Dawson's Creek cast now – heartbreak, kicked out of high school and boyfriend tragedy

25 years ago today (January 20, 1998), Dawson’s Creek first aired on The WB in America – and we can’t quite believe that an entire quarter of a century has passed.

The teen drama, which was about a close knit group of school pals, ran for six series and 128 episodes from 1998 until 2003 – and if you’re anything like us, you’ve probably watched them all, back-to-back, multiple times.

Set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, the four lead characters Dawson, Katie, Joey and Jen were at the helm of the series and fast became household names in the 90s and 00s.

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The show focused on the group of friends as they navigated different stages of adolescence together and how their friendship gets tested as they fall in love with different people.

Dawson’s Creek sadly ended on May 14, 2003, so what have the cast been up to since? Scroll on as Daily Star takes a look at where they all are now.

Katie Holmes

Internationally loved starlet Katie – who is arguably the most famous actor to come out of the show – starred in a whopping 128 episodes of Dawson’s Creek.

Yes, every single episode of the series, with her even being nominated for best TV actress for her portrayal a number of times.

The stunning brunette, who is now 44, portrayed Joey Potter in the beloved series and was Dawson’s childhood pal, with Katie continuing to act when the show finished in 2003.

She went on to star in the likes of Pieces of April, Batman Begins, Mad Money and Ocean’s 8, and we’ve follower her career incredibly closely.

In 2011 she took on the role of Jackie Kennedy in the miniseries entitled The Kennedys, which was a huge hit.

And more recently she took on the lead role of Rhonda Byrnes’ law of attraction movie The Secret: Dare To Dream, as well as portraying June in Alone Together.

With a string of famous relationships, Katie was engaged to Chris Klein briefly before meeting and falling for Tom Cruise in 2005.

Katie and Tom were married for six years, studied Scientology together and then welcomed one child before they split in 2012.

From 2013 until 2019 Katie dated Jamie Foxx, before meeting Emilio Vitolo Jr and dating him for around eight months.

James Van Der Beek

In the hit series of Dawson’s Creek, James played the role of Dawson Leery.

His starring tole in the TV series led to many other television stints, with James starring in the likes of Mercy, CSI: Cyber, and Pose.

From 2003 until 2009, James was married to Heather McComb, before marrying Kimberly Van Der Beek in 2010 – whom he shares six children with.

More recently James competed in the 28th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2019.

In the TV show he was paired with professional dancer Emma Slater, with them making it to the semi-finals and even finishing in fifth place.

The night he was booted off the show, he revealed that his wife, Kimberly, had suffered a miscarriage 48 hours prior to his performance.

Joshua Jackson

Fans of the popular WB series will know Joshua best for his portrayal of Pacey Witter in the teen drama.

Prior to his stint in the show, Joshua was kicked out of high school because of watching a certain TV programme.

In an interview with The New York Times, he said: “[The show] played, at least where I grew up, at 1:30 in the morning, so I would stay up at night to watch Jon Stewart [of The John Stewart Show], but then I’d be too tired—or too lazy—to go to school in the morning.

“So I’d just take the first couple of classes off, ’cause I wanted to be fresh when I got there.”

Since his high school days and finding fame on Dawson’s Creek, Joshua has had a very successful acting career.

In 2020 he starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the Hulu miniseries Little Fireflies Everywhere.

And last year he was set to lead the Paramount+ series Fatal Attraction with Lizzy Caplan.

Turning towards his love life, Joshua was said to be involved with Dawson’s Creek co-star Katie for the first two seasons of the show.

Then for 10 years from 2006 until 2016, Joshua dated Diane Kruger.

And from 2018 he began dating Jodie Turner-Smith, whom he married in 2019, with the pair now sharing a child together who they welcomed in 2020.

Michelle Williams

Michelle played the role of Jen Lindley in the hit teen drama, and once described the experience of Dawson’s Creek as “the best acting class”.

After her six-year stint on the show she admitted to not having fully invested herself in the show, explaining: “My taste was in contradiction to what I was doing every single day.”

Going on to make a huge name for herself in the film and TV industry, Michelle has starred in many box office smash hits.

From the likes of Blue Valentine and Shutter Island in 2010, to the fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013, and of course The Greatest Showman in 2017.

And more recently she starred in Steven Spielberg’s drama The Fabelmans, which came out last year.

She is also known for wearing a saffron-coloured Vera Wang dress to the 2006 Academy Awards, which was named by the Daily Telegraph as one of the most memorable Oscar dresses of all time.

Michelle welcomed her first child in 2005 with the late Heath Ledger, who died three years later.

From 2018 until 2019 she was married to Phil Elverum, before marrying Thomas Kail in 2020, whom she shares son Hart with.

Last spring Michelle announced they were expecting their second child, with the blonde beauty stepping out in public with her baby in the autumn of 2022.

Busy Philipps

Elizabeth Jean “Busy” Philipps played the role of Audrey Liddell in the hit series, in which she starred in 39 episodes.

Since her Dawson’s Creek stint, Busy has been very busy being the queen of chick-flicks and rom-coms.

With an endless list of film and TV credits, Busy has popped up in ER and Cougar Twon, as well as hit noughties chick-flick White Chicks.

Fans of Dawson’s Creek may also recognise her from her roles in Made of Honor, He’s Just Not That Into You and I Feel Pretty.

From 2018 to 2019 she hosted her own talk show which was entitled Busy Tonight.

She currently stars in the Peacock original series Girls5eva.

In 2007 Busy married Marc Silverstein with the couple welcoming two children.

Last May (2022) however, she and her husband announced their separation.

Mary Beth Peil

Mary Beth Peil played the role of Evelyn “Grams” Ryan for 66 episodes in the teen drama series.

The now-82-year-old is not only an actress, but a very talented opera singer.

Her career as an opera singer and soprano started in 1962 with the Goldovsky Opera.

After Dawson’s Creek ended Mary went on to star in many other TV shows and movies.

She popped up in The Good Wife from 2009 until 2016, and is also known for her appearance in The Stepford Wives in 2004.

And just three years ago in 2020 she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series for the role of Helen in After Forever.

The 82-year-old is currently unmarried, but was previously married to Jerry Kirkbride, whom she got divorced from in 1993.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk