In his own way, James Van Der Beek made it back to the Creek.

The actor and former teen idol, who starred as Dawson Leery on the late-'90s drama "Dawson's Creek," made a surprise appearance at a cast reunion charity event on Monday, Sept. 22. The benefit, held at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, featured a live reading of the show's 1998 pilot episode in support of the organization F Cancer and Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in August 2023.

Although Van Der Beek, 48, was unable to attend the event in person due to illness, he recorded an emotional video to mark the occasion.

"I have been looking forward to this night for months and months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together," said Van Der Beek in the clip, according to footage shared by "Dawson's Creek" rewatch podcast "Back to You, Bob!" "I can't believe I'm not there. I can't believe I don't get to hug my castmates, my beautiful cast in person."

The cast reunion featured appearances from Van Der Beek's costars Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps.

"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 donated time and been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world."

James Van Der Beek taps Lin-Manuel Miranda for 'Dawson's Creek' cast reunion

Van Der Beek's character Dawson wasn't completely absent from the reunion, however. "Hamilton" star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was tapped to serve as the actor's replacement for the cast reading.

"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," Van Der Beek said while introducing Miranda, jokingly adding that the Tony Award-winning actor would be considered an "upgrade" by his children.

Is James Van Der Beek sick? Why he missed the 'Dawson's Creek' reunion

A day before the charity event, Van Der Beek announced in a Sept. 21 Instagram post that he would not be in attendance, citing stomach viruses as the reason for his cancellation.

"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 wrote. "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."

While the actor lamented his physical absence and that he wouldn't be able to "thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most," Van Der Beek shared his excitement that Miranda would be his "understudy" for the cast reading.

"Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family," Van Der Beek concluded. "I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin. And thank you @lin_manuel. You were a hero to my kids before… now you're a demigod "

What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer, or colon cancer, occurs when polyps, or growths, develop on the inner lining of the colon, according to Cleveland Clinic. If left untreated, the cancer can spread to other areas of the body.

Colon cancer, the third most common cancer in the U.S., typically affects people age 50 and older, per Cleveland Clinic. During the last 15 years, the number of people ages 20 to 49 diagnosed with colon cancer has increased by about 1.5% each year.

James Van Der Beek's wife shares heartfelt tributes after 'Dawson's Creek' reunion

Van Der Beek may not have been able to reunite with the "Dawson's Creek" crew, but his better half filled in for him.

Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, attended the charity event and cast reunion in New York alongside the couple's six children. In a sweet Instagram post, Kimberly shared a selfie she took with Van Der Beek's costars Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps.

"Going deeper with these ladies has been so bittersweet," Kimberly wrote. "They are magic, kind, gifted, heart forward and… sacred. Missed my guy so. But the support and the love have been healing to the core."

Following the event, Kimberly Van Der Beek shared a series of videos on her Instagram stories, in which she gushed about the "beautiful night" and thanked Van Der Beek's castmates for their support.

"This night was so special to the whole family, and more importantly, like just feeling my husband fill the entire theater, and the love for him," she said. "We'll be unwinding this one for a while, but thank you for the love and the support and for the prayers, 'cause right here, front and center, is my husband on my heart."

Holmes, who played Joey Potter on the teen drama, shared footage of the event on Instagram Tuesday, Sept. 23 writing "I will never find the words for what these three beautiful humans mean to me. For our shared journey. For our everlasting bond. James, Josh, Michelle… from April 1997"

"I love you. James, you got this. We got you. To everyone who supported us from the beginning and who continue to support James and his beautiful family, we thank you. Thank you for last night," Holmes wrote.

What has James Van Der Beek said about cancer diagnosis?

Van Der Beek, who went public with his diagnosis in November, told USA TODAY in December that the outpouring of love from his friends, including former "Dawson's" castmates, had been overwhelming.

"It's been amazing and overwhelming," he said. "To find myself in a place where I'm being supported with so many good wishes really took me aback."

And in August, Van Der Beek revealed to USA TODAY that cancer hadn't just prompted gestures of love from others, it had forced him to embrace self-love.

"Cancer's a wild thing," he said. "It really does force you to look at your own mortality and decide what's important and decide really what you want to live the rest of your life without. And so, one of the big things for me was recognizing how negative my self-talk was."

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY

This story was updated to add new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Van Der Beek makes surprise appearance at 'Dawson's Creek' reunion amid illness

Reporting by Edward Segarra, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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