Jackson had his own share of questions, which the actor fielded with a dry sense of humour that bodes well for the likeability of his character. Jackson hasn’t been on the small screen for a while, partly to recover from the time demands of TV. The reason he signed on for Fringe was "the quality of the script ... and the density of it. And the fact that even while it was a totally satisfying story unto itself, you [could] see that it was laid in there, the potential for a whole world, a whole universe of other stories." And, of course, he pointed out that Abrams’ track record for keeping stories compelling over a long period of time didn’t hurt!
Jackson sees his role as a translator between his mad scientist father Walter Bishop (John Noble) and no-nonsense FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv). In his view, “that’s an interesting dynamic because ultimately what that boils down to ... is a very typical dysfunctional family. And you put that dynamic, something that’s relatable and understandable to everybody, and you put it in this fantastically outrageous world of Fringe and it makes for an interesting day’s work.” Besides the character’s complicated relationship with his father, there will be eventually some focus on the sparks between Peter and Olivia. Abrams confirmed that “there’s no doubt going to be a sort of slow burn relationship that develops between the two of them.”
As the interview drew to a close, Abrams was asked if he thought TV is in a golden age for sci-fi. He answered yes, but “partially because we’re living in an incredibly advanced, and almost uncontrollably so, period of scientific achievement. It’s pushing what we all thought was ... that comfortable, almost quaint, version of what sci-fi is to a very different place, and that’s where Fringe lives.”
Fringe will premiere on Tuesday, September 9 from 8-9:35 PM, ET/PT, on FOX.
Photo credits: Joshua Jackson: George Holz/FOX. Peter and Walter Bishop with Olivia Dunham: George Holz/FOX. J.J. Abrams: FOX.
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