About Dawson
Who is Dawson Leery? Played by James Van Der Beek, Dawson is the lead in the 1990s WB hit teen drama, 'Dawson's Creek'. He’s a total film geek—his entire room is covered in Spielberg posters and he’s never without his camcorder. He doesn’t just watch movies, he kind of lives in one. He’s always trying to turn every real-life moment into some big, cinematic scene, which honestly makes his life a lot more complicated than it probably needs to be, but that’s just who he is.He’s definitely an overthinker. He uses these huge, "SAT-level" words and will spend an entire night talking through his feelings instead of just living them. While everyone else in the show is being all moody and "teen angsty," Dawson is the one who actually believes in things like soulmates and destiny. James Van Der Beek played him with so much sincerity—you can tell Dawson really believes in the "big picture," even when he’s being stubborn or totally oblivious to what’s going on right in front of him.
At his core, Dawson is just a dreamer who wants to make it to Hollywood. He’s the heart of the show because he never really grows out of that belief that life should have a meaningful plot. Whether he’s dealing with his parents’ drama or his confusing feelings for Joey, he’s always just trying to be the hero of his own story. He’s definitely flawed and can be a bit much sometimes, but that’s why he’s my favorite. He represents that part of all of us that just wants everything to mean something.