Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek recently opened up about his battle with colon cancer in a new interview. The 48-year-old was diagnosed in August 2023 and announced the diagnosis in an interview the following year. Despite his diagnosis, Van Der Beek has continued his acting career, appearing in projects like Overcompensating. He is currently scheduled to star in the Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle.
James Van Der Beek comments on his battle with cancer
The CSI: Cyber actor recently sat down for an interview where he talked in-depth about his battle with colon cancer.
“I’m just on the journey. … It’s a process,” Van Der Beek told TODAY. “It’ll probably be a process for the rest of my life.”
Van Der Beek shared that his cancer diagnosis prompted him to find “the beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest and really allowing that to be the job.”
The Varsity Blues star also discussed the impact his illness has had on his work. “The greatest thing about work is [that] cancer doesn’t exist between action and cut,” he shared.
Van Der Beek also emphasized the importance of colon cancer screening guidelines, regardless of symptoms. He noted that he got screened at 46 and recalled how he didn’t realize that the recommended age to do so was changed to 45. “I thought I was way ahead of the game,” he added.
He continued, “Even just the slightest little change, it could be something, but … don’t think that not having symptoms means you don’t have to get screened, especially for something that is this curable when caught early.” Van Der Beek further stated, “That’s really what I want to get across.”
The Rules of Attraction actor stressed that he ate well, was healthy, and “in amazing cardiovascular shape.” He noted, “There was no reason in my mind that I should have gotten a positive diagnosis.”
Van Der Beek revealed that fans and people in his community told him he had helped others ever since he opened up about his diagnosis. He expressed his appreciation for their words, saying, “That’s been stuff that really makes me cry.”
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on ComingSoon.
