James Van Der Beek didn't want to wait for this reunion to go on without him.

After the 48-year-old announced he wouldn't be able to attend the planned Dawson's Creek cast charity event on Sept. 22 due to two stomach viruses amid his battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer, he surprised fans with a special video appearance.

"I can't believe I'm not there," James shared in the pre-recorded video, which played at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City. "I can't believe I don't get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast, in person. I wanted to stand on this stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight."

The actor—who played Dawson Leery in the 1998 teen drama until 2003—emphasized how much he had been "looking forward to this night fo

See Full Page