For Joshua Jackson, the fictional town of Capeside will always carry memories of the years he shared with James Van Der Beek. For years, the two actors shared the screen and grew up together on the beloved teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” forming a bond that extended far beyond the fictional town that made them household names.
Now, nearly a month after Van Der Beek’s death following a battle with colorectal cancer, Jackson is still coming to terms with the loss.
The former “Dancing With The Stars” star died on February 11 after a nearly three-year battle with colorectal cancer, his family confirmed the news in a heartfelt statement. He was 48.
Joshua Jackson Says Losing James Van Der Beek ‘Hits in a Variety of Different Ways’
GettySpeaking during a March 10 appearance on “Today,” the “Doctor Odyssey” star reflected on grief, family, and the weight of losing someone he once shared such a formative chapter of life with.
“I mean, I think it hits in a variety of different ways,” Joshua said during an appearance on Today, March 10. “For me as a father now, I think the enormity of the tragedy for his family hits in a very different way than just as a colleague, so I think the process is just ongoing.”
For more than five seasons, Jackson and Van Der Beek shared the screen on “Dawson’s Creek,” the beloved series that followed a close group of friends coming of age in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts. For many viewers, their friendship helped define the heart of the series. Watch the video here.
Joshua Jackson Says He Was Only a ‘Footnote’ in James Van Der Beek’s Life
While the show played a huge role in both of their careers, Jackson said the experience represented only a small piece of Van Der Beek’s larger life story.
“He and I shared this amazing time at a very young point in our lives,” Joshua explained. “I know both of us look back at that time with great fondness, but I will also say that I know I’m really just a footnote in what he accomplished in his life.”
Jackson described Van Der Beek not just as a talented actor, but as someone whose personal character defined him far more than his professional achievements.
“As he put it, ‘He became what we usually just call a ‘good man.’”
“A man of the kind of belief, the kind of faith that allowed him to face the impossible with grace,” Joshua continued.
“An unbelievable partner and husband. A real man that showed up for his family and a beautiful, kind, interested, dedicated father.”
Those qualities, Jackson said, are what make the loss feel so heavy. “On the one hand, that’s beautiful,” he continued. “I think he did lead a very good life, and he was a good man; the tragedy of that loss for his family is enormous.”
‘Dawson’s Creek’ Cast Reconnected During James Van Der Beek’s Health Battle
Even after “Dawson’s Creek” ended in 2003, the bond between its young cast never fully disappeared.
Over the years, Jackson and Van Der Beek remained friendly. Their connection grew stronger again during the actor’s final chapter.
Nearly a year before his death, Van Der Beek spoke warmly about reconnecting with his former co-stars and realizing how much they had grown.
“We all went our separate ways and, you know, just didn’t speak for years because we’re just living our lives and doing our things,” James said during an appearance on the Whine Down podcast in March 2025. “And to just reconnect and be like, ‘Oh, wow. I love who you’ve become.’”
Jackson later shared that several members of the “Dawson’s Creek” cast stepped up during Van Der Beek’s illness to bring everyone back together.
Getty“I wish I could take credit for this,” the “Cruel Intentions” alum noted during an April 2025 appearance on the Dinner’s On Me podcast, “but I was kind of the absentee partner here, but the girls all got together and were like, ‘We need to do something to help this guy out.’”
For Jackson, the friendships formed during those early years remain deeply rooted.
“There’s probably no other people in your life that you are that forged to,” Joshua explained. “‘Cause you had to go through good and bad and ‘[expetive] you’ and ‘Don’t talk to me,’ and ‘I love you.’”
