By Markos Papadatos
Note from Suzee- We send our healing thoughts out for James in his courageous battle and thank him for this interview with Markos.
James Van Der Beek is best known for playing Dawson in “Dawson’s Creek.”
Aside from “Dawson’s Creek,” his movie credits include “Varsity Blues, “Texas Rangers,” “The Rules of Attraction,” “Formose Betrayed,” and “Bad Hair.”
The actor shared some interesting things about himself and his family.
His Newest Challenge: Battling Colorectal Cancer
Presently, James Van Der Beek has been battling Stage 3 colorectal cancer. He made this diagnosis public earlier this month, where he revealed that he was diagnosed with the disease when he was 46 years old.
He hopes to raise awareness for colorectal cancer, which is becoming more common in healthy adults (under the age of 55). As a father of six, Van Der Beek acknowledged that he has “a lot to live for.”
The actor is leaning on the love of his family during this trying time, and making positive changes.
On Balancing Acting Career with Family life
Van Der Beek addressed the importance of balancing his acting career with his family life. “You have to think about what you are doing, and what choices you are making with your kids. Spending one-on-one time with them is very important,” he underscored.
For Van Der Beek, quality is better than quantity, so if he is ever asked to do a charity or media event, or be out of state, he would take a kid or two with him, and he would turn that experience into an adventure.
“It is just about finding those moments of really focused connections when you can,” he acknowledged.
The Best Part about Being His Age ? Spending Time with his Children
Van Der Beek shared that he enjoyed being a part of the Quaker Chewy partnership and their “Take Your Child to Play” initiative… especially since for that campaign, they ask people to play an hour a day with their children, which is good for the kids physically, emotionally, and mentally.
“You can create good connections with your kids,” the actor stated. “If you don’t schedule it, as any busy parent knows, it’s not going to happen, so I love the idea of taking your child to play, committing to it, and scheduling it.”
“I hope parents and commit to playing one hour with their kids,” he added.
On Being a Part of the Internet Age
On being a part of the Internet age, he said, “It’s different, but I love the way it’s different. When I was growing up and thinking about being an actor, there were categories of things you could do: if you were a serious actor, you did serious films, but now the rules have all been thrown out.”
“I have gotten to do all kinds of crazy and fun things from comedies to dramas to hosting to theater to playing myself to having fun on social media,” he noted.
“The digital age has widened the playground for actors. You don’t have to just be in a box anymore. You can look at unscripted, and you look at comedies, and you can still do a serious drama. I think it’s more fun now,” he added.
James Van Der Beek's Career-defining Moments
Regarding his career-defining moments, he revealed, “The most defining moment for me was my first professional play in New York that I did when I was 16 years old.”
“It was a moment that convinced me that this is what I wanted to do. I got to work with Edward Albee, who was about to win his Pulitzer Prize at the time, and it felt like a real triumph. That, to me, was the moment I realized that I could do acting. I was getting rave reviews from ‘The New York Times,’ and that was great,” he elaborated.
“Also, it was my way of going back to my family and my school and saying ‘hey, this is my permission slip to do this.’ That has been the most defining moment for me,” he added.
Van Der Beek’s advice for young and emerging actors
For young and emerging actors, Van Der Beek said, “Be specific in your choices. Really make specific choices. When I first started, I was so concerned about giving people what I thought they wanted and trying to do it naturally and realistically.”
“The best advice I can possibly give is just don’t make any choice halfway. If you are going to go, then go big, and go all the way,” he elaborated.
On This Stage of His Life
Van Der Beek is in the “Homestead” chapter of his life.
“These last couple of years have been really important for me to just drill down with family, and try something new, and move to the middle of the country. It has been very restorative,” he said.
On Playing Dawson in the Pop Culture Phenom "Dawson’s Creek"
From a global standpoint, James Van Der Beek is best known for playing Dawson Leery in the hit TV drama series “Dawson’s Creek.”
“This was a six-year experience that changed my life. It was a wild ride,” he admitted.
“It was a grind. We shot nine months out of the year, we shot 22 episodes a season, and nobody does that anymore. It involved 14 hours a day for nine months, and photo shoots on the weekends. It was a crazy, wild ride for me,” he recalled.
If James Van Der Beek Could Have a Superpower....
His superpower of choice would be “time travel.” “You never have enough time… so that way, I could stretch things out and focus on playing with all six of my kids whenever they need it,” he said.
For more information on James Van Der Beek, follow him on Instagram.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons