Starweek, by Eirik Knutzen
March 1, 1999
All Dawson's, All the Time
Q Did Joshua Jackson appear on any shows before Dawson's Creek?
MILENA IAIZZO, TorontoA The Vancouver born and raised Jackson has had a terrific career so far and shows no signs of slowing down. He was a regular on the series Champs and did lots of guest shots in the beginning, including stints on MacGyver and The Outer Limits. His motion pictures include Crooked Heart, The Mighty Ducks, Digger, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Magic In the Water, Ronnie & Julie, Andre, Robin of Locksley, On The Edge of Innocence, Scream 2, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Wild River, The Apt Pupil, Urban Legend, Gossip and Cruel Intentions.
Q Is the actress Meredith Monroee (Andie McPhee on Dawson's Creek the same girl in the Mentos commercial where the blonde girl rips her blue dress getting out of the limo? I don't think it is, but my brother does. Who's right? There's money riding on this.
JENNIFER STEVENSON, TorontoA That's rather unfortunate, because you lose. That is indeed Monroe ripping her dress while exiting the limousine for Mentos. Incidentally, Dawson's Creek's cockeyed optimist also appears in a Ford Explorer commercial at the moment. In fact, the young lady who was born in Illinois, also plays the title role in the upcoming telefilm Beyond the Prarie: The True Story Of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Some fans still remember her as a regular on Dangerous Minds with Annie Potts and guest-shots on Players, Promised Land and The Magnificent Seven.
Q I am a big Dawson's Creek fan and my favourite character is Joey Potter (Katie Holmes). Could you please tell me some other shows or movies she's been in?
ELIZABETH PACIEJ, TorontoA Though very much a newcomer, the pert Ms. Holmes already has a nice little body of movie work behind her- including The Ice Storm, Disturbing Behavior, Wonder Boys, Go and Killing Mrs. Tingle. Given the slim, lovely brunette's talent, she will have lots of credits before she turns into Shelley Winters.
Q I love the cast of Dawson's Creek, particularily Katie Holmes and Kerr Smith (Jack McPhee). More background information on them would be greatly appreciated. Are they attached to anyone? Will Kerr Smith still be in the cast next season?
TERESA CRUZ DE LEON, AuroraA Katie, who was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, stumbled over a personal manager while attending a modelling and talent convention in New York in 1995. He pursuaded her to spend six weeks in Los Angeles during the TV pilot season, but she wound up with The Ice Storm instead. Her total acting experience until then was a handful of high school musicals.
Very smart, she has been accepted by Columbia University, where she intends to enroll as an English literature major when Dawson's Creek has dried up.
Single, she reportedly has had emotional attachments to co-star Joshua Jackson and Kevin Eastland in the past, but keeps mum about the present.
Smith was reared in Exton, a Philadelphia suburb, and managed to take part in a high school production on The King and I before earning a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from the University of Vermont.
His first major part professionally was that of bad boy Ryder Hughes on the soap As the World Turns during 1996-'97.
He also appeared in the low-budged independent films Kiss and Tell and Hit And Runaway. Single, he lives with a Boxer named Maxine and remains tight-lipped about his personal entanglements. Only the producers know if he'll be back next season.Q I am the world's biggest James Van Der Beek fan and never miss an episode of Dawson's Creek. I was wondering if I could get some more info on his background and anything else I might have seen him in. Also, can I get an address to write to him?
ANNIE LOUIS, TorontoA Well, line up behind 3 million other women who claim to be his biggest fan. Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, and is the oldest of three children. The son of a cellular phone salesman and a gymnastics teacher, he ventured into acting as Danny Zuko in a high school production of Grease and landed his first professional part at 17 in Edward Albee's Finding The Sun Off-Broadway.
One of his first TV roles was a guest shot as Paulie on a 1991 episode of Clarissa Explains It All, which now airs Monday through Thursday at 5 p.m. on Family Channel. His feature film debut was Angus (1995), followed by I Love You, I Love You Not, Harvest, Laputa, Castle In The Sky and the current Varsity Blues. The Dawson's gang can be reached c/o Warner Bros. Television, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522.Q A huge fan of Dawson's Creek, I would like to know the ages of Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams and James Van Der Beek. Can you help me?
KAREN ON, TorontoA Sure. James Van Der Beek was born March 8, 1977, so he'll be 22 this week; Joshua Jackson was bron on June 11, 1978; he's 20. Katie Holmes was born Dec. 18, 1978; she's 20. Michelle Williams, born on Sept. 9, 1980, is the youngest at 18.