Joshua Jackson Talks the ‘Pain I Feel’ amid James Van Der Beek's Death, ‘Necessity’ of Cancer Screenings (Exclusive)
Joshua Jackson Talks the ‘Pain I Feel’ amid James Van Der Beek's Death, ‘Necessity’ of Cancer Screenings (Exclusive)
Vanessa EtienneWed, March 11, 2026 at 5:23 PM UTC
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Joshua Jackson and James Van Der Beek in 2015 in Los AngelesCredit: Eric Charbonneau/Getty -
Joshua Jackson reflects on his deep friendship with James Van Der Beek and the impact of his costar's death
Van Der Beek’s cancer journey inspired Jackson to prioritize his health and advocate for early cancer screenings
Jackson is partnering with AstraZeneca and the NHL to promote cancer screenings through the “Get Body Checked” campaign
Nearly one month after James Van Der Beek’s death from cancer, Joshua Jackson is opening up about the “pain” he feels from the loss.
The 47-year-old actor recently spoke to PEOPLE about his longtime friendship with Van Der Beek.
“He and I shared this very important moment in both of our lives, which was the time of Dawson's Creek,” Jackson says. “And I think we both look back on that time with great fondness and recognize that it shaped what was to come in many, many ways. But I also would say that it is just a footnote in the man that he became.”
“The way that his faith allowed him to find grace in the face of this impossible thing, and even before his diagnosis, the commitment that he had to being a good husband and a phenomenal father, a deeply curious, loving, kind, present father, those are the things I think that he actually accomplished in his life,” he continues.
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“And the pain that I feel in this is recognizing this man, recognizing this father and feeling the loss for his family in this,” he adds. “It's been a lot to grapple with over the course of the last month.”
Van Der Beek died Feb. 11 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023. Jackson tells PEOPLE that witnessing his difficult health journey is, in part, why he feels so strongly about cancer prevention and early detection.
“Part of the reason that I became aware of the necessity of cancer screening was when I became aware of his diagnosis,” he says. “It is shocking when it’s your cohort of people, when you realize like, ‘Oh, we're at that age now where this is, this is real and present.’ ”
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Jackson is now partnering with the NHL and AstraZeneca for the pharmaceutical company’s “Get Body Checked Against Cancer” campaign, promoting cancer screenings alongside Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty.
“This campaign allows myself, as a lifelong hockey fan, and Griddy to make what I hope is a funny ad that allows people to get into a not funny conversation,” he says. “The earlier you catch something, the better off you're going to be.”
“Nobody wants to be in a conversation about cancer. I didn't realize that 65% of people haven't got screened for cancer, and I was one of them until two years ago,” he admits. “So what I love about getbodychecked.com is not only does it give you providers who would be in your area and give you potential screenings that you might need, it gives you conversation starters, test questions with your own medical provider, which I think is a great way to get into it, because it's hard.”
Joshua Jackson x AstraZenecaCredit: Marie Lombardo
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Jackson admits that he’s been prioritizing his health more lately, keeping his 5-year-old daughter Juno — whom he shares with ex Jodie Turner-Smith — in mind.
“I'm more self-consciously proactive about maintaining my health now than before,” he explains. “Just realizing that I gotta keep it together now for as long as I possibly can because I have a little girl to raise.”
“I will tell you, as a Canadian man, you just don't do this stuff for yourself,” he says with a laugh. “We don't. It's getting better, but there's not a culture of taking care of yourself. And I'm aware now of the fact that not only do I want to just live, I wanna be as present a father as I can be and I want to enjoy my body for as long as I possibly can and to be in good health for as long as I possibly can.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
