For Kevin Williamson, creator behind Dawson’s Creek, James Van Der Beek was the “soul” of the teen drama.
The showrunner’s life partly inspires the series’ story. “So when I was casting the role, I was basically looking for me.”
He continued, “But I was looking for the good-looking, handsome, camera-ready, great jawline version of myself, someone people would actually want to see.”
Williamson said he found all these questions during his casting search for Van Der Beek.
“He became that person. James Van Der Beek gave voice to my childhood. He was the soul of the show. He was the ultimate upgrade.”
Beyond casting, Williamson also shed a light on Van Der Beek’s life after the show.
“I saw him go from a young kid to an extraordinary man, a husband, a father, and a friend. James had a full character arc,” he recalled.
“He started out as a brat,” the filmmaker hilariously recalled.
“He would get a script, and he would call me, and he would be like, ‘Why do I have to say this word? Nobody knows what this word means. ’”
“And I would say, ‘Well, don’t worry about it; the way you mumble, nobody is going to hear it anyway.'” That was that was our relationship — Dawson talking to Dawson,” the creator said.
Williamson’s remarks come at the Hero Award at the Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala, an annual F Cancer benefit.
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