U.K.-born dancer and actor Jackson Williams has been an essential piece of the team behind Magic Mike Live Las Vegas since the original version of the show made its debut in 2017 at what was then the Hard Rock Hotel. The striking performer had already shared the spotlight with superstars such as Whitney Houston and Robbie Williams when this intriguing new show came calling, and leaping at the chance to take up residency in Las Vegas proved to be the right move for Williams, who stuck with the show when it moved to Sahara Las Vegas and then landed a role in the third installation of Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike film franchise. He’s shown his moves onstage and screen, and he’s just getting started.

What were you working on before you had the opportunity to try out for the first Magic Mike Live show in Las Vegas?

I was doing a world tour with Ellie Goulding when I got the call. I already had this career, I had danced for a lot of people, and I was very happy traveling the world, and then this came up. I thought, why not? I packed my bags and met the lads in L.A. to start rehearsals and, remember, I got off the plane with just a backpack and a suitcase thinking this might be a year or two. Now it’s been nearly six. This journey has been crazy because I was living out of a suitcase for so long, and it’s nice now to have a home and a family.

You grew up in Peterborough, England. When Magic Mike launched its live show in London, did you have the opportunity to move back across the pond?

I could have, but I chose to stay in Vegas with the original show. When you start something and work so hard on something like this, you become more proud of it than what you ever thought it could turn out to be. I’m thankful I did that and that I had the opportunity to stay, and then we ended up shooting the movie last year, which was an absolute dream come true.

The live show provided quite a bit of inspiration for Magic Mike’s Last Dance, but it must have been a completely different experience to dance in the film.

I feel like a lot of people will watch the film and be inspired and go watch the show to see the difference. We don’t have Channing Tatum or Salma Hayek, but the show is very funny, and we have female hosts that are so funny and keep us laughing every night. But (the movie) was a tick off the bucket list for me. I’ve done more than I can remember as far as TV, advertisements and performances with some of the greatest stars on the planet. I’ve been very blessed. But my goal was always to be in a film or something to have this type of experience on camera. It’s definitely something I’m very proud of.

Was shooting the movie as physically demanding as performing in Las Vegas?

It was great. Shooting 18 hours nonstop, your body is definitely tired, but with the adrenaline rush we all had, it was like we didn’t even need sleep. It was phenomenal.

Now that you have added another great entry on your resume, what do you think the future holds?

There are a few things I’d like to do within the acting world that would be great, because I feel like you could do that forever. I’d love to get more into film, maybe some action stuff, because that would tick off another dream. You always wonder how something like this might open a door for something else, but right now I’m just so happy to be part of Magic Mike and I always have been. We are very passionate about what we do and we’ve always (received) so much good feedback in Las Vegas as we entertain and inspire people.

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