James Van Der Beek has marked his eldest daughter’s 15th birthday with a poignant post.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, September 25, Van Der Beek reflected that his daughter Olivia is now the age his character was when he began his most iconic role on Dawson’s Creek.
“My oldest turned 15 today,” Van Der Beek, 48, wrote. “Same age that Dawson was in the pilot.”
Alongside the lengthy caption, the Varsity Blues star shared a video of Olivia on stage at the recent Dawson’s Creek reunion, where she performed the show’s theme song, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait.”
Van Der Beek, who is currently in the midst of a stage III colon cancer battle, was forced to skip the event on September 22 due to health issues.
“To watch you stand there in that red dress, so confidently taking center stage amidst all those people I’ve known so long and cherish so deeply… I’m just left in awe,” the actor wrote of his daughter’s performance.
He added, “I’ve always joked that you came out “parent proof,” but this last year, as I’ve watched you accelerate into so many big decisions, jump into so many activities, budget your time, do your homework and your hair (which, from my point of view, seem to require roughly the same amount of time & focus 😂)… the less I think the parent-proof thing is a joke.”
Van Der Beek shares Olivia with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek, who he wed in 2010 – the same year their daughter was born. The couple went on to welcome five more children, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 8, Gwendolyn, 6, Jeremiah, 2.
Van Der Beek also shared a funny anecdote about Olivia messing up his ticket to a high school football game via the Instagram post, before ending on an encouraging message for his daughter.
“Keep taking big swings, kiddo. Risk imperfection. Keep dreaming big and most importantly, be true to who you are,” he urged. “Because, while only YOU will know exactly who your most authentic self will be, as someone who’s known you your whole life… I can guarantee you’re going to love her. Happy birthday kiddo. I love you ❤️”
The tribute post comes after Van Der Beek announced via an Instagram post that he wouldn’t be able to make the Dawson’s Creek reunion event.
“This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January… So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,” he wrote via Instagram on September 21. “Despite every effort … I won’t get to be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”
While Van Der Beek wasn’t able to attend the live reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, he did make a virtual cameo at the event. As well as Williams his costars Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes were among those who attended.
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