Cover Story: Dawson's Creek Review

I'm writing an article on the hit TV show "Dawson's Creek. This is my favorite show and its on Wednesdays on the WB at 7:00pm Central Time. I will first talk about the show in general and then talk about the characters in more detail.

The rapid and striking success of DAWSON'S CREEK has already propelled its young cast members to stardom and the covers of TV Guide, Seventeen, Interview and J. Crew. During their hiatus from the show, the four lead actors filmed a total of eight feature films. Katie Holmes, 19, leads the pack with lead roles in three new films about to be released, "Disturbing Behavior," "Go!," directed by Doug Liman of "Swingers" fame, and series creator Kevin Williamson's directorial debut, "Killing Mrs. Tingle." James Van Der Beek, 21, stars in "Varsity Blues," and Joshua Jackson, 20, can be seen in "Urban Legend" and "Cruel Inventions" as well as in a film completed earlier, "Apt Pupil." Finally, 18-year-old Michelle Williams stars with Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween: H2O," and with Kirsten Dunst in the upcoming comedy "Dick."

Much like the character he portrays, James Van Der Beek's dedication and talent surfaced at an early age. A mild concussion sidelined his school football career, and instead Van Der Beek found himself playing the lead rolein a local children's theater production of "Grease." He fell in love with the theater and continued to perform locally.

When Van Der Beek was 16, his mother, noting his intense interest in performing, offered to support his aspirations by accompanying him on daily six-hour round trips into New York City, to test the waters. In spite of landing an agent and manager on their first trip into the city, Van Der Beek spent a year auditioning for commercials without much success.

Michelle Williams, like her character Jennifer Lindley on DAWSON'S CREEK, is making the transition from big city to small town life. The 18-year-old actress moved from Los Angeles to Wilmington, North Carolina, the production location for the series. As Williams recounts, "It's quite a change from Los Angeles. It's beautiful and a nice pace for awhile, but at first it was a strange switch from the city and traffic. Having the experience of moving from a big city to a small town does make it easier to relate to Jen, however."

Williams character "is an outsider coming to Capeside from a fast-paced New York lifestyle. Ostensibly she's come to help her strict grandmother care for her seriously ailing grandfather, but she's hiding a troubled past. More sophisticated and worldly than the other three teen characters, she's an old soul, having done a lot and grown up fast. I think a part of Jen is really looking to regain her innocence and lead the quintessential teenage life, and she wants to fit in with these more carefree kids. But there's another part of her that still longs for the city lights, taxi rides, bars and clubs. She made some mistakes, and got sent to Capeside by her parents in hopes that she'd begin to realize she should slow down and change her ways."

While Williams may be a bit homesick for big city life herself, she is no stranger to the country, having grown up in an idyllic spot in Montana. After her family moved to San Diego, she took advantage of the proximity of Hollywood to explore an acting career, which quickly took off. At 16, after obtaining an accelerated high school degree, she moved to Los Angeles full time to pursue her craft. During her hiatus following the first season of DAWSON'S CREEK, Williams filmed "Halloween: H20," starring Jamie Lee Curtis; and "Dick," co-starring Kirsten Dunst. Last fall she portrayed Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter in Propaganda Films' "A Thousand Acres" starring Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Robards. Williams has also appeared in numerous theater productions. On television, she has won guest appearances on series including "Step By Step" and "Home Improvement," as well as roles in the television movies "A Mother's Justice" and "Killing Mr.Griffin." Her additional feature film credits include "Species," "Lassie" and "Time Master."

Born in Vancouver, 20-year-old Joshua Jackson spent his formative years in California, moving with his family back to Vancouver at the age of eight. It was there that he launched his professional career, appearing in a series of television commercials promoting tourism in British Columbia. While his family shuttled between Vancouver and California, Jackson also sang with the San Francisco Boy's Chorus.

Joshua says , "Pacey's basically an outsider at school and who also feels disconnected from his family. He's always been told he's a screw-up and isn't going to succeed, so he feels he can do anything he likes and has nothing to lose. He finds a group of friends that take him for what he is and both understand and appreciate his oddball quality. Pacey's also the odd man out in his family. His father is the sheriff of Capeside and his brother is a deputy. He is closer to his mother and sisters, but his sisters are off at school. Because of this family dynamic, Pacey is much more comfortable with women. I was raised among females, it was just me, my mom and my sister and I'm more comfortable being around women because of that, too."

Unlike his DAWSON'S CREEK character, however, Jackson excelled at an early age. Landing his first feature film role in Michael Bortman's "Crooked Hearts" for MGM/Pathe, Jackson's stage debut followed in 1991, when he played the lead role of Charlie in the Seattle production of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Since then, Jackson has appeared in such films as "Andre The Seal," "Tombstone," "Digger" and "Magic In The Water," as well as all three of Disney's "The Mighty Ducks" features, portraying the coach's prodigy and the team's voice of reason, Charlie.

During his hiatus following the first season of DAWSON'S CREEK, Jackson filmed "Urban Legends" with Jared Leto and "Cruel Inventions," a teen re-make of "Dangerous Liaisons" starring Sarah Michelle Geller. Jackson will also be seen in Bryan Singer's upcoming "Apt Pupil" starring Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro.

Nineteen-year-old Katie Holmes possesses an exceptional maturity much like Joey Potter, the character she portrays on DAWSON'S CREEK.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Holmes began acting in high school theater productions in spite of a personal belief that acting careers couldn't be sustained living in the Midwest. "Toledo is a bit bigger than Capeside [the fictional location of DAWSON'S CREEK], but there are similarities," she says. "I'm a small town girl just like Joey. I wasn't the one that had the boys in high school. I was a little bit of a tomboy and also the youngest in my family, so I thought I knew everything. Like Joey, I made a lot of mistakes, but fortunately, I haven't had the tragedy that she's experienced in her life."

Her character, Joey Potter, is something of a tomboy. As Holmes explains, "Joey is a 15-year-old girl that uses a tough attitude as a guard because she's been through so much. She's been hurt so many times that she doesn't want to be vulnerable and put herself out there for everyone. She has to be tough. She lost her mom [to cancer] and her dad's in prison. She doesn't have the best reputation in town because she lives with her sister, Bessie, her black boyfriend, Bodie, and their baby. Her relationship with Dawson has been the only stable thing in her life, and now it's beginning to change."

A captivating newcomer to the entertainment world, Holmes has experienced incredible success, landing major roles in both feature films and television projects while participating in only a handful of auditions. Her very first professional audition resulted in a plum role in the award-winning film, "The Ice Storm," directed by Ang Lee ("Sense & Sensibility"). The film, which recently won the screenplay award from the Cannes Film Festival, stars Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood and Joan Allen and depicts the sexual revolution of the 1970s. Holmes was busy shooting three films during her hiatus following the first season of DAWSON'S CREEK, including "Disturbing Behavior," co-starring Nick Stahl; "Killing Mrs. Tingle," which marked Kevin Williamson's directorial debut; and "Go!" directed by Doug Liman ("Swingers").

I hope you enjoyed my article on Dawson's Creek. I know I enjoyed writing it. If you would like to discuss the show with me E-mail me at mts_14@hotmail.com. Thanks, and don't forget to watch Dawson's Creek on the WB on Wednesdays at 7:00pm.

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