Dawson Creek Stars James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson Barely Spoke Amid Rumored Katie Holmes Love Triangle, Costar Claims

A rumored off-camera triangle

In his book I Don’t Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson’s Creek, published Tuesday, November 10, Kerr Smith recounts a rumored romantic triangle involving Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and James Van Der Beek. Holmes played Joey Potter, and Smith described the situation as a “meta” parallel to the show’s relationships.

Smith wrote that the actors were in and around their twenties and that tensions surrounding their private lives made the atmosphere on set feel charged. He said the mood carried into the second season and beyond, though no one openly discussed the reported relationships.

Limited contact between co-stars

Smith said Van Der Beek and Jackson were professional when he joined the show’s second season, but did not socialize. He wrote, “I can’t recall a single conversation between them,” and said they did not interact off set.

Smith characterized the distance as neither dramatic nor disruptive to the work. It was simply something that existed, he wrote.

Humes intervenes at screening

Van Der Beek told Humes he would not attend, but she insisted on picking him up and told him to be ready. Smith said she urged him to make amends with Jackson. At the screening, Jackson hugged Humes and thanked Van Der Beek for coming; Smith wrote that “something shifted.”

A possible start to healing

Smith said the actors’ eyes met at the screening, describing it as the beginning of a healing process. The account links the moment to Humes’ effort to bring the co-stars together. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Smith praised Humes as “amazing” and said she took pictures of everyone and made behind-the-scenes videos each year.