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ים! After six seasons (and plenty of revolving relationships and deep talks) Dawson's Creek is coming to a close. Star James Van Der Beek helps us say good-bye As told to Chris Gardner AS I PACK UP MY PLACE IN Wilmington, N.C., where we shoot Dawson's Creek, I have mixed emotions. Dawson's has been six years of my life--longer than I was in high school or college. When this whole thing started, people said, "Are you ready for how this will change your life?" And I would say, "I don't know." Six years later, I see how much I've learned. I now know how to get comfortable in front of a camera, how to be a team player and how not to ruin a take. Now, as we film the last episode, I'm just trying to find a way to say good-bye. The day I auditioned for the role of Dawson feels like another lifetime ago. I took the train from my college, Drew University in Madison, N.J., to Manhattan for three auditions. I remember thinking that the Dawson's audition was going to be a waste of time--they were looking for a 15-year-old, and I was 20. When I heard the call on my answering machine asking me to come back, I still didn't think I'd get the part. By the time [Dawson's creator] Kevin Williamson and [executive producer] Paul Stupin wanted to screen-test me, I had read the whole pilot script. To this day it's still my favorite episode. It was unlike anything on TV at the time because it portrayed kids talking the way most kids feel but can't put into words. The first few weeks of filming felt like summer camp. [Costars] Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams and I all got along instantly. Everyone's first impression of each other was that we were so well cast for our characters. Seeing the other actors brought the pages of the script to life for me. I felt like I didn't so much grow into Dawson as I regressed. He was like an exaggerated version of one side of myself at 15. He had Steven Spielberg posters on his wall and an E.T. doll on his bed, and it didn't matter that a hot girl came over and he was showing this side to her. He didn't care about seeming uncool. The Fame Game When we went to Los Angeles to promote the launch of the show in January 1998, there were Dawson's billboards everywhere. The other thing that sticks out in my mind is being in TV Guide. I remember someone showing me the table of contents page, and on it was a picture of me. When I was a kid, people would say that when you're on the cover of TV Guide, it changes your life. We made the cover soon after that, but just the thought that I was in the table of contents was crazy. We had already shot 13 episodes by the time the show aired, so none of us were together to deal with the frenzy. Katie was in Vancouver doing Disturbing Behavior, Michelle was in Toronto filming Dick, Josh was between Vancouver and L.A. shooting Urban Legend and I was in Texas for Varsity Blues. We all handled it on our own. I remember being asked to do an appearance for the show at an events center in Seattle, and it got totally out of hand. Girls were pressed up against staircases, and the police had to pull me out of the crowd. Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were there too, and the cops took us through a side door to a squad car. Fame quickly went from being "Oh, wow, cool" to something completely out of control. And this was just the first week the show aired. Trouble on the Set While the first season felt ideal, the second one was tough. I had gone off to shoot Varsity Blues and had a good time playing somebody who was strong and effectual, so it was hard getting back into Dawson's head. Then Kevin left, and we had five or six different people running the show for the remaining years. It was like doing a play and then having someone else come in and rewrite the script. You're constantly making adjustments, trying to figure out how to make something you care about work--especially when you see how much the fans care about the show. Through all the changes, the cast and crew rolled with the punches, which proved to be a bonding experience. We did our best to maintain consistency. What's Next Good-byes have always been my least favorite thing about what I do for a living. You get together with a group of people, bond and then it's time to move on. But I have so much to look forward to: I can spend more time with my fiancיe [Heather McComb, 26, an actress] and read scripts. I'm doing a play in New York City this summer, and I've got several movies in the works. I don't think any of us really think this is good-bye. We'll have different careers after this, but I think we'll run into each other at events and maybe even work together again. But as far as a Dawson's reunion, the only type I see is one where we get together at a bar--with no cameras and just to catch up.
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