Dawson's Creek actor Kerr Smith remembers that, after his character, Jack, was one-half of the primary passionate kiss between two males on community TV, there was backlash.

"We had protests exterior the stage, yelling and screaming," Smith stated on a latest episode of the podcast Pod Meets World. "There was a brick wall that separated me, consuming my lunch, from a crowd of people who had been indignant as hell. If I had walked on the market, they'd in all probability beat the crap out of me. As a result of it was within the South, too, which didn't assist."

Kerr's Jack shared a kiss with Ethan (Adam Kaufman), on the finish of season 3, the 2000 episode known as "True Love." It was the primary passionate kiss between two males on community TV. Extra would comply with, setting off the Household Analysis Council, based on Thea Glassman's 2023 ebook Freaks, Geeks, and Dawson's Creek.

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However Smith hadn't identified Jack could be homosexual till creator Kevin Williamson advised him a few months into the job.

On the time, Smith was "very, very scared," he stated.

"Now wanting again in hindsight, I simply wanna say this: I'm tremendous, tremendous pleased with what we pulled off as a result of as you recognize, the face of tv has modified, and I feel individuals's acceptance of different individuals, sexuality, or no matter it is perhaps is rather more broad and rather more open lately."

Smith wasn't at all times certain he'd really feel that manner. He'd been on the hit present for under weeks when creator Williamson requested him to exit for espresso with him, the place he advised him that Jack was homosexual.

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Initially, Smith was thrown and thought it "an actual bummer." Enjoying a homosexual character on TV then was a lot completely different.

"So what occurred was I stated, 'Look, are you able to give me the day or a few days, as a result of I must make some telephone calls and principally name everybody that I respect," Smith stated. He wanted to "make the proper choice right here as a result of at the moment in 1998, it is a powerful one."

In fact, he determined to forge forward taking part in Jack McPhee, a buddy of the Capeside crowd he'd performed for the reason that second season in 1998. He didn't realize it then, however he would keep by season 6, which led to 2003, the present's final.

Smith explained to Entertainment Weekly in January 2010 that he was proud of what got here out of his work.

"It was a dangerous factor to do at the moment," he stated. "These days, it's like, who cares? You bought a homosexual character on each present. So I suppose we did our job. We opened individuals's minds and it's not an enormous deal anymore, which I feel was nice."

The actor, who went on to look on reveals similar to Riverdale, The Resident, and The Fosters, is writing a ebook about his former sequence, I Don't Wish to Wait: My Journey on Dawson's Creek With no Paddle.

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