How the Dawson’s Creek Reunion Explained James Van Der Beek’s Absence
James Van Der Beek may not have been able to physically attend the Dawson’s Creek reunion, but the spirit of Dawson Leery was palpable when Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and the rest of the cast gathered at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway.
The event, held on Monday, September 22, commenced with Williams, 45, Holmes, 46, and Jackson, 47, taking the stage to portray their iconic roles as Jen Lindley, Joey Potter, and Pacey Witter, eliciting enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The theater then paused to air a video featuring Van Der Beek, who conveyed a heartfelt message of gratitude to the fans.
“I can’t believe I’m not there,” the actor, 48, expressed. “I wish I could hug my beautiful castmates in person, and I wanted to stand on that stage to thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight — from the cast to the crew to everyone who generously donated their time. And especially every single one of you. You’re the best fans in the world. Thank you for showing up.”
Van Der Beek then turned to the topic of who would be stepping in for his character, Dawson Leery, during the reading. “Now, obviously on Dawson’s Creek, I never had an understudy. But this is Broadway,” he noted, mentioning that he aimed to find someone his kids would “consider an upgrade” over their dad. “Somebody who you wouldn’t believe we got to do this.”
Affectionately calling him a “new up and comer,” Van Der Beek then introduced Lin-Manuel Miranda to the stage, resulting in thunderous applause from the audience.
Van Der Beek was determined to soak in the experience as much as possible. In the hours leading up to the event, his wife, Kimberly, was spotted recording fans in line, telling them, “This is for James!”
Van Der Beek — currently facing stage III colon cancer — announced on Sunday, September 21, that he would not be able to attend due to illness. Broadway veteran Miranda was set to take his place for the reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot.
“This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams mentioned it back in January… So you can imagine how devastated I was when two stomach viruses conspired to keep me from attending at the worst possible time,” the actor, 48, shared via Instagram. “Despite every attempt… I won’t be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank everyone in the theater for supporting me, and battling cancer, when I needed it the most.”
He continued to express his admiration for Miranda.
“But I DO have an understudy. A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been my #1 choice (if I had ever imagined he’d be available). Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me…” he elaborated. “Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Send some to my family. I will be watching and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin.”
Kimberly later confirmed through several social media comments that she would be attending with their children. The couple are parents to daughters Olivia, 14, Annabel, 10, Emilia, 8, and Gwendolyn, 6, as well as sons Joshua, 12, and Jeremiah, 3.
Williams, Holmes, and Jackson were joined by Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps to raise funds for F Cancer on Monday.
“The first call I received was from James himself,” Humes disclosed in Us Weekly’s Dawson’s Creek cover story earlier this month. “He told me that Michelle was leading this, and it was an opportunity for us all to come together, celebrate James’ life, and support him in this difficult time; he’s very optimistic, but it’s still a tough situation. As a TV family, we felt it was essential to rally around him.”
Philipps, for her part, shared with Us that she has been assisting her best friend Williams with the organizing. “I’ve been helping to coordinate it. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s thrilling to bring everyone together for James,” she said. “It’s going to be incredible.”
