James Van Der Beek revealed his very unlikely inspiration for his star role as Dawson: the Phantom of the Opera.
Van Der Beek, 48, was set to appear at the one-night-only reunion of the Dawson's Creek cast on Sept. 22, but had to drop out due to two stomach viruses. Instead, the actor, who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, made a surprise virtual appearance at the event, which took place at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. He spoke to fans of the hit 90s drama before the cast took part in a reading of the show's pilot episode. After the reading, he appeared in another video address to the crowd.
"I have a confession to make. I was never actually a film geek. I was a theater geek, as anybody who's ever tried to impress me with an obscure movie quote has very quickly discovered," he began, referencing how his character, Dawson, was an aspiring filmmaker who idolized Steven Spielberg. "That's why I think it's so appropriate that we're doing this tonight in a Broadway theater."
Van Der Beek continued, "Now, there was a show that played for years, a few blocks over on Forty-Fourth Street at the Majestic Theater. That had at its core a writer, an artist. Somebody who didn't feel socially acceptable but dreamed of beauty, and that character was very, very central to who I believe Dawson to be." That character was the Phantom of the Opera, the title character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name. Phantom ran on Broadway from 1988 to 2023, and is currently running off-Broadway as the immersive show Masquerade.
"Now, nobody in their right mind would ever draw a parallel between the two," Van Der Beek joked, "but one very big similarity between Dawson and the Phantom of the Opera is that both of them were faced with the reality that the woman they loved truly loved somebody else and said, 'Go to him. Go to him now before I change my mind.' Of course only one instance did it result in a crying face meme."
Van Der Beek was referencing the season three finale, titled "True Love," where Dawson told Joey (Katie Holmes) to go be with his best friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson). As she ran away, Dawson cries, and the screenshot of his tears has turned into a widespread meme.
"There's a song that the phantom sings that I really had in my head when, in that scene where Dawson is showing Jen all the Spielberg posters in his room," Van Der Beek said, referencing when Dawson tried to woo Michelle Williams' Jen in season one. "And it's the moment that he finally gets the girl to his bedroom, or in this case, the dungeon, and he's sharing with her his true passion."
Then, Van Der Beek introduced Norm Lewis, whom he called "one of my all-time favorite phantoms [and] favorite Broadway singers," to sing "Music of the Night" from the show. Lewis starred in the Broadway production from 2014 to 2015. He was the second Black actor to play the role and the first to do so on Broadway. In the show, the Phantom decided to have his love, Christine, sing his musical compositions. She ultimately left him for another man, Raoul.
At the event, the Dawson's Creek cast was joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, filling in for Van Der Beek. Van Der Beek's wife Kimberly and their six children were also on hand and took to the stage to join in a sing-along of the show's theme, "I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole.
Monday night's event raised funds for F Cancer while honoring Van Der Beek. Kimberly shared in an emotional video after the event that "the entire cast has been beyond words. Words will never do justice for their support."
"This night was so special to the whole family, and more importantly, like just feeling my husband fill the entire theater, and the love for him," she in part. "We'll be unwinding this one for a while, but thank you for the love and support and for the prayers, cause right here, front and center, is my husband on my heart."
"And it was a beautiful night, and I miss my husband. I can't wait to go see him tomorrow," she said.