"James Van Der Beek was an early teen crush for many, thanks to Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues. But one enduring theme of his career from the beginning was his ability to riff on his own celebrity, having more fun with his own image than anyone else might have dared. That playfulness had a direct inspiration point: In a 2017 Indiewire interview, Van Der Beek revealed that his passion for these kinds of roles was rooted in his love for a '90s meta classic."
"In 2011, Van Der Beek collaborated with Funny or Die on "VanDerWeek," a week of content largely inspired by the rising popularity of the "Dawson crying" meme. The Tumblr blog Jamesvandermemes.com was populated with dozens of new reaction GIFs for all occasions (now preserved by the Internet Archive), and Van Der Beek filmed several sketches for the comedy platform, still available on YouTube."
James Van Der Beek rose to early fame through Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues. An enduring element of his career has been playful self-parody and meta performances that riff on his celebrity. He credited Being John Malkovich as a formative inspiration for pursuing such roles. Early examples include a Scary Movie cameo and playing himself in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. The 2000s included indie films and TV guest appearances, notably The Rules of Attraction. Viral meme culture and a 2011 Funny or Die "VanDerWeek" collaboration expanded his online presence with reaction GIFs and sketches, leading to renewed opportunities in television.
Read at Consequence
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