Meet Kerr Smith

Soap Opera Weekly Magazine

Meet Kerr Smith (Jack McPhee, Dawson’s Creek): He hasn’t even aired yet, and already Kerr Smith is “being thrown half a dozen movie scripts a week,” simply because he’s joined Dawson’s Creek. “All the stuff I have read so far has been really good,” he says. “I’m just going to figure it out as they come in.” Smith, who played Ryder Hughes on As the World Turns from July 1996 to May 1997, says that his experience with Dawson’s thus far has been exciting, though a bit overwhelming. After meeting the casting director, Smith went through “half a dozen auditions,” and in the end, “I had to meet (creator/executive producer) Kevin Williamson. He was finishing up a movie (Killing Mrs. Tingle), and I went onto that set and met him and Katie Holmes (Joey),” who stars in the film.

After leaving ATWT, Smith stayed in New York and “did a couple of films. I moved to L.A. in the beginning of June.” Within two months, he had the Dawson’s job. “It’s all fun. I just can’t believe this happened this quickly. “If you had asked me before I moved out to L.A. what show I wanted to be on, the best vehicle, I would have said Dawson’s Creek or Party of Five,” Smith says. “With both shows, they’re doing two or three [movies] during their hiatus. That’s amazing.” He considers his ATWT stint invaluable. “You get a lot of press in soaps, you make great cash, and it’s a great learning experience. I was working with people who’ve been doing it a long time.” Smith, who initially will commute from Los Angeles to Wilmington, N.C., where Dawson’s is filmed, doesn’t know much about his character, Jack McPhee, other than that he will be involved with Joey, and will first be seen in the new season’s second episode. Dawson’s’ second premiere is Oct. 7. “Jack is going to be slowly integrated into the story. He’s 16 or 17, he’s new to town, and he’s moved with his sister. He’s intelligent, but he’s vulnerable and kind of an introvert. It’s not me, so it’s fun to play.”