Curse of Dawson's Creek - James Van Der Beek cancer to life-shattering loss and breakups

Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, Dawson's Creek was essential viewing for angst-ridden teens everywhere.

The storylines were a big deal - should Joey be with Dawson or Pacey? Would Joey and Jen ever be real friends? And the show didn't shy away from hard-hitting subjects, such as the tragic death of Jen Lindley, played by Michelle Williams, from a heart condition in the final series.

After six series of overwrought soul-searching and deep and meaningful conversations beyond their teenage years, the rest of the crew got their happy ever afters.

Dawson Leery, played by James Van der Beek, became a Hollywood director and got to work with his hero, Steven Spielberg. Joey and Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) shacked up in a swanky New York apartment, working as a publisher and a chef respectively.

Meanwhile, Jen's little girl was adopted by her best friend Jack McPhee and his partner, Doug Witter, Pacey's older brother. But what happened to the stars of the show since it ended? From life-shattering loss to Oscar winners, Scientology and suicide, a lot has happened since the cameras left Capeside...

READ MORE: Dawson's Creek's James Van Der Beek issues apology after going public with cancer diagnosis

READ MORE: Cardi B unleashes furious attack at Elon Musk amidst Kamala Harris 'puppet' row

James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery)

As the star of the show - and the character behind its name - big things were expected from James, 44, when filming wrapped in 2003. He had already dipped a toe into the world of Hollywood, appearing in blockbusters like Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction before it was time to put down Dawson's camera for good.

When the show ended, James was ranked as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine and had a full workload of A-list films, including Texas Rangers, Scary Movie and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. But by 2006, he was appearing in straight-to-DVD movies such as horror flick, The Plague. That same year, James returned to the small screen and even appeared on stage in numerous off-Broadway productions.

Several recurring roles followed, included a part in the hit US show, Ugly Betty, and the long-running sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, and he even played a serial killer in Criminal Minds.

James certainly seems to know how to poke fun at himself and his younger alter-ego of Dawson. In 2008, he bagged a part in teen drama One Tree Hill as a filmmaker who could not have been more different from Dawson if he tried. Two years later, he played a make-believe version of himself in the TV series, Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23, which he earned rave reviews for.

By 2010 he was playing the womanising boss of an intensive care unit in Mercy and even appeared in one of Kesha's music videos for Stolen. He's also turned his hand to reality TV, competing in Dancing With The Stars and finishing fifth.

James has been married twice, first to actress Heather McComb and now to business consultant Kimberly Brook, whom he tied the knot with 10 years ago. The couple have five children but Kimberly tragically suffered a miscarriage with their sixth baby in November 2019. In September last year, they announced they'd quit Los Angeles for a new life in Texas.

This weekend, James shocked fans as he revealed he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Despite the diagnosis, the 47-year-old said there was “reason for optimism” and that he was “feeling good” as he made the announcement. He told People: “I have colorectal cancer, I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family."

Katie Holmes (Joey Potter)

As the sassy and sweet girl next door, Joey Potter was the character all girls wanted to be and all boys wanted to date. And the actress has rarely been out of the headlines since her time on the show - in part because of her ill-fated marriage to Hollywood megastar, Tom Cruise.

Katie, now 42, was no stranger to the silver screen, appearing in Go, Teaching Miss Tingle, Wonder Boys, The Gift and Phone Booth in the late Nineties and early Noughties. A series of quirky indie films followed the end of Dawson's Creek, from Pieces of April to The Singing Detective - and then Katie got her big break.

She was cast as Rachel Dawes opposite Christian Bale in Batman Begins - the same year she met her husband-to-be, Tom Cruise. The couple enjoyed a whirlwind romance, with few able to forget Cruise's bizarre appearance on Oprah Winfrey's show, where he jumped on the sofa while talking about Katie.

They were engaged after just seven weeks and their only daughter, Suri, now 14, was born on their first anniversary. Katie and Tom, who were dubbed TomKat, married in a lavish Italian ceremony in 2006, with Katie rumoured to have stood in a hole in her wedding pictures to avoid towering over her husband.

Just six years later, Katie blindsided Tom by filling for divorce from her Scientologist husband. She has never spoken publicly about her marriage but has sole custody of Suri and went on to date actor Jamie Foxx. She is now in a relationship with chef Emilio Vitolo, Jr.

Katie has also now tried her hand at directing with strong reviews for All We Had, and appeared on screen with greats such as Michael Caine. She also appeared as Jackie Kennedy in a series about the famous American political family.

Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley)

Michelle, who played wild child Jen, has arguably gone on to have the most success out of the Dawson's Creek cast. She has been nominated for four Oscars and won two Golden Globes for her roles in often dark and gritty films.

Her breakthrough role came as Heath Ledger's wife in Brokeback Mountain - the tragic story of a gay man hiding his true feelings for his friend. It would be her first Oscar nomination and introduced her to her future partner, Heath. The couple went on to have daughter, Matilda, but broke up in 2007.

And she was shattered by Heath's death aged just 28 the following year, and when it came to selling the home they'd once shared in 2014, she was heartbroken. “At that time, I was inconsolable, because I felt, ‘How will he be able to find us? This is where we lived and he won’t know where we are,'" she told WSJ Magazine in 2017.

Since then, Michelle, 40, has stayed tight-lipped about her personal life. She dated actor Jason Segel in 2012 and was briefly married to musician Phil Elverum from 2018 to 2019. She then gave birth to her second child and first with partner, theatre director Thomas Kail.

Meanwhile, her career has also gone from strength to strength with roles in My Week With Marilyn, Shutter Island, Oz the Great and Powerful, Venom and The Greatest Showman. She has returned to TV just once since her time in Dawson's Creek to play Gwen Verdon in the series Fosse/Verdon, where she was also an executive producer.

Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter)

As Dawson's best friend, and then bitter enemy when he fell in love with Joey, Pacey stole the hearts of teenage girls around the world. Joshua was no stranger to fame when he joined the Dawson's Creek cast, having already appeared in The Mighty Ducks film series.

And he appeared in Cruel Intentions while he was playing Pacey before a raft of film roles with some of the biggest names in Hollywood followed. Joshua, 42, starred opposite Dennis Hopper in Americano, Harvey Keitel in Shadows In The Sun and Donald Sutherland in Aurora Borealis. He then took to the stage alongside Patrick Stewart in London's West End but it seemed Joshua's heart belonged in TV.

For five years he played the lead role of Peter Bishop in JJ Abrams created sci-fi series, Fringe, and last year played lawyer, Mickey Joseph, in the Netflix series When They See Us. Critically acclaimed performances in The Affair and Little Fires everywhere have followed.

After dating Dawson's Creek co-star Katie Holmes during the first two seasons of the show, he started a relationship with fellow actress Diane Kruger in 2006.

The couple were together for 10 years before calling it a day. Joshua then began dating British actress Jodie Turner-Smith and the couple married in December 2019, and welcomed daughter Janie in 2020. However Jodie filed for divorce in 2023, citing 'irreconcilable difference'.

Kerr Smith (Jack McPhee)

Despite playing 16-year-old Jack in Dawson's Creek, Kerr was actually 26 when he joined the cast. Jack's coming out scenes influenced a generation of struggling teenagers.

And since the show ended, Kerr, 49, has rarely been off screen, starring in horror films like Final Destination and having a starring role in the sitcom, The Fosters. More recently, he's appeared as the headteacher in Riverdale and had recurring roles in Criminal Minds, NCIS and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But these days, rather than roles on TV and film, Kerr is more focused on the wellness business he runs with his second wife, Lisa.

TerraLife Wellness is a holistic health and wellness company that describes itself as practising "preventative, holistic approach to guiding people on their personal journey to mental, physical and spiritual growth, while creating balance in all areas of life".

Busy Philipps (Audrey Liddell)

Busy didn't appear as Audrey in Dawson's Creek until the gang all relocated to college but soon became a fan favourite.

She dated Pacey and was firm friends with Joey for the remaining two seasons of the show. Busy, 41, has certainly lived up to her name since filming wrapped on Dawson's Creek, starring in another long-running TV show, ER, and appearing in films like Made of Honor, He's Just Not That Into You and I Feel Pretty.

Along with acting, Busy also launched her own talk show, Busy Tonight, which was cancelled after one series, and has written her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little. The actress and presenter is also a passionate and outspoken campaigner, throwing her backing behind women being able to access abortions.

Mary Beth Peil (Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan)

As Jen's long-suffering Grams, Mary Beth was always on hand to offer sage advice to the young characters.

The actress, now aged 80, hasn't let anything slow her down and is still a regular on our screens. One of her most high-profile roles since Dawson's Creek was as Jackie Florrick, mother of governor, Peter, in The Good Wife.

Mary Beth even reunited with her former Creek co-star, Joshua Jackson, in Fringe. She regularly appears in Broadway productions and was last on screen in 2019 in The Village.

Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox.