James Van Der Beek says he’s “gutted” to miss the Dawson’s Creek reunion charity event.
Taking to Instagram, the actor posted a health update: two stomach viruses only a day before the Sept. 22 fundraiser.
Van Der Beek, who revealed a stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis last year, said the gathering was the event he’d most looked forward to since Michelle Williams began organising it in January.
“Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there,” he wrote. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”
The reunion at New York City’s Richard Rodgers Theatre will feature Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Busy Philipps, and other cast members performing a live reading of the show’s pilot to raise money for F Cancer and support Van Der Beek.
Van Der Beek revealed that Lin-Manuel Miranda will step in to read Dawson’s part, joking that Miranda was “ridiculously overqualified” and that his kids would “definitely consider [him] an upgrade.”
He added, “Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family. I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin.”
His wife, Kimberly, confirmed she and their children will attend the event. Directed by Jason Moore and produced by members of the original creative team, the show ran on WB for six seasons from 1998 to 2003.