Joshua Jackson made his first public comments on the February 11 passing of his Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek, telling the Today show this morning, “I think it hits in a variety of different ways.”
“For me as a father now, I think the enormity of that tragedy for his family hits me in a very different way than just as a colleague,” Jackson said. “So I think the processing is is ongoing.”
Watch the interview below.
Jackson recalled Van Der Beek and their Dawson‘s days with affection. “He and I shared this very amazing time … and it was formational for us,” he said. “I know both of us look back on that time with great fondness, but I will also say that I know that I’m really just a footnote in what he actually accomplished in his life.”
“He became what we used to 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, an unbelievable partner and husband, just a real man who showed up for his family and a beautiful, kind, curious, interested, dedicated father,” Jackson said.
Van Der Beek revealed his colorectal cancer in 2024, and the 47-year-old Jackson has partnered with the NHL and AstraZeneca as part of the pharmaceutical company’s Get Body Checked Against Cancer campaign, which highlights the importance of getting screened for cancer.
“Obviously, when James got his diagnosis, and now I’m thinking about a contemporary of mine going through something like this, and when the AstraZeneca folks reached out, I also have a lifelong connection to hockey,” Jackson said, adding, “Guys don’t like to talk about this. We don’t like to go to the doctor, we don’t like to deal with this stuff. And I know a lot of ways in your life, like that stiff upper lip thing can be helpful, but in this it’s not helpful at all.”
Last month, Katie Holmes, who co-starred with Van Der Beek and Jackson in Dawson’s Creek, said of her late cast mate, “I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James’ journey. He is beloved…To share space with your imagination is sacred. Breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other’s hearts are safe in their expression. These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth.”
To see how other Dawson‘s cast members paid tribute to Van Der Beek, go here.