Actor Joshua Jackson Reflects on Fatherhood: ‘The Most Surprising Thing is Love’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actor Joshua Jackson, known for his roles in DAWSON’S CREEK, THE MIGHTY DUCK and most recently, FATAL ATTRACTION, recently shared about his experience as a parent to a now three-year-old girl.
“What was the hardest thing about becoming a new dad and what surprised you?” Fatherly asked Jackson. “I would say the most surprising thing is the love. All of those clichés are true. You don’t actually understand your capacity for love until you go into this.” Jackson continued, “And each time I’ve fallen in love with my daughter, I’m, like, oh, this is what everybody’s talking about. And then two days later I’m like, oh, no, this is it. And I’m just overwhelmed by the intensity of that feeling. Intellectually, I expected it, but emotionally, it’s much broader and deeper than I would’ve ever conceived of.”
“According to the Heritage Foundation and Marripedia, almost 25 million children have absentee fathers.” Movieguide® Editor, Dr. Tom Snyder, speaks to the importance father’s positive presence in a child’s life. He explains that, “The breakdown of the family, especially the increase in fatherless families, is the No. 1 problem in America, not racism, discrimination, inequality, or bad cops.”
Jackson shared that he didn’t have a great father, and his dad eventually abandoned his fatherhood role.
“The challenging part is remembering to make sure to make time and space to be a husband, not just a father. There is no set-it-and-forget-it. The baby changes, which changes our dynamic,” Jackson said. “There’s really three relationships: who I am, our relationship as man and woman, and then our child. And all of them need to be looked after.”
“For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.” Jackson said, his determination to be a good dad and a present father evident.
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