Joshua Jackson is breaking his silence about the death of his Dawson’s Creak co-star, James Van Der Beek. He made his first public comments on his passing in an exclusive interview on NBC’s Today on March 10.

“I think it hits in a variety of different ways,” he said. “For me as a father now, I think the enormity of that tragedy for his family hits me in a very different way than just as a colleague. So I think the processing is is ongoing.”

Van Der Beek died in February, sparking an outpouring of grief from his Dawson’s Creek family.

“He and I shared this very amazing time … and it was formational for us,” Jackson continued on TODAY. “I know both of us look back on that time with great fondness, but I will also say that I know that I’m really just a footnote in what he actually accomplished in his life.”

“He became what we used to just call a good man, a man of the kind of belief, the kind of faith that allowed him to face the impossible with grace, an unbelievable partner and husband, just a real man who showed up for his family and a beautiful, kind, curious, interested, dedicated father,” he added.

Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Jackson, 47, has partnered with the NHL and AstraZeneca as part of the pharmaceutical company’s Get Body Checked Against Cancer campaign, which highlights the importance of getting screened for cancer.

“I’m at the age, right? Like so many people, my family has been touched by cancer,” he said about how he got involved.

“Obviously, when James got his diagnosis, and now I’m thinking about a contemporary of mine going through something like this, and when the AstraZeneca folks reached out, I also have a lifelong connection to hockey.”

Jackson emphasised how vital it is to get treatment sooner rather than later.

“Guys don’t like to talk about this. We don’t like to go to the doctor, we don’t like to deal with this stuff. And I know a lot of ways in your life, like that stiff upper lip thing can be helpful, but in this it’s not helpful at all,” he added.

Van Der Beek also became an advocate for cancer screening following his diagnosis. He filmed a prerecorded video when he missed a Dawson’s Creek reunion due to stomach issues last September to raise money for the nonprofit F Cancer, and he was as a paid spokesperson for Guardant Health, which offers a blood test to screen for colon cancer.

People with an average risk of colon cancer should start screening at 45, according to the American Cancer Society, while those with an increased risk should begin earlier.

“I got screened at 46,” Van Der Beek told TODAY.com in July. “I didn’t realise they had dropped it to 45. I thought I was way ahead of the game.”

“Even just the slightest little change, it could be something, but … don’t think that not having symptoms means you don’t have to get screened, especially for something that is this curable when caught early,” he added. “That’s really what I want to get across.”