James Van Der Beek drops out of Dawson’s Creek reunion event due to illness
By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter
Actor James Van Der Beek has said he is “gutted” to be dropping out of a Dawson’s Creek reunion event due to two stomach viruses and will be replaced by Hamilton writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Van Der Beek, 48, who played Dawson Leery in the hit American teen drama series, was due to participate in a charity live reading, Dawson’s Creek Class Reunion, on Monday alongside former co-stars including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson.
The event, which is organised in support of the American actor and the charity F Cancer, comes after the star revealed in November that he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
The event will feature a live reading of the series’ pilot episode with Van Der Beek replaced by Miranda, who is best known for writing and acting in the hit musicals Hamilton and In The Heights.
In a post shared on Instagram, Van Der Beek said: “This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January…
“So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment.
“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.
“But I DO have an understudy. A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he’d be available). Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me… Plus, he already knows how to get to the theater. So that’s convenient.”
The series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 until 2003, follows a group of friends as they navigate different stages of their adolescence together.
He added: “The role of Dawson, usually played by James Van Der Beek…will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can’t believe I just got to type that.
“Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family. I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin.
“And thank you @lin_manuel . You were a hero to my kids before… now you’re a demigod.”
The event is directed by Jason Moore and will take place at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City on Monday night.
In November, the Dawson’s Creek star said in an interview with US publication People Magazine that he was “privately dealing” with the diagnosis and “taking steps to resolve it”.
He told People he has also been prioritising time with his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
He acknowledged his diagnosis on an Instagram post to his 1.6 million followers, where he apologised to his loved ones who had learned about his cancer through the press.
Bowel cancer can develop in the rectum or colon and is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.
The charity says it is sometimes called colorectal cancer because it affects the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum, with symptoms including bleeding from the back passage, blood in poo or a change in someone’s normal bowel habit.
Van Der Beek is also known for his roles as a fictional version of himself in Don’t Trust The B—- In Apartment 23, in CSI: Cyber as FBI agent Elijah Mundo, and as Matt Bromley in the first season of the FX drama Pose.
