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A new video of James Van Der Beek has left fans concerned after the Dawson’s Creek actor was forced to pull out of a reunion due to illness.
The 48-year-old actor initially revealed that he was recovering from two stomach viruses while undergoing treatment for stage three colorectal cancer, but fans were left worried after he appeared “frail” in a new video message.
“I can’t believe I’m not there,” he said in the new footage. “I can’t believe I don’t get to hug this beautiful cast in person. I just wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single one of you for being here tonight. From the cast, to the crew and everyone who has donated time and been so generous. And especially every single one of you, the best fans in the world.”
“He doesn’t look well,” one fan wrote under the video, while another agreed, saying he “looks so unwell.”
“Cancer treatment is so tough,” another commented, with one more fan noting, “he looks so frail—it’s hard to watch.”
The father-of-six first announced that he wouldn’t be attending the event via Instagram on Sunday night, saying he was “gutted” to be missing out on the reunion, which was first announced in August.
“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 wrote. “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. Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there.
He then announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, will be stepping into the role of Dawson for him.
“But I DO have an understudy,” he continued. “A ridiculously overqualified replacement who would have been #1 on my wishlist (had I ever dreamed he’d be available).
“Someone my kids would definitely consider an upgrade over me… Plus, he already knows how to get to the theatre. So that’s convenient. The role of ‘Dawson,’ usually played by James Van Der Beek…Will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can’t believe I just got to type that.”
The reunion, which saw the cast of Dawson’s Creek reunite for the first time in 23 years, will raise funds to support James and the cancer charity F Cancer.
Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps were all in attendance for the reunion, where they participated in a table read of the pilot episode.
Michelle Williams, who played James’ onscreen love interest in the first season of the series, reached out to show creator Kevin Williamson one month after James announced his diagnosis with the idea of doing a reunion.
“I jumped at the idea,” he told Variety. “She enlisted me, Thomas [Kail] and Greg [Berlanti] to help. From there, others joined the planning party. Jason Moore agreed to direct, and we were off and running. Picking a date took some time but our entire ‘Dawson’s Creek’ family was excited to do this and very accommodating and generous with their time.”
Tickets to the event sold out within minutes and the theatre has since released more tickets which cost $199 to $1500 a pop. The cast also posed for photos with fans after the event for $600.
“I was blown away by the reaction,” Kevin told the publication. “I’m so thrilled our show has made such a lasting impact and continues to resonate with fans today.”
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