Joshua Jackson has teamed up with AstraZeneca to encourage regular cancer screenings nearly one month following the passing of his beloved friend, James Van Der Beek.
In a new Instagram Reel, the former “Dawson’s Creek” star highlights the importance of these health screenings. Especially for fans who remember him as Pacey Witter on the WB series from 1998 to 2003.
’90s Kids are Urged by Joshua Jackson to Get Screened
Joshua Jackson partnered with AstraZeneca and the NHL for a new health campaign titled “Get Body Checked Against Cancer.” In a video clip, the actor encourages fans to see their doctors for these important screenings.
“Hi, I’m Joshua Jackson, and no, I’m not a real doctor,” the actor began. “But I am a doctor who’s played one on TV [on the series “Doctor Odyssey”].
“And this is Gritty,” Jackson said, introducing the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team mascot. “You know what we are here to talk about?” the actor asked. “Cancer.”
He continued, “Do you know that people are being diagnosed younger and younger? And if you watched me on your screens when I was a kid, and you were a kid, you should be talking to your doctor and finding out which cancer screenings are right for you.”
The PSA concludes with the actor urging viewers, “Don’t wait. Get body checked.”
Joshua Jackson Shared Loving Memories of James Van Der Beek
In an interview with PEOPLE about this new healthcare initiative, Joshua Jackson said that the cancer diagnosis of his “Dawson’s Creek” co-star, James Van Der Beek, drove home the importance of getting checked for the disease.
“Part of the reason that I became aware of the necessity of cancer screening was when I became aware of his [Van Der Beek] diagnosis,” Jackson explained. “It is shocking when it’s your cohort of people, when you realize, like, ‘Oh, we’re at that age now where this is, this is real and present.’”
GettyJackson lovingly reflected on his friendship with the late actor. He recalled, “He and I shared this very important moment in both of our lives, which was the time of ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ I think we both look back on that time with great fondness and recognize that it shaped what was to come in many, many ways. But I also would say that it is just a footnote in the man that he became.”
The former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant’s cancer battle made Jackson think more seriously about something he hadn’t focused on in the past: his health. He told PEOPLE, “I’m more self-consciously proactive about maintaining my health now than before. Just realizing that I gotta keep it together now for as long as I possibly can. Because I have a little girl [Juno, with ex-Jodie Turner-Smith] to raise.”
James Van Der Beek passed away on Feb. 11, 2026, of colorectal cancer.
