Age: 16
- quickly accepted by his circle of friends but faced problems at school
- no initial acceptance by father
- has had girlfriend and boyfriends, including kissing
Created in 1998 by the WB Network, Dawson's Creek was a teen drama directed at the teen demographic, like many WB shows, in what seemed to be a cross between 90210 and My So Called Life. It told the story of a group of teenagers in High School in a Capeside, a small town near Boston, and quickly became one of the most popular shows on television and its stars, like Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes rocketed to teeny-bopper fame. Currently still on TV, the cast has moved on to college but definitely haven't left any of their soap-opera drama behind.
In 1999, in the show's second season, the show, written by out writer Kevin Williamson, introduced a new character named Jack McPhee. He was the brother of one of the leads, Andie, and soon started dating Joey (Katie Holmes' character), but soon came out to his father and Joey in a dramatic episode late in the season after he read a poem in school that suggested he might be gay. Opposed in that first episode by his Father, a Christian fundamentalist classmate, and kids at school who scrawled "fag" on his locker, Jack seemed as if he had a lot ahead of him, but eventually got through it and proceeded into relationships with men in the nature of the hormone-driven show.
Unconventional and slightly unrealistic in that he quickly had the support of his entire circle of friends, including the straight males, upon coming out, Jack's character was already different from many gay characters previously portrayed on TV. he also eventually gains the support of his father in an episode where he is dumped by a boyfriend.
In May of 2000, after plenty of debate, Jack kissed his then-boyfriend in a history-making episode.
In college, Jack has faced issues such as joining a fraternity, where he was at first concerned that he would not be accepted, until he realized that they had taken him in to fill a "gay quota" in the group. He is currently in a long-distance relationship with boyfriend Tobey, which solves the show's issues with Jack's physical relationships.
Dawson's Creek broke ground in May of 2000 by presenting what has been called "TV's first serious gay kiss." The show was still somewhat criticized for waiting over a year for Jack's kiss because the show is so driven by sexual antics.
Jack's character also challenged the stereotypes of the effeminate gay character most often portrayed, because he was a football player and attracted lots of girls
Although in recent interviews, Smith states that he is happy to have the "challenge" of playing a gay character, initially, he was very concerned with making sure that the public knows he is a straight actor playing a gay character. Although he made a quick appearance in 2000's Broken Hearts Club, a story following an all-gay group of friends, he has generally not been typecast by playing this role, to his relief. His most recent endeavors outside of the Creek have often been bad-boy jock types, as far from a gay character as possible.
Today. Today was a day. The world got smaller, darker. I grew more afraid. Not of what I am but of what...I grew more afraid. Not of what I am but what I could be. I loosen my collar to take a breath. My eyes fade. And I see...Him. The image of perfection. His frame strong. His lips smooth. And I keep thinking. What am I so scared of? I wish I could escape the pain, but these thoughts invade my head. Bound to my memory, they're like shackles of guilt. Oh God, please set me free.
