Me podcast by Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

The Doctor Odyssey actor went on to spill that kids were being called in groups of four or two, and the room suddenly emptied, a scenario similar to the plot of the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, which depicts a world where young people are annually selected to fight each other to the death.

The Fringe actor recounted that during the final round of Dawson’s Creek auditions, he returned from the bathroom to find all the WB executives staring at him and the other final contenders: Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams.

“We’re like, ‘Oh, this is where they eat us, I guess. This is where they put us in the pot,'” he said. “And they’re like, ‘Congratulations, you just got the job!’ I don’t even think I knew which role it was that I finally auditioned for.”

Jackson, who played Pacey Witter in all six seasons of the WB teen series from 1998 to 2003, joked he had no idea which role he got after a bunch of auditions for different roles.