DAWSON’S CREEK
‘PL'BERTY IS PAle So 'says Joshua Jackson. who plays teacher-bedding geek Pacey in teen drama Dawson 's Creek. But even a quick glance at Channel 4’s latest hot L'S import suggests
that puberty is more fun than coating your rude bits in chocolate spread and visiting the vaeet Tooth Brothel.
To get a handle on Dawson 's ('reek think a post-modern Beverley Hills 90210. think Party Of Fire with packs of three. think My So—(‘ulleil Lite tneets Deep Throat. Conceived and scripted by Sereum movies writer Kevin Williamson. Dawson 's (‘reek is a semi-
'I pitched it as Some Kind Of Wonderful meets Pump Up The
H‘) [\WC
Volume meets James At 15 meets Little House On The Prairie. I sort
of threw everything in there.’
Kevin Williamson
autobiographical rites-of-passage tale.
following the sex life and video tapes of
Dawson — an aspiring film-maker. Spielberg- obsessive and reluctant virgin — and his three friends Joey. Jen and Pacey. It's chocca with shagging. teenage angst. snappy dialogue and more movie allusions than you can shake a
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The Creek crew (right, clockwise from top) Pacey, Joey, Dawson and Jen
tip the Cl
bucket of popcorn at. 'lt's definitely racy.’ laughs Katie Holmes. a veteran of Ang Lee’s wife-swarming film The lee Storm. who plays Dawson’s best friend Joey. ‘We push it as far as we can with our one-liners. We do talk about sex a lot. but controversial'.’ I don't really think so. We deal with a lot of issues.
but they‘re real issues.‘
And what issues: extra-marital affairs. over-sexed parents. carnal goings-on between a pupil and his teacher.
homosexuality. orgies in the boy‘s locker
room. masturbation. prostitution and teen
pregnancy. Such adult subject matter has
caused quite a bit of snarling among
America‘s moral watchdogs. forcing the
show to go out after the 9pm watershed.
and garnering an audience of switched-on
twenty-somethings hip to the Generation X angst and pop culture references.
‘lt seemed honest and truthful and real. so 1 never figured it to be controversial' says Michelle Williams. who plays curvy blonde. Jen. ‘But I guess it is.‘
Kevin Williamson — currently Hollywood's hottest penman after I Know
Sex, sass and Steven Spielberg. Scream writer Kevin Williamson’s DA WSON’S CREEK makes Melrose Place look like Melrose Abbey. 3.31:5 Peter Ross
it
Who! You Did Last Summer and the two .S'ereum movies — explains how Dun-son's ('reek came about.
‘I had no more scary stories to tell. so I reached into my childhood and came up with — me.‘ he says. ‘I pitched it as Some Kind Of lloiulertul meets Pump ('p The l'olume meets .luntes' .-lt l5 meets Little House ()n The Prairie. 1 sort of threw everything in there.‘
Williamson may have run out of the shock- a-bloc scripts which have made his name. but even Dawson's Creek isn‘t without its grisly thrills. ()ne episode. ‘liriday The l31h’. is a parody of .S'ereum-style slasher pics. This kind of playfulness has endeared Williamson to his young cast.
'I feel so fortunate because he‘s so talented and has achieved so much success and he's still so unassuming and humble and just a really nice guy.’ gushes Katie Holmes. ‘When we were rehearsing on the set. he was right there. If it didn't work. he was open for suggestions. .\'o ego.‘
Check out Dawson's Creek. It's a teenage t'tot.
Dawson’s Creek starts on Channel 4 on Saturday 2 May, 7pm.