By News18,Sahas,Yatamanyu Narain
Copyright news18
James Van Der Beek expressed regret over not being able to attend the Dawson’s Creek reunion, scheduled for Monday, September 22. The one-night-only charity event was intended to be the first time the cast of the teen drama had appeared on stage together since the show concluded in 2003. But the man of the hour, James, who played the titular role on The WB show, shared that he won’t be able to attend the event due to his health struggles.
The 48-year-old actor, who revealed his Stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis in November last year, made the announcement through an Instagram post on Sunday, September 21. He revealed that he was absolutely “gutted” about missing the reunion due to stomach viruses. “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,” he said, adding, “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.”
James Van Der Beek Reveals His “Understudy”
James continued, “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 theatre for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.” Though he was upset about missing the event, he humorously introduced his replacement to his fans. “I DO have an understudy. A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist,” he mentioned.
The actor also added that his replacement is someone that his kids “definitely consider an upgrade” over him. Then he revealed, “The role of ‘Dawson’, usually played by James Van Der Beek…Will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
He concluded his post, saying, “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.”
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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames)
What’s Dawson’s Creek Charity Event About?
The one-night charity event, scheduled to take place at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, will mark the reunion of the cast of the teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which aired for six seasons between 1998 and 2003. Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps are supposed to go on stage for a live reading of the show’s pilot episode. The fundraiser will benefit F Cancer.
