James Van Der Beek expressed excitement about his "next act" just six months before his death at the age of 48.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the actor's family confirmed he died earlier that morning after battling stage 3 colorectal cancer since 2023.
Six months prior, in an exclusive interview with Parade published in August 2025, the actor shared how his diagnosis reinvigorated his passion for acting after moving to Texas with his wife and six children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I really let go of any attachments that I had to what it means to be an actor, or what my own version of success is or felt like or needs to be. And I just really felt like, ‘Oh, I could walk away from this,'” Van Der Beek said at the time. “And then when I got cancer and I looked around at the world and where my place is in it and wanting to stay in it, I realized I love to tell stories. I really am so grateful for this opportunity to write and to act.”
“I joked that I’m the only guy who got cancer and said, ‘You know what I’ve realized is I need to work more,'” he added.
RELATED: James Van Der Beek’s Family Speaks Out Following His Death at 48
Elsewhere in the interview, the Dawson's Creek alum said his diagnosis gave him a newfound appreciation for life.
“And so I’m really looking forward to this next act,” he said.
As for what he wanted his "next act" to look like, Van Der Beek said he was hoping to get back into entertainment, noting he “really, really, really” wanted to do a musical one day.
“I think it’s going to be a combination of things that I write and create and things that I’m just lucky enough to step into and join,” he explained. “I would imagine there’s got to be some comedy in there and hopefully some singing and dancing, too.”
At the time of his death, the actor had one last upcoming role: playing the character Dean Wilson in the highly-anticipated Legally Blonde prequel TV series titled Elle.
According to an article in Variety about his casting last spring, Van Der Beek’s character is “the city’s new Mayoral candidate and current school district superintendent.”
“It was such a gift to get to do such a cool, high-profile project," Van Der Beek said of filming Elle as well as the TV series Overcompensating, which premiered in 2025. “Both were relatively small time commitments, which allowed me to stay with my family, but then I also get to go to set with these genius people and make something really fun.”
Elle has already finished filming season one, and a premiere date is set for July 1 on Prime Video.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, 15; Joshua, 13; Annabel, 12; Emilia, 9; Gwendolyn, 6; and Jeremiah, 4.
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