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It has been mere weeks since the passing of James Van Der Beek.
All eyes are on his former Dawson’s Creek co-stars as they find the words to express this sense of loss.
This time, it’s Pacey’s turn.
Actor Joshua Jackson is speaking out, sharing how being a father shapes how he views the Van Der Beek family’s grief.
‘The process is ongoing’
On Tuesday, March 10, Joshua Jackson appeared on the Today show.
Naturally, the conversation immediately turned to the loss of James Van Der Beek.
Jackson shared how his personal grief “hits in a variety of different ways.”
He explained: “For me as a father now, the enormity of that tragedy for his family hits me in a very different way than just as a colleague.”
Jackson then assessed: “So I think the process is ongoing.”
When he died, Van Der Beek left behind a widow and six children.
The range of ages meant that discussing his cancer battle with his kids required very different approaches.
Little kids and teens — and everyone in between — processes grief and understands mortality a little differently.
Just this past weekend, the late actor’s 9-year-old daughter posted an emotional tribute to her late father.
That’s a lot. And, to a fellow father like Jackson, it’s impossible to miss what an “enormous” loss this is.
‘He was a good man’
“I think he did lead a good life,” Jackson assessed.
“And,” he praised, “he was a good man.”
Many people who pass away are hailed as good, even when the claim is categorically false.
But, when it comes to Van Der Beek, his family is mourning him, his former coworkers are singing his praises, and his fans are beside themselves.
He was, by all accounts, a genuinely great guy.
In addition to directly honoring Van Der Beek, Jackson also participated in a helpful PSA.
Given that he played a doctor on Doctor Odyssey (truly an unsung gem of television), he stepped into a doctor’s costume alongside Gritty, who is essentially the genius loci of Philadelphia.
The PSA was to encourage men of a certain age — younger Gen Xers, most specifically, but really anyone in their forties — to undergo cancer screenings.
Prostate health can be a tricky topic for men, especially in a society that encourages men to eschew healthcare and to never let anyone touch their butts.
Jackson knows that it’s a tricky topic. But the PSA is a handy reminder — and not only for prostate cancer. Van Der Beek died of colorectal cancer, an often-lethal and expensive cancer.
No one should feel forced to speak out before they are ready
Many of us loved Van Der Beek for his acting roles — from Dawson’s Creek to Don’t Trust The B to Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction.
(Seriously, he knocked it out of the park on Don’t Trust The B, portraying a satirized version of himself.)
But Jackson knew him personally.
They were actually roommates in Wilmington while they started filming Dawson’s Creek.
It must be extraordinarily painful for actors who knew Van Der Beek to have to discuss his passing publicly or be branded as heartless.
We hope that they know that, for most of us, they can take their time and guard their privacy as they process this loss.
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