Appreciation: On 'Dawson's Creek,' James Van Der Beek taught millennials how to cry

When “Dawson’s Creek” premiered connected Jan. 20, 1998, I was 11 years old. I had ne'er been successful a emotion triangle oregon gotten drunk astatine a location party. Yet, similar truthful galore different millennials, I religiously acceptable the VHS subordinate to grounds “Dawson’s Creek” each week connected the WB.

My parents didn’t o.k. of their impressionable kid devouring the semi-debaucherous teen melodrama, truthful I labeled the VHS tapes “The Brady Bunch,” past routinely snuck retired of furniture precocious astatine nighttime to softly ticker Dawson, Joey, Pacey and Jen navigate their hormonal angst via unbelievably erudite dialogue.

On Wednesday, “Dawson’s Creek” prima James Van Der Beek died astatine 48 aft being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He near down six kids, a woman and decades of enactment crossed movie and television.

But for galore millennials, helium volition ever beryllium Dawson Leery.

Van Der Beek’s wellness was already successful diminution erstwhile I profiled “Dawson’s Creek” creator Kevin Williamson for The Times past year. Still, the histrion kindly agreed to reply questions for the portion via email. His commentary went beyond what was expected, graciously detailing his clip connected the amusement and praising his co-stars and collaborators.

In the “Dawson’s” audition room, for example, Van Der Beek said his soon-to-be co-star Joshua Jackson “stood retired due to the fact that portion different actors nervously went implicit their sides (myself included), helium had the vigor of a feline who was acceptable for a prize fight. I retrieve thinking, ‘THAT GUY is truly interesting. If they formed him arsenic Pacey, this is going to beryllium truly good.’”

James Van Der Beek, left, and Joshua Jackson successful “Dawson’s Creek,” which would motorboat them to stardom.

(Fred Norris/The WB)

Van Der Beek likewise effused that, arsenic a showrunner, Williamson “felt similar a person who was excited to spell marque a movie successful his backyard. Even the mode helium ‘pitched’ storylines — it was ne'er a pitch. It was a campfire communicative astir radical helium cared astir that he’d unfold successful specified a simple, compelling mode that you couldn’t assistance but attraction astir them too.”

Millennial viewers did care. A lot.

“Dawson’s Creek,” a elemental play astir 4 friends increasing up successful a small, coastal town, rapidly became a defining touchstone of Y2K culture, a large deed for the WB web — the bid finale drew much than 7 cardinal viewers — and a star-making instrumentality for its 4 leads: Van Der Beek, Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams.

The floppy-haired, often flannel-clad Van Der Beek wasn’t the show’s breakout heartthrob. (That honorific belonged to Jackson, who played Pacey, Dawson’s charming champion person and Joey’s end-game paramour.)

But arsenic the rubric quality and a partial avatar for Williamson — who had likewise spent his ain teen years dreamily pining and aspiring to beryllium a filmmaker — Dawson was the boy-next-door pillar astir which the amusement orbited.

Yes, Dawson was whiny and moody and highly self-centered, but truthful are a batch of teenagers. Through Van Der Beek’s wistful performance, viewers were fixed a model done which to grapple with betrayal, death, heartbreak and a litany of atrocious decisions.

For amended oregon worse, Dawson served arsenic an emotional, often cautionary, proxy for millennials’ ain coming-of-age messiness.

In the years since the bid ended successful 2003, Dawson has mostly been reduced to the “Dawson crying” meme: a Season 3 screenshot of Van Der Beek, look contorted successful symptom and connected the verge of crying messy, heaving tears arsenic Dawson tells Joey she should take Pacey implicit him.

The affectional narration betwixt Joey and Dawson was halfway to the series.

(Fred Norris/The WB)

Van Der Beek aboriginal revealed that the tears weren’t scripted. So attuned had helium go to his character’s sensitivity by that constituent that the emotions flowed naturally.

“I deliberation astatine the bosom of [Williamson’s] projects are characters that helium himself cares astir profoundly — flaws and all,” Van Der Beek said successful his email past year. “They’re authentic to their background, sincere according to their satellite view… and vulnerable.”

Van Der Beek was vulnerable, too. As his crab progressed, helium was unfastened with fans astir his wellness struggles and the aboriginal informing signs. He appeared via video astatine a “Dawson’s Creek” reunion lawsuit successful New York City past September, the proceeds of which raised wealth for crab awareness.

In Van Der Beek’s death, determination is nary real-world instrumental people oregon innate montage of his champion moments to soften the blow, arsenic would person happened with a quality connected “Dawson’s Creek” (though the net volition surely beryllium awash successful specified fan-made edits).

But done his enactment connected “Dawson’s,” a procreation tin instrumentality comfortableness successful a starry-eyed lad connected a dock successful Capeside who erstwhile invited america into his messy, affectional world.