‘Dawson’s Creek’ Cast: Then and Now

As of January 20, 2018, it's been two decades since Dawson's Creek premiered on The WB. The show, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003, was unlike anything else on TV at the time, and viewers quickly fell in love with its unique dialogue and charming cast, which included (among others) James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams. In honor of the series' 20th anniversary, we're taking a look back at how the stars have changed over the years. Click through to see the pics! (Photos via Getty Images + Emma McIntyre/Getty Images + David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery), Then: Van Der Beek had a few small roles (including one on Clarissa Explains It All!) earlier in his career, but Dawson's Creek was his first big break. As the title character, he spent much of the show's run pining after both Jen (Michelle Williams) and Joey (Katie Holmes), only to end up single in the finale. (Single, but planning for a meeting with Steven Spielberg!) While he was playing Dawson, Van Der Beek began to branch out to other roles in film, with edgier turns in Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction. (Photo via Getty Images)

James Van Der Beek, Now: Married since 2010 to Kimberly Brook, with whom he has four children, Van Der Beek now has several TV credits to his name, including One Tree Hill, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (where he played a fictionalized version of himself), Mercy, and CSI: Cyber. He's also the co-creator, writer, and star of What Would Diplo Do?, a comedy series on Viceland. (Photo via Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), Then:Dawson's Creek was Holmes' first major role in Hollywood. She famously turned down the chance to fly out to LA for a callback because she was starring in her school's production of Damn Yankees at the time. Ultimately, of course, she got the part anyway. As Joey, she was at the center of one of the most hotly contested TV love triangles ever: Team Dawson (James Van Der Beek) vs. Team Pacey (Joshua Jackson, whom she dated in real life). Team Pacey won out in the end, but to some fans, Dawson will always be her soul mate. Like Van Der Beek, Holmes had a few edgier film roles during the show's run, with parts in Disturbing Behavior, Go, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Abandon, Phone Booth, and the acclaimed Pieces of April. (Photo via Getty Images)

Katie Holmes, Now: Post Dawson's, Holmes went on to roles in movies including Batman Begins, Mad Money, Thank You for Smoking, and The Romantics. She also appeared in How I Met Your Mother (as the "Slutty Pumpkin"), Ray Donovan, and the TV miniseries The Kennedys, where she played Jacqueline Kennedy. In her personal life, she had a headline-making marriage and divorce with Tom Cruise, dad to her daughter, Suri, but is now happily dating Jamie Foxx. (Photo via Monica Schipper/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter), Then: Jackson was already familiar to many fans, thanks to his earlier roles in films such as Disney's The Mighty Ducks, but he cemented his heartthrob status as Pacey Witter, Dawson's other best friend and Joey's frenemy-turned-boyfriend. (He also had an affair with a teacher, but we'll just pretend that never happened.) On the big screen, he appeared in movies including Cruel Intentions, The Skulls, and Gossip, all during the show's six-season run. (Photo via Getty Images)

Joshua Jackson, Now: These days, Jackson is best known for his work on the sci-fi show Fringe, and for playing Cole Lockhart on Showtime's The Affair. He's also preparing for his Broadway debut in the upcoming revival of Children of a Lesser God. (Photo via Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley), Then: Williams had a few minor roles prior to Dawson's Creek, but her career didn't really take off until after the show ended. As Jen, she had some of the more interesting and complicated story lines on the series, including — spoiler alert! — her illness and eventual death in the finale. (Photo via Getty Images)

Michelle Williams, Now: Since Dawson's ended in 2003, Williams has had a very successful film career, with acclaimed performances in Brokeback Mountain (where she met and fell in love with the late Heath Ledger, dad to her daughter, Matilda), Blue Valentine, Shutter Island, Manchester by the Sea, All the Money in the World, and The Greatest Showman. To date, she has four Oscar nominations to her name, as well as five Golden Globe nominations (including one win, for My Week With Marilyn). (Photo via Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Kerr Smith (Jack McPhee), Then: Smith's character — the brother of Andie McPhee (Meredith Monroe) — began as a love interest for Joey, but he became so much more than that as the series progressed. In season 2, Jack came out as gay, which led to network television's first romantic primetime kiss between two men in 2000. (Photo via Getty Images)

Kerr Smith, Now: Since Dawson's, Smith has had roles on shows including Charmed, Justice, Eli Stone, Life Unexpected, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. More recently, he played Robert Quinn on the Freeform series The Fosters. (Photo via ABC Family/Tony Rivetti)

Meredith Monroe (Andie McPhee), Then: As overachieving Andie, who struggled with her mental health following the death of her brother Tim, Monroe had one of the toughest story lines on the show. She left the series in season 4 but later returned for two episodes to give closure to fans. (Photo via Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Meredith Monroe, Now: Monroe has racked up dozens of TV credits since she left Dawson's in 2001, including guest roles on CSI:Miami, House, Private Practice, Hawaii: Five-0, and Castle. She has also had recurring roles on Criminal Minds (as Haley Hotchner) and Hart of Dixie (as Lemon's estranged mom, Alice Kincaid. (Photo via Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

Busy Philipps (Audrey Liddell), Then: Thanks to her performance on Freaks and Geeks, Philipps had a special place in our hearts even before she joined Dawson's in 2001. As Joey's college roommate Audrey, she brought out a new side to Katie Holmes' typically serious character and changed the old group dynamic in ways we didn't know we needed. (Photo via Jim Smeal/WireImage)

Busy Philipps, Now: Philipps has been busy since Dawson's Creek, with roles on ER, Cougar Town, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Vice Principals, among others. She's also one of our favorite people to follow on Instagram, thanks to her honest, humorous, no-filter approach to social media. (Photo via Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for InStyle)

John Wesley Shipp (Mitch Leery), Then: Thanks to star-making turns on several soap operas, and then in the '90s series The Flash, Shipp was well-established in Hollywood by the time Dawson's Creek started airing on TV. And although his character was — spoiler alert! — killed off halfway through the series, he was beloved by viewers because of his fatherly advice to Dawson and his passionate relationship with Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes). (Photo via Hulu)

John Wesley Shipp, Now: Shipp's career has come full circle in recent years. More than two decades after he played Barry Allen on The Flash, he now stars as Barry Allen's late father and alternate-Earth Flash Jay Garrick on the CW's revival of the superhero series. (Photo via Bobby Bank/WireImage)

Mary-Margaret Humes (Gail Leery) and Mary Beth Peil (Grams), Then: Humes and Peil, along with Nina Repeta, who played Joey's sister Bessie, brought some much-needed maternal energy to the show. Their characters weren't always perfect — Gail was caught cheating on Mitch, and Grams could be judgmental of Jen — but we can't imagine Capeside without them. (Photo via Evan Agostini/ImageDirect)

Mary-Margaret Humes, Now: Like her TV husband, Humes had several TV credits to her name prior to Dawson's Creek. After the show, she went on to guest-starring roles in TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, and Ghost Whisperer. More recently, she appeared in the Hallmark Christmas movie Matchmaker Santa and in the Lifetime movie The Girl He Met Online. (Photo via Michael Tran/Getty Images)

Mary Beth Peil, Now: Peil has remained a fairly consistent presence on screen and onstage, with notable roles in The Good Wife, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Follies, and Broadway's Anastasia, for which she was nominated for a 2017 Tony Award. (Photo via Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)