.png)
James Van Der Beek often felt like he was fleeing the ghost of Dawson Leery. As with so many actors who become known for playing teen heartthrobs, that breakthrough role sometimes felt like it defined Van Der Beek, who died this week after a two-year battle with colorectal cancer. He occasionally found ways to disrupt that stereotype, sometimes even going directly at the All-American image he had engendered in both the TV hit and “Varsity Blues” in roles that poked fun at his persona, like “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” and “The Rules of Attraction.”
One of the many things that’s so disheartening about his passing this week, which includes that he had medical bills so extreme that a GoFundMe has been started to ensure his six grieving children aren’t kicked out of their home, was that it felt like his number would eventually be called for a comeback. He’d get just the right part–he’s easy to picture in a Nolan ensemble or even a lead in a high-profile thriller–and we’d all talk about how his talent was underestimated by the lowered expectations that come with teen dramas. We’ve all been robbed of the JVDB comeback.
Van Der Beek is one of many actors who caught the bug at a young age, appearing in a middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He not only caught it, but his parents supported it, taking him to Broadway to find an agent, who landed him a role off-Broadway in the New York premiere of an Edward Albee play. He did some small work from here while trying to be a student, but he dropped out after landing a role in the pilot for a WB series called “Dawson’s Creek,” which became an instant hit. It ran for six seasons and made all of its stars into household names, including Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson.
Early in the run of “Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek landed his most impactful film role as the lead in “Varsity Blues,” which was a huge hit in 1998, landing at number one for two weeks and making over $50 million on a budget that was less than a third of that. It’s held up well, even if one just enjoys it as a time capsule of the era in which it was made, especially in its cast of future stars like Paul Walker, Scott Caan, Amy Smart, Ali Larter, and Jesse Plemons.
He worked regularly in the early ‘00s, popping up in everything from “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” to “The Rules of Attraction,” a controversial semi-sequel to “American Psycho” in which Van Der Beek played Patrick Bateman’s brother Sean. Largely discarded at the time, it’s become something of a reappraised cult classic over the years. It’s evidence of how Van Der Beek was interested in stretching his acting muscles, playing a drug dealer that’s about as far from Dawson as possible.
Sadly, movies weren’t as interested in a grown-up JVDB. Film roles were tough, but he did appear more consistently on TV, popping up in arcs on “One Tree Hill” and “How I Met Your Mother” before landing a lead role in NBC’s “Mercy” and then ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” in which he played a version of himself. Despite strong reviews, that comedy was canceled quickly, and “CSI: Cyber” didn’t do much better. Still, Van Der Beek never really walked away, appearing in guest roles on stuff like “Modern Family” and “Overcompensating,” and a lead role in the first season of the critically adored “Pose.”
In August 2023, Van Der Beek was diagnosed with cancer, although he didn’t make that public until over a year later. In November of last year, Van Der Beek was auctioning items from the prime of his career to help pay his exorbitant medical bills. That we live in a society in which someone who was as adored as he was for years can’t pay for the treatment to keep him alive is shameful. Imagine what non-celebrities go through every day with bills that derail not only their futures but that of their children. One hopes that this tragic loss shines a light on how medical costs shackle people to impossible debt, even the famous.
As of this writing, the GoFundMe for Van Der Beek’s family has shattered its original goals as it crests $1.5 million. It’s an indication of how much James Van Der Beek was loved and admired as a person; many who probably have bills of their own just want to do something for the man who did so much for them.
from Roger Ebert https://ift.tt/XWaN8Zr
.png)
