James Van Der Beek is reminiscing about the creek.
The Dawson's Creek star, 45, reflected on his star-making role in the hit WB teen soap as he celebrated the show's 25th anniversary on Friday. He posted an image of himself portraying Dawson Leary, along with a heartfelt tribute.
"Twenty-five years ago today… my life changed. Not gradually, not day-by-day…instantly," he stated. "It was the culmination of 5 years of auditioning, hundreds of hours on stage, thousands of hours traveling, preparing, dreaming, hoping, hearing 'no,' and making up reasons to keep going. But the shift was overnight."
"There was life before becoming famous… and life after. Both have their benefits, both have their obstacles," Van Der Beek continued, geotagging the post to Wilmington, N.C., where the show was filmed.
Van Der Beek played the titular aspiring filmmaker on the drama series for the entirety of its six-season run, which spanned 1998 to 2003. The show followed Dawson and his friends (Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Kerr Smith) as they navigated life, love and sex throughout their teen years.
Van Der Beek explained that the "biggest surprise" was "how little it thrilled me" to brag about his success, after years of his family asking how his career was going and wanting to have something "impressive" to tell them.
"When I'd finally gotten the thing that was plastered on so many billboards and bus stops that no one even HAD to ask…I recall wondering what hell I'd been pining for. It didn't feel like a finish line," he recalled. "It wasn't a salve for insecurities — it was a pressure cooker. Long-buried traumas didn't disappear — they now lived closer to the surface."
The Dancing with the Stars alum admitted there were "some cool 'pinch myself' moments along the way as well," and although he "didn't know what to do with fame for the longest," he's since come to "feel like it connects me in a way I really appreciate."
"Which is all, really…a long-ass way of saying thank you," Van Der Beek concluded. "Thank you to everyone I've encountered as a result of this strange, wild, rocket ship ride, and to my fellow passengers who were strapped in alongside me…it's good to know you. Makes me happy to see you all doing so well. Happy anniversary, guys."
Holmes, 44, also celebrated the anniversary, sharing a throwback behind-the-scenes photo to her Instagram Stories of the cast and creative team, including Kevin Williamson, Greg Berlanti and Julie Plec.
"Happy 25th!!!!! I loved growing up with everyone and experiencing some really beautiful times! Thank you to all of the fans of #DawsonsCreek," she wrote with the photo, which was originally shared by Mary-Margaret Humes, who played Dawson's mother Gail.
Smith, 50, also paid tribute in a post, writing: "Happy 25th DC! So many great memories."
Despite Van Der Beek's and Holmes' enduring love for the show, Dawson's Creek fans shouldn't get their hopes up over a potential reunion.
"I don't know … I just don't know that there's really anything to do, to be honest with you. It's weird even to talk about it," Van Der Beek said of the idea in 2013, later bluntly stating that his "answer hasn't changed in 15 years" when the question came up again in 2017.
