On his experience doing, Fireside Reading, he said, “The whole idea was that during the Coronavirus pandemic I would offer a free Fireside Reading of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens. A chapter a day. Live recording daily at 5 p.m. PST @firesidereading on Instagram. Each chapter re-broadcast for free on the Fireside Reading channel on YouTube.”
“Ever since I started the response has been wonderful,” he said. “I have received so much support from young and old alike saying that it has become a little part of their day. Waiting to hear what happens in Great Expectations today. That is the idea behind it. Simple old-world companionship as we are all locked in our homes. It is lovely to do it and to know that for some people it is helping them through the isolation.”
On his plans for the future, he said, “I’m going to keep reading Fireside Readings of Great Expectations until the book is finished (59 chapters) so hopefully we will all be out and about before the end but I promised to read the whole book and I will. After that, I’m shooting a motion capture video game at the moment and also The Bold Type in Freeform if we get picked up for Season 5.”
When asked what inspires him each day as an actor, he responded, “I feel especially inspired at the moment by Fireside Reading. The fact that I can offer a little solace to the lonely from my living room by doing one of the things I happen to be good at, reading out loud, is wonderfully heartening.”
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “Fireside Reading is only possible because of the digital age. Hooray for Instagram and YouTube. They made what I am trying to do possible and, frankly, easy.”
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Volunteer. Give your gift to the world. Have fun and enjoy the incredible fun of acting.”
He listed his wife, Melora Hardin, as well as Tom Hanks and Danny Huston as his dream acting partners.
Jackson defined the word success as “the accomplishment of a goal.”
He concluded about Fireside Reading, “If you’d like a little company during our time locked up inside, or if you know of someone old or young, who needs companionship, please help them find Fireside Reading. The reruns of each chapter are up on YOUTUBE channel Fireside Reading and as soon as you’ve caught up you can listen along live, every day, at 5 p.m. PST on Instagram @firesidereading.”
