What Happened to Dawson and the Gang?
Capeside's high schoolers (and myriad relatives) set the trend for other teen dramas -- big vocabularies, extensive pop culture references ('Gilmore Girls,' 'Veronica Mars') ... and active sex lives ('The O.C.,' 'Gossip Girl').
'Dawson's Creek' aired for six seasons, from 1998 to 2003, ending with a flash-forward glimpse into the characters' lives in 2008.
Five years have passed, and some of the 'Creek' alum are still very much in the limelight. We check on where they've been able to channel all that teen angst. -- By Aimee Deeken
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James Van Der Beek
Played: Dawson Leary
Then: A football injury started Van Der Beek on the thespian track. His debut at age 16 in the New York premiere of Edward Albee's play 'Finding the Sun' drew raves, but it was his role as the brooding, movie-obsessed doppelganger of series' creator Kevin Williamson (of 'Scream' fame) that garnered teen-idol status. With his turn as a high school football player in 1999's 'Varsity Blues,' his X factor reached a fever pitch.
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James Van Der Beek
Played: Dawson Leary
Now: Van Der Beek's been relatively MIA from TV since the frenetic 'Dawson's' era. In the last two years, he's had brief stints on 'Criminal Minds,' 'Ugly Betty,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' and most recently on Creek alum Chad Michael Murray's 'One Tree Hill.' Other activities include marrying actress Heather McComb ('Party of Five') in 2003, writing a screenplay, and the performing in an indie film, 'The Boy in the Box,' due later this year. He may return to TV full-time: Fox cast him last fall as a sports agent in its drama pilot 'Eva Adams.'
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Katie Holmes
Played: Joey Potter
Then: The Midwestern girl next door had a sultry side first discovered by director Ang Lee for his 1997 film 'The Ice Storm' and perfected a year later for Josephine Potter. Holmes infamously auditioned for the role via videotape shot in her parents' basement because she refused to abandon her high school's production of 'Damn Yankees.' No matter: L.A. would be smitten soon enough.
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Katie Holmes
Played: Joey Potter
Now: It's hard not hearing what Holmes is up to these days. Yeah, she starred in a few films ('The Gift,' 'Pieces of April' among them) over the same years that she appeared in all 128 episodes of the series. But she really began making headlines in connection with a certain couch-jumper. TomKat, Scientology and Suri overshadowed her acting career for a time, and her stint as 'Batman''s Rachel Dawes got a Golden Raspberry nom. But she regained some cred on the stage in 'All My Sons' and is rumored to be returning to Broadway later this year in the 'Finding Neverland' musical.
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Michelle Williams
Played: Jen Lindley
Then: She must've known she was destined for something more than a typical teenage upbringing: She emancipated from her parents at age 15 and left high school after the ninth grade to pursue acting. By age 18, she was cast as the tempestuous Jen Lindley, who died in the flash-forward and left her baby daughter to best friend Jack. During her 'Dawson's' time, she received solid reviews for films 'Dick' and 'The Station Agent.'
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Michelle Williams
Played: Jen Lindley
Now: Despite much critical acclaim (including an Oscar nom) for her performance in 'Brokeback Mountain' and more recently in 'Wendy and Lucy' and 'Synecdoche, New York,' Williams' talent appears, for the time being, to be overshadowed by the January 2008 death of ex Heath Ledger, the ensuing conspiracy theories, and what the future holds for their 3-year-old daughter, Matilda. After filming wrapped last year for Martin Scorsese's 'Ashecliffe' thriller, Williams said she'd be taking a year off to focus on motherhood.
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Joshua Jackson
Played: Pacey Witter
Then: Before Capeside, Jackson's most recognizable role was as Charlie in 'The Might Ducks' films -- quite a departure from Pacey, the wisecracking lothario. Part of the early outcry against the show's racy themes is thanks to Pacey's season 1 affair with his high school English teacher. He went on to woo many women, including of course Joey (on-screen and off).
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Joshua Jackson
Played: Pacey Witter
Now: During 'Creek''s run, Jackson worked on 'The Laramie Project,' 'The Skulls,' an 'Oceans 11' cameo, a guest voice on 'The Simpsons' -- and some community service for assaulting a security guard. After the series ended, he garnered critical recognition in a David Mamet play in the UK and for films 'Aurora Borealis' (with Donald Sutherland) and 'Bobby,' reuniting with 'Mighty Ducks' co-star Emilio Estevez. Jackson returned to TV (and dry sarcasm) this season on Fox's new paranormal hit 'Fringe.' He's also rumored to be the new Fletch in the ever-evolving 'Fletch Won' prequel.
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Mary Beth Piel
Played: Evelyn "Grams" Ryan
Then: Before playing Jen's loyal and grounded grandmother, Peil was renowned on the New York stage. She started in showbiz as an opera singer and starred in many Broadway hits, receiving Obie Awards along the way, as well as a Tony nomination alongside Yul Brynner in 'The King and I.' The initially disapproving Grams sure came around: She sheltered Jen and gay BFF Jack, road-tripped with the teens one summer and even sold her house and followed them to Boston.
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Reader Comments (8)
Alex at 6:39AM on Feb 16th 2009
Wow!!! Miley Cyrus's sex tape here:
http://youcelebtube.com/go.php
kevin at 8:25AM on Feb 16th 2009
Who cares what happened to those idiots.
Jennifer at 8:49AM on Feb 16th 2009
I care what happened to them. Oh my gosh, I was so in love with that show. I was in 10th grade when the show started and so were all the cast. It was great to see people going through similar situations that I was going through and how they handled it. My whole class was into it. My school was "Dawson's Creek" crazy for a while. We even got teachers to reschedule tests if it conflicted with when the show was on. I loved the show and I wish the best for all the actors.
tony at 11:29AM on Feb 16th 2009
odd that each of the guys smokes pretty openly now (foley supposedly quit recently) and they all went on to have facial hair most of the time. -- wonder if it was because they had to shave so much on the show.
cassie at 1:53PM on Feb 16th 2009
it's kinda neat that everyone moved on in there lives, and on to better things in life. i think they should keep going with the show, but start fresh, like start this year, and then keep going until when it wants to get over. i kinda like the idea they stopped the show, so the cast can do different things for themselves.
Michelle at 2:17PM on Feb 16th 2009
I was just thinking about the stars of Dawson's Creek the other day and thought, where are they now?...I'm so glad someone is still interested in where these actors/actresses are, besides me! Now, if we could only get a reunion show in the works!!
Renee at 5:34PM on Feb 16th 2009
How would they do a reunion show when Jen is dead? I still wish they didn't kill her off. That was just wrong. Best show ever! (other than FRIENDS) I agree, I was a Junior in High School when this show started and it was easily relatable. I bought all the DVD's when they came out...Anytime I see any of the old DC'ers, I like to see what they are up to. But, too bad Katie had to marry crazy Scientolofreak Tom...
increase my vertical at 9:49PM on Jul 27th 2009
Alex you are a twat! LOL Dawson always had a massive fore head - it seems to grow with age!