Joshua Jackson stars in TV drama The Affair, says he doesn’t understand ’the women in my life’

JOSHUA Jackson’s wife Diane Kruger convinced him The Affair was something he couldn’t resist.

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DAWSON’S Creek and Fringe star Joshua Jackson knows he’s not alone when he admits ‘it’s been my experience of being a man, that I quite often do not understand the women in my life’.

So when the script for US hit drama The Affair arrived in front of him, aware of his own failings, Jackson sought the advice of his partner of eight years, Diane Kruger (The Bridge).

The drama quite literally portrays men and women’s very different perspectives, telling each episode twice from its lead character’s points of view. It follows frustrated novelist Noah (Dominic West) who puts his marriage at risk by having an affair with waitress Alison (Ruth Wilson) while holidaying in a seaside town.

Ruth Wilson and Dominic West star in The Affair.

Alison’s own marriage to the emotionally-unavailable Cole (Jackson) is being crushed by her grief at the death of their child.

Having just finished a five-year run on Fringe, the last thing Jackson wanted to do was jump straight back into work.

“I was like: ‘you have to read this … I don’t trust myself because I’m so uninterested in going back to work right now but I think this is really, really good’,” he says.

“And she (his wife, Kruger) read it and she’s like, ‘yeah, you’d be a fool not to want to do this. This is a great show’.”

The critics agree with The Affair recently picking up gongs for best TV drama and best actress at the Golden Globes.

STRICTLY EMBARGOED to February 15, 2015. Sunday TV Guides first use. Joshua Jackson stars in The Affair. Picture: Supplied

But the rationale for those competing perspectives remains up for debate — are they just different recollections of the same events, or are the characters deliberately spinning different stories to the detective investigating a murder in the seaside town?

Jackson cautions viewers not to get too caught up in the murder investigation, which he says is not “really central to the DNA of the show”.

“I think the whodunit is an interesting framing device to give us opportunities to show our characters and how they react in certain situations,” he says.

Currently overseeing the construction of his and Kruger’s new home in Vancouver, Jackson says he feels more grounded than ever.

“The woman is key,” he says. “I’ve been with Diane now for eight and a half years and the process of being in love and accommodating another human being in your space is important.

“It’s been a major period of growth and discovery for me.”

The Affair is on Tuesday at 7.30pm on Showcase.

Originally published as Joshua Jackson stars in TV drama The Affair, says he doesn’t understand ’the women in my life’