The bond between Katie Holmes and James Van Der Beek dates back to 1997, when they were both chosen to star in Dawson’s Creek.The production, which aired between 1998 and 2003, made them recognized figures among young audiences when they played Joey Potter and Dawson Leery.
Before the premiere, the actors agreed that the connection was immediate. Holmes noted at the time that “it just happened” and that “we have a lot in common. The chemistry was there.”
For his part, Van Der Beek told E!News that “we simply connected after reading the script” and that it was lucky to meet just two days before filming began.
According to sources cited by Daily Mail, that closeness also moved off-camera during the first years of the series.According to an insider, “James and Katie dated for a while.”
“They tried to keep their relationship a secret, but everyone on the set knew. Then the news that they were a couple started to leak.”Another source stated that Katie Holmes described the actor to friends as her “teenage love.”
According to sources, both chose to keep their personal lives out of the media spotlight.“Katie was a shy 19-year-old and James was barely in his early 20s. They didn’t want to talk about their love lives in public, so they decided to keep quiet,” said an insider.
Another person linked to the program’s environment described that “the set was like high school for the cast. Everyone had crushes on each other and everyone at some point went out or had a romance.”
“Katie and James had a brief bond,” he said.That same source added that both concluded that they worked better as friends and that the situation did not generate subsequent tensions.
The series, set in the life of a group of young people in transition to adulthood, reached an average of six million viewers and was positioned as one of the most watched programs among teenagers.
The sudden success implied a significant change for its protagonists. Katie, originally from Toledo, Ohio, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, after finishing high school to participate in the production.
After the end of the series in 2003, their personal trajectories took different directions.Katie Holmes married Tom Cruise in November 2006 and divorced almost six years later.
For his part, James Van Der Beek married Heather McComb that same year and divorced in 2010. He later married producer Kimberly Van Der Beek, with whom he had six children.
In 2024, James went public with his diagnosis of colorectal cancer.On February 11 of this year he died at the age of 48.
After his death, Holmes shared a message on Instagram in which he stated that he will carry with him all the “memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs, adventures of a unique youth.”
“I am very grateful to have shared a part of James’ journey. Dear. Kimberly, we love you and we will always be here for you and your beautiful children,” she wrote.
Months before his death, the cast of the series participated in a special reading of the pilot episode in New York for charity in support of the F Cancer organization, following the actor’s diagnosis.
Although his in-person attendance was expected, Van Der Beek canceled due to a stomach virus and sent a video message.His role was played on stage by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
