Joshua Jackson reflected on his “formational” friendship with his late “Dawson’s Creek” co-star James Van Der Beek, as he kicked off a new campaign for cancer awareness.
The actor made his first public comments on Van Der Beek’s death in an emotional interview that aired Tuesday on NBC’s “Today,” noting that his “processing” of the loss is still “ongoing.”
“I think it hits in a variety of different ways,” Jackson explained. “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 and Van Der Beek endeared themselves to a generation of fans as Pacey Witter and Dawson Leery, respectively, on the teen dramedy “Dawson’s Creek,” which aired from 1998 to 2003. The actors had seemingly remained on good terms and reunited publicly on a number of occasions.
Watch Joshua Jackson’s “Today” interview below.
In his “Today” chat, Jackson said he continues to look back on the time he spent with Van Der Beek on- and off-set with “great fondness,” but added: “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,” he explained. “The tragedy of that loss for his family is enormous.”
Van Der Beek died Feb. 11, a little more than a year after going public with his colorectal cancer diagnosis. He was 48.
The news drew an outpouring of condolences from many of the Connecticut-born actor’s colleagues, including fellow “Dawson’s Creek” actors Katie Holmes, Kerr Smith and Michelle Williams.
Jackson, whose more recent credits include “The Affair” and “Doctor Odyssey,” said he hopes to honor Van Der Beek’s memory while appearing alongside Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty in the new “Get Body Checked Against Cancer” campaign from the NHL and AstraZeneca.
“I’m at the age, right? Like so many people, my family has been touched by cancer,” the 47-year-old said. “Obviously, when James got his diagnosis, and now I’m thinking about a contemporary of mine going through something like this.”
“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,” he added. “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.”
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