The Affair, acclaimed infidelity drama, is tough viewing for couples, says Joshua Jackson
Ilana Banks | CBC News | Posted: November 22, 2015 11:00 AM | Last Updated: November 22, 2015
2nd season of acclaimed infidelity drama adds new points of view to complex story
The Affair may be one of the hottest shows on TV, but Vancouver actor Joshua Jackson knows it may not be the easiest show to watch, especially for couples.
The Canadian-American actor admits even he has a hard time viewing episodes of the complex drama series alongside his longtime partner, actress Diane Kruger.
"I certainly feel it with Diane," he told CBC News in Toronto this week.
"Even knowing what the story is and where it's going, I find a lot of those scenes and a lot of the scenarios the characters are trying to grapple with just deeply uncomfortable to sit next to your partner and watch, because it brings up so many uncomfortable ideas inside of a relationship."
The Affair, now in its second season, is a hit with fans and critics. The show took top honours at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards, though it was shut out for Emmy Award nods.
The series tracks an affair between Noah (Domenic West), a married author and father of four, and Alison (Ruth Wilson) a married waitress. The plot, complicated by a murder mystery, rests on a unique twist: the first season was told, alternately, from both Alison and Noah's perspectives.
This season, the series creators explore the story from additional points of view, with Noah's wife Helen (Maura Tierney) and Jackson's character, Cole, the estranged husband of Alison, narrating sections.
"Obviously, it presents more opportunities as an actor when your character has an interior life," Jackson said.
"While it was an interesting challenge to play Cole from those two other memories last season, to have an opportunity to juxtapose those memories against his memory, you see from his perspective [that] he is just empty."
With filming on The Affair's second season wrapped, Jackson is exploring new opportunities. In January, he will make his New York theatre debut in an off-Broadway show: Lydia R. Diamond's Smart People.
But for now, he's happy to have some down time to visit family in Vancouver and maybe catch a hockey game – if he can just get some tickets.
"I go to a lot of hockey games, but not in Vancouver," he admitted.
"I don't know if I don't know the right people...Anywhere else I go, maybe because of the Mighty Duck movies, I can get hooked up with tickets, but in Vancouver? No love!"
The Affair airs Sunday nights on The Movie Network.