Joshua Jackson was ‘caught by surprise’ when “Dawson’s Creek” theme song played at 2024 Emmys: ‘A Genuine Laugh’

The actor said he and Matt Bomer were “getting into a sweaty palm moment” before hearing the song play.

Joshua Jackson was taken by surprise as much as the public when the Dawson Creek theme song played at the 2024 Emmy Awards.

The 46-year-old actor took the stage with Matt Bomer to present the Governor’s Award to Greg Berlanti, and as he entered, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” began playing. At the time, Jackson couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him on stage.

“That was just a genuine laugh,” he said The Hollywood Reporter of the viral moment. “It was me being caught off guard and laughing.”

Related: Joshua Jackson Is Having A Moment, So Here Are 10 Interesting Photos Of Him Over The Years To Mark Him

“Matt and I were backstage, and as you get closer, I think we were both getting into the sweaty palm moment,” he said of what was going through his mind before going on stage. , ‘How are we going to get out of here? Are we too rigid? Are we trying to stay calm?'”

“We are literally in the moment of, ‘Well, I don’t know. What do you think?’ ‘I don’t know. What do you think?’ And we take our first step, and they start playing (Dawson Creek) theme.”

When Jackson and Bomer, 46, reached the microphone on the Emmys stage, Jackson laughed at the song choice by saying, “Oh yeah, that song,” before saying a few words to pay tribute to Berlanti and the impact he had on TV. – and so on Dawson Creekmainly because he was “the first writer-producer to show a gay kiss in prime time between two teenagers”.

“I remember being so proud to be a part of that show and at the same time, I didn’t understand how big it was,” Jackson said.

Related: Joshua Jackson Weighs In on Internet Theory Doctor Odyssey – But is he on board?

Dawson Creek aside, Jackson is currently starring in Ryan Murphy’s latest TV show, Doctor Odysseyin which he plays a doctor aboard a luxury cruise ship.

He described the series, which premiered on September 26, as “an homage to the ABC shows of my youth” to THR. “I really wanted to work on something that, even with all the drama, and even with all the fates of the medical events in each episode, ended in a positive place. This was it.”

At the show’s Los Angeles premiere, he told People he likes to “push the limits,” as Murphy is known for doing, while teasing the surprises coming on board.

“I think it keeps the audience on their toes. It makes the show fun and it likes to go the extra mile, but it also keeps the characters in the world grounded enough that it feels like it was earned,” Jackson said of the medical procedure. “It’s not just madness for the sake of madness.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Doctor Odyssey airs Thursdays at 9pm ET on ABC, and Dawson Creek can be streamed on Hulu.

For more People news, sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article in People.