Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson is speaking out after James Van Der Beek’s death at the age of 48 on Wednesday following a battle with colorectal cancer.
The writer-director who created hit ’90s TV series based on his own childhood, which starred Van Der Beek, posted on Instagram Thursday morning thanking fans for their “outpouring of love.”
He also shared his support for Van Der Beek’s widow, Kimberly.
“With much love, we are here for you,” he said. “Your Dawson’s Creek family will always be here for you and your beautiful family.”
But when it came to remembering Van Der Beek, Williamson was at a loss for words.
“Several times today, from my heart, I’ve tried to form the words to express the beautiful brilliance of James and what his presence has meant to my life. But I am truly at a loss for words,” he wrote alongside a carousel of photos of himself with Van Der Beek. “I will have to trust that one day those words will come… But today, all I can think about is Kimberly and the entire Van Der Beek family. My heart is with you. K”
In 2018, timed to the 20th anniversary of Dawson’s Creek, Williamson spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his impromptu pitch for a show when he landed a meeting with TV producer Paul Stupin after selling the script for Scream.
“He asked if I had ideas for TV and, in the moment, I started making up a show,” he said. “I had no idea! I started talking about growing up in North Carolina on a creek with my video camera, filming movies in the backyard and wishing to be Steven Spielberg. I just kept talking: it was about me and my friends. Paul said, ‘I like that. When you work that out, come back and pitch that to me.’ I went home and stayed up all night long and wrote this 20-page outline.”
Williamson also reflected on the series’ memorably erudite dialogue.
“One of my agents at the time said the script wasn’t a ‘real script’ because people didn’t talk the way the characters did in it: ‘It sounds like all these kids are psychology majors; it doesn’t ring true.’ I admitted that it was a little stylized in the way they talk but I thought an ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words,” he said. “It was all about the behavior, what they’re trying to say. I never thought anything was going to come of it.”
Williamson joins Dawson’s Creek alum Katie Holmes in remembering Van Der Beek.
Holmes, who played Van Der Beek’s love interest in the teen romance, shared a handwritten note to Instagram on Thursday morning.
“James, thank you,” she began. “To share a space with your imagination is scared — breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other’s hearts are safe in their expression… these are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs — adventures of a unique youth.”
She also expressed her appreciation for her friend’s bravery, compassion, selflessness and strength.
Like Williamson, Holmes indicated she was struggling to find the words to remember her late co-star and friend.
“I formed some words with a heavy heart,” she wrote below the image of her handwritten note. “This is a lot to process. I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James’ journey. He is beloved. Kimberly, we love you and will be here always for you and your beautiful children.”
And she said she would “always be there” for Van Der Beek’s family, including wife Kimberly and their six children.