Joshua Jackson opens up for the first time about the death of James Van Der Beek

“I’m still taking it in,” Dawson’s ex-Pacey admits.

Almost a month after the disappearance of James Van Der Beek, his former best friend Dawson, paid tribute to him yesterday morning on American TV.

Joshua Jackson has spoken publicly for the first time. The 47-year-old actor spoke about the loss of his Capeside comrade during an interview on the Today show with presenter Craig Melvin.

Asked about how he experiences this mourning, the former interpreter of Pacey explained that the process is still ongoing:

“I think it hits you in different ways. Now, as a father, the magnitude of the tragedy for his family hits me in a very different way than just as a colleague. So yes, I’m still processing.”

The two actors had shared their television debut in Dawson, the cult series broadcast from 1998 to 2003. A founding memory for Joshua Jackson, who played Pacey, while James Van Der Beek played Dawson, both caught in a love triangle with Joey, Katie Holmes’ character.

“We experienced something incredible very young, at a defining moment in our lives. I know we both looked back on this period with great affection.”

But the actor especially wanted to pay tribute to the man behind the star!

“I also know that I am just a footnote in what he actually accomplished in his life. He became what we simply called a good man. Someone with a faith and convictions that allowed him to face the impossible with grace. An extraordinary partner and husband, a present, attentive, curious, deeply devoted father.”

Joshua Jackson participated in the show to discuss his partnership with the AstraZeneca laboratory, which encourages regular cancer screening. A cause that is particularly close to his heart, marked by the history of his own family… and by the illness of James Van Der Beek.

The actor’s death was announced on February 11, after a battle with cancer. James Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife and their six children.