My TV career sprang a leak after Dawson’s Creek
DAWSON’S CREEK star James Van Der Beek was stuck without a paddle — but now he insists his career is happily swimming upstream.
In an exclusive chat with Guilty Pleasures, the actor admits he found himself treading water after finishing the teen drama in 2003.
‘There was a moment where things were slower and there weren’t as many opportunities, so I had a year of saying yes to everything, anything that sounded interesting or I hadn’t done before — no matter how ridiculous,’ said the 40-year-old.
He says he didn’t care what people thought, which led to bizarre roles such as being shot by lasers in Ke$ha’s video for Blow in 2011, or ‘playing a weird version of myself’ in the US TV sitcom Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23.
Last week, James was left squirming during an awkward interview on ITV’s This Morning when he was reminded of the success of his Dawson’s Creek co-stars Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson.
The dad-of-four told GP it’s ‘rare’ to still be around, having found fame two decades earlier. ‘You see it in people who have also been there, the industry, for a long time,’ he added. ‘They see you’re still in the game and there is this silent recognition, “hey, good to have you here”, and the subtext is, “I’m glad you made it this far”.’
James currently stars as a tech billionaire in Sky 1 comedy Carters Get Rich (Fridays at 8pm).
‘Now I get to be a bit more choosy about what I do,’ he said. ‘I can afford to say yes to the things I’m really excited about.’
Author: Andrei Harmsworth
