“Dawson’s Creek” actor James Van Der Beek sent a video message to fans during the show’s reunion to make up for not being able to attend.
The 48-year-old celeb was forced to drop out of the event at the last minute due to a stomach illness. Van Der Beek has been battling stage 3 colorectal cancer since last year, as he previously announced.
“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” the “Dawson’s Creek” alum said in the recorded message, per People. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person.”
“And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight,” Van Der Beek continued. “From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.”
“Thank you for coming. It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,” he said. “And, obviously, on ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ I had no understudy, but this is Broadway, and I needed one. So we figured we’d try to find somebody who had never understudied in this theater before.”
The actor had “Hamilton” creator Lin Manuel Miranda take his place at the event, which included a live table read of the pilot episode. The original cast was all in attendance, including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and several others.
Van Der Beek’s wife and children were also in the audience at Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.
The star of the teen drama previously warned fans he wouldn’t be able to make the event with a social media post.
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“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,” Van Der Beek shared to Instagram on Monday.
“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. 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.”