Joshua Jackson Jokes He Can Retire After Angela Bassett Complimented This 1 Thing: ‘Stopped Me in My Tracks’ (Exclusive)

Joshua Jackson never could have imagined that he would get to cross off his lifelong dream of working with Angela Bassett off his bucket list, let alone leaving the experience with an unexpected yet memorable moment he will cherish forever.

Jackson, 46, and Bassett, 66, recently got to work together on ABC’s Doctor Odyssey, when the Black Panther actress’ 9-1-1 character, Athena Grant, came aboard the Dawson’s Creek alum’s medical drama, where he plays Dr. Max Bankman. And after that experience, Jackson has nothing but praise for Bassett.

“She’s marvelous in every way that a person and master can be marvelous. She is great, epitomized, and she is just classy and smart and funny and brassy and professional and just wonderful,” the actor says. “It is great having a presence like that on set. It’s a ton of fun working with somebody like that. I had a lovely time. She’s just a joy to be around.”

Jackson even got to walk away with a very special memory, as he says, “She did tell me I had beautiful blue eyes, which made me blush.”

“Stopped me in my tracks,” he continues, before jokingly adding, “I was like, ‘Okay, well, I can wrap it up now. That’s everything I needed out of this career. I’m good.’ ”

It’s all just that more exciting for the Affair alum, who says Bassett has “been on my personal actor bucket list for many, many years.”

“We did these two big action adventure episodes [of the show] and it was nice to get back more into sort of the sparkly, fast-paced dialogue version of the Odyssey,” he adds.

“It’s a lot of tuxedo time in this episode, but I really enjoyed getting back in and having an opportunity to bat the ball around with Angela,” the actor says of the season 1 episode, “Casino Week,” which saw Athena chase after two passengers suspected of targeting the ship’s vault.

As for the next dream acting partner he’d love to have on Doctor Odyssey, Jackson admits that his “list is long.” Opting not to share the names on that list, he says: “I don’t want to jinx it!”

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9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET followed by Doctor Odyssey at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.