'Dawson's Creek' star James Van Der Beek names A lister who inspired iconic haircut

Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek has revealed how Brad Pitt’s hairstyle inspired his haircut in season one of the show.

While speaking at an ATX TV Festival panel held in honor of the remarkable career of Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson, Van Der Beek recalled how his haircut for the show was last-minute and inspired by a magazine photo of Pitt.

"We ran all over town [trying to get a haircut], and Kevin's assistant said, 'I got an appointment at my hairdresser,'" Van Der Beek told the panel's audience in Austin.

"And I meet his assistant [at the salon], and there was an Entertainment Weekly with a picture of Brad Pitt in The Devil's Own, and we're like, 'Alright, give him that.'" he recalled. "So that became the Dawson season 1 haircut."

Joking about his long locks before the haircut, he said, "I looked like pubescent Jesus. It was long."

The actor, who shares his six children with his wife Kimberly Brook, previously noted that he doesn’t let his kids watch the show.

"I do not [let them watch]," he said. "It's a great show, I love the show, I think other kids can watch it. I don't think my kids need to watch their dad pretend to go through puberty. That's my stance on it."

Dawson’s Creek ran from 1998 through 2003. Along with Van Der Beek, it starred Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Busy Philipps, and Joshua Jackson.