James Van Der Beek celebrates daughter turning the 'same age that Dawson was' after Dawson's Cree...

&34;Keep taking big swings, kiddo,&34; Van Der Beek writes in a post dedicated to his eldest child Olivia. James Van Der Beek celebrates daughter turning the 's

"Keep taking big swings, kiddo," Van Der Beek writes in a post dedicated to his eldest child Olivia.

James Van Der Beek celebrates daughter turning the 'same age that Dawson was' after Dawson's Creek reunion performance

"Keep taking big swings, kiddo," Van Der Beek writes in a post dedicated to his eldest child Olivia.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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September 26, 2025 11:02 a.m. ET

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James Van Der Beek; daughters Emilia and Olivia performing at 'Dawson's Creek' reunion. Credit:

JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; James Van Der Beek/Instagram

James Van Der Beek's eldest child Olivia turned 15 on Thursday, marking a very special occasion for the *Dawson's Creek* star: She is now as old as his character Dawson Leery was in the iconic teen drama's series premiere in 1998.

"My oldest turned 15 today. Same age that Dawson was in the pilot," the actor wrote in an Instagram post.

The connection is especially notable after Olivia, one of six kids Van Der Beek shares with wife Kimberly, took the stage at the *Dawson's Creek* reunion charity event on Monday with the rest of his former costars — including Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Busy Philipps, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, and Meredith Monroe — to sing Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait," the show's theme song.

The 'Dawson's Creek' cast and James Van Der Beek's family at the reunion event.

Cindy Ord/Getty

"To watch you stand there in that red dress, so confidently taking center stage amidst all those people I've known so long and cherish so deeply… I'm just left in awe," Van Der Beek continued.

The "*Dawson's Creek* Class Reunion," which featured a live reading of the pilot, was organized as a fundraiser for the charity F Cancer, with Van Der Beek as its central focus. In November, the actor announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

In his post, Van Der Beek, 48, reflected on watching Olivia grow up. "I've always joked that you came out 'parent proof,' but this last year, as I've watched you accelerate into so many big decisions, jump into so many activities, budget your time, do your homework and your hair (which, from my point of view, seem to require roughly the same amount of time & focus 😂)… the less I think the parent-proof thing is a joke."**

The actor concluded the post by encouraging Olivia to "keep taking big swings" and "risk imperfection," and encouraging her to "be true to who you are."**

"Because, while only YOU will know exactly who your most authentic self will be, as someone who's known you your whole life… I can guarantee you're going to love her. Happy birthday kiddo. I love you ❤️," Van Der Beek finished.**

Announced last month, the charity event, lauded as the "first time" the cast has reunited since the series concluded in 2003, was produced by show creator Kevin Williamson, Michelle Williams, Jason Moore, Carl Ogawa, Thomas Kail, Maggie Brohn, and Greg Berlanti.

Although Van Der Beek was unable to attend the reunion in person due to "two stomach viruses," he made a surprise appearance at the reunion via a pre-recorded video. In the clip, he joked that his replacement in the live reading at the event was a "young up-and-comer," with the role of Dawson being played by *Hamilton* stage legend Lin-Manuel Miranda, who ran on stage after the clip played.**

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Olivia and her younger sister Emilia's performance with the cast made waves on social media as video from the event circulated online.

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After the event, Philipps shared a similar video to her Instagram Story celebrating the reunion and honoring Van Der Beek.

"Tonight was really incredible and very special, and, obviously, James not being able to get there was heartbreaking for a million different reasons," Philipps said. "But, I was so glad that Kimberly, and all the kids were able to be there."

She continued, "His dad was there, his sister, Kimberly's family and her closest friends. It was really beautiful, and James was getting lots of videos, FaceTimes, texts and things. We love him so much, and we love everybody that supported. Thank you."**

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