Josh Jackson Details Reuniting With Katie Holmes After Dawson’s Creek

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Joey and Pacy’s bond is forever.

Even though it’s been three decades since Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes first starred together as a young couple on Dawson’s Creek, they felt like no time had passed when they reunited for her new film, Happy Hours.

Joshua shared on Today on March 10th that they’ve been friends for a long time, and he felt it was truly special that she invited them to reconnect and work together again.

In the movie, Joshua and Katie – who actually dated for a year while filming the first season of Dawson’s Creek – play a couple who previously dated as teenagers and are now considering getting back together after reconnecting later in life. Joshua is especially happy for fans to see Katie’s creative vision realized in the film.

The 47-year-old said she had written a lovely love story in three sections, and they filmed it last summer, which she really enjoyed.

He expressed hope that they would be able to produce the remaining two films in the planned trilogy, which Katie directed, starred in, and wrote.

I was so touched to see Katie and Joshua celebrating their incredible relationship! She sweetly acknowledged their ‘Happy Hours’ – a lovely way to mark all the years they’ve spent together. It’s these little moments of appreciation that really make a relationship thrive, and it was beautiful to witness.

The 47-year-old actress expressed her excitement about reuniting with friends for her new film, HAPPY HOURS. She shared a photo on Instagram with Joshua, noting their long-standing friendship. She described HAPPY HOURS as a heartwarming story filled with people she loves and said the team is eager to share it with audiences.

In September, Joshua and Katie reunited with their former Dawson’s Creek co-stars Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps to honor James Van Der Beek, who sadly passed away in February after a battle with colorectal cancer. The event also supported the organization F Cancer.

You know, getting back on screen with Katie after all these years was really special. What people might not realize is that even though the show ended back in 2003, we’ve stayed close. That genuine connection was definitely still there, and it made the whole experience so much better.

Joshua shared on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast, Dinner’s on Me, that he and Katie have a very close relationship, much like the strong bond between Busy and Michelle.

Even though they didn’t talk every day, the actor from Doctor Odessey and Katie still managed to keep in touch.

He explained that they don’t always connect on a regular schedule, like weekly, monthly, or even every six months. But when they do get together, there’s an unspoken understanding between them—a shared awareness without needing to say much.

For more on the onscreen and offscreen secrets from Dawson’s Creek, keep reading…

 

While Fox was first to pick up Dawson’s Creek, it subsequently dumped the teen drama. 

At the 2015 ATX TV Festival, series creator Kevin Williamson explained that the network was already having trouble with the show Party of Five and didn’t want to take on another struggling series.

But that paved the way for The WB to pick it up two years later.

Although Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” is famously known as the theme song for Dawson’s Creek, the show’s creators initially preferred Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in My Pocket.”

Alas, they couldn’t land the rights, what a jagged little pill.

Dawson. Pacey. Joey. Not names you hear every day. So how did Williamson come up with them? 

In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dawson explained that the town in the show was based on a real place called Dawson’s Creek where he and his friends spent their childhoods. He said the character Pacey was inspired by someone he knew of, but hadn’t actually met, and he simply liked the unusual name.

The show’s creator, Williamson, chose the name Josephine because it felt feminine but could also be shortened to the more masculine nickname Joey, reflecting the character’s personality.

Remember Dawson’s infamous “walk the dog” line in the pilot?

In 1998, the television network prohibited the use of the word “masturbate,” so Williamson used a more subtle phrase instead.

Before Katie Holmes became famous as America’s sweetheart, someone else – Blair – was very close to getting the part.

The character of Joe was originally conceived as a tomboy, and many of the actresses auditioning fit that mold. We almost cast Selma Blair, who gave a fantastic and heartfelt performance during her audition, according to Williamson.

But when Williamson saw Holmes on video—with “those big eyes”—he immediately knew they’d found the right person for the role of Joey.

Williamson liked Joshua Jackson so much, he didn’t care what role the Mighty Ducks alum played.

I was immediately impressed with Josh Jackson’s acting ability – he could have played either Dawson or Pacey, really. But the network felt he wasn’t right for the role of Dawson, and they were probably correct. That’s when I decided he’d be perfect as Pacey, because I was determined to have him on the show no matter what.

In 1999, a young Charlie Hunnam, then 18 years old, auditioned for a drama on The WB. Although he wasn’t cast in the role, he met Katherine Towne during the audition process.

Hunnam and his wife eloped to Las Vegas three weeks after meeting, but their marriage ended in divorce in 2002, which he later described as a difficult and costly three-year experience.

Dawson’s Creek became so popular that American Eagle inked a deal in 2000 to outfit the actors.

Throughout the third season, characters on the show primarily wore clothing from AE. The cast also promoted the brand in ad campaigns, which helped the company earn over $105 million in 2001.

When James Van Der Beek was first cast, the studio wanted him to change his hair.

In a 2012 interview with The Daily Beast, he remembered seeing an advertisement for the movie The Devil’s Own starring Brad Pitt. The ad asked about Pitt’s haircut, and that’s what inspired his look for the first season.

Early in the series, Holmes and Jackson were a couple, before Pacey and Joey started developing feelings for each other.

In a 1998 interview with Rolling Stone, Holmes revealed she had fallen in love with someone the previous year, widely believed to be Michael Jackson. She described it as a deeply special and unforgettable first love, something she would always cherish. She also shared that they’ve since become close friends, describing their relationship as surprisingly similar to the platonic bond between characters Dawson and Joey on the TV show Dawson’s Creek.

She also shared that he’s a long-time industry veteran who has been a great help to her. She expressed her respect for him both as a friend and as a colleague.

I remember when Kerr Smith joined the show as Joey’s boyfriend – it was so exciting! Little did he know, his character would end up being incredibly important, actually becoming part of the very first gay kiss ever shown on television. It was a groundbreaking moment, and he was at the heart of it!

Okay, so, I’ve always been rooting for Jack, you guys, always. And honestly, I never even mentioned it to [Smith] when we were talking things through! I just wanted the audience to fall completely in love with him first, and then have him come out. I envisioned this huge emotional arc where Joey would have to process it, and that would ultimately be what brought her back to Dawson. It would have been perfect.

Interestingly, Williamson has revealed that he based every character on the show, including Jack, on aspects of himself.

He explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2018 that every character in the show contains a part of himself. He’d recently come out to his parents in his 20s and wanted to portray that experience – and that aspect of his identity – through a character on the show.

The episode where Jack came out was based on a real-life story and was written with help from both Williamson and producer Greg Berlanti.

Berlanti shared a story about a friend who was unintentionally outed. Apparently, his friend wrote a love poem that everyone recognized was about a man, revealing his sexuality.

Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps have been best friends ever since they first met on the set of Dawson’s Creek, and they remain close to this day.

In 2016, while at a screening of Manchester by the Sea, Williams told People magazine how much she loves her close friend. She described her friend as proof that your soulmate doesn’t need to be a romantic partner – that she is, in fact, the love of her life.

Philipps is also godmother to Williams’ daughter Matilda Ledger, who was born in 2005.

The episode where Dawson lost his virginity was a significant event, and actor Van Der Beek marked the occasion by bringing a special gift to the set on filming day.

He recalled bringing champagne to celebrate with the crew, explaining, “Dawson finally lost his virginity,” as he told The Daily Beast.

Before becoming famous for his role on One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray appeared on Dawson’s Creek as Charlie, who dated both Jen and Joey.

Although Charlie was sociable, Murray didn’t seem to connect with many people during his initial time in North Carolina, where OTH was later filmed.

At a Paley panel discussion in 2009, Philipps referred to him with a derogatory term, then added she wasn’t concerned about damaging her relationship with CMM.

Van Der Beek also mentioned that Chad Michael Murray has improved a lot. After the panel discussion, Jennifer Philipps tweeted that she might have been too critical of him, but then decided she wasn’t.

Murray, on the other hand, has stayed out of the drama, explaining in 2015 that he gained valuable lessons from the situation.

When I joined the cast of Dawson’s Creek, I was lucky enough to learn from actors who were a few years ahead of me, like Michelle, James, Katie, and Josh. They had already been working for five or six years, and they took the time to teach me the ropes. I was completely new to things like lighting and all the technical parts of filmmaking, so I really appreciated their guidance and support.

Over the years, many well-known actors – including future stars as well as established names – made appearances on Dawson’s Creek. Some of those actors include Seth Rogen, Jane Lynch, Julie Bowen, Scott Foley, Jensen Ackles, Hilarie Burton, Rachel Leigh Cook, Ali Larter, and Oliver Hudson.

Young Americans was a brief television series that followed Will Krudski (played by Rodney Scott), a friend of Pacey, and his experiences with fellow students at Rawley Academy.

Also starring Ian Somerhalder and Kate Bosworth, it was canceled after just one season.

The central romantic conflict of the show wrapped up in the 2003 finale when Joey ultimately chose Pacey.

Originally, the show’s creator, Williamson, had planned for a different couple to end up together. However, while writing the final episode, he decided that pairing wouldn’t fit the overall story he was trying to tell.

Okay, so listen, I’ve been obsessed with this show, and the creator finally explained what they were going for! They really wanted to do something different with teen dramas, something that felt genuinely surprising and real. It was all about exploring what soulmates truly are, and what that connection can mean. That’s why the ending was the way it was! It wasn’t about a traditional ‘happy ending’, it was about showing that, even after everything, they’d become a family and everyone finally got what they needed. It was just…fulfilling, you know? They were all genuinely happy, and it felt so right!

He unexpectedly changed his decision, and the outcome became a widely discussed moment. Williamson also revealed that his mother, a member of Team Dawson, wasn’t pleased with how things turned out.

The final episode jumped forward in time five years, and the group was grappling with the heartbreaking loss of Jen.

The death of a main character was meant to mark the final step in the group’s journey to adulthood. As creator Kevin Williamson explained, the decision to kill Jen was deliberate. “Dawson’s Creek was always about growing up, and we wanted that ending to feel like a final, defining lesson – dealing with the loss of someone close to them,” he said.

Some of the executive producers who get their start on Dawson’s? 

Julie Plec, known for creating shows like The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Greg Berlanti (who’s brought us Everwood, Arrow, The Flash, Riverdale, and numerous films), Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, iZombie), Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City), Anna Fricke (Being Human), Dana Baratta (Jessica Jones), and a host of other talented creators all contributed.

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2026-03-10 22:29