Joshua Jackson was 15 years old when he first appeared in The Mighty Ducks film series. The actor recently recalled how co-star Emilio Estevez’s advice helped him appreciate success as a celebrity.

Speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jackson said he was still “just a child” in 1992’s The Mighty Ducks, one of that decade’s feel-good sports comedies. “Emilio gave me a ton of great advice,” he recalled. “I learned how to be on set from [him].” He noted one incident that would have led to a bad turn in his career, if Estevez hadn’t intervened. In The Mighty Ducks, Jackson played Charlie Conway, a youth hockey team’s hotshot rookie who learns the true meaning of winning by the end of the film.

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Jackson said his behavior behind the scenes resembled his conceited character in the first movie. After filming a scene for the 1994 sequel, D2: The Mighty Ducks, he remembered rushing past a line of fans on his way to the locker room and ignored their requests for autographs. However, Estevez made sure Jackson realized what he had done wrong.

“Emilio pulled me to the side and just said, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’” Joshua Jackson recalled. “I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Don’t ever, ever do that again. Why do you think you get to go out there and skate in front of all those people? This is who keeps you employed. Do not ever forget who it is that you are here for.‘”

Jackson Took The Advice To Heart

Jackson took the advice to heart for the rest of his career. It proved crucial in 1998, when his fame skyrocketed after the success of Dawson’s Creek, in which he played easygoing Pacey Witter opposite Dawson Leery (played by James Van Der Beek). Confirmed as a Hollywood heartthrob, his five-year run in the show coincided with leading roles in The Skulls, Cruel Intentions, and Urban Legend.

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He took on more mature projects after, including The Affair and Fringe. Jackson said Estevez’s advice was life-changing. “It was a really important reframing for my 15-year-old self,” the actor explained. “Remember who you are, and what’s actually important,” he continued. Estevez played coach Gordon Bombay in all three Mighty Ducks movies, guiding the young hockey team through trials and victories.

The film series also revolved around his friendship with Jackson’s Charlie Conway, who eventually coached the team. Jackson said Estevez was a mentor, in front of the camera and behind the scenes. “It wasn’t until… because you don’t listen to your parents, I got to the set of The Mighty Ducks, that Emilio, by example, was like, ‘This is how you can do this.’ It was him laying that groundwork that has probably been the reason that I have been able to maintain this career for all these years.“

The Mighty Ducks and its sequel are streaming on Disney+.

Source: The Kelly Clarkson Show

The Mighty Ducks

Release Date

October 2, 1992

Runtime

100 minutes

Director

Stephen Herek

Writers

Steven Brill