What James Van Der Beek Said About Leaving Hollywood for Private Family Life Before His Cancer Diagnosis [Exclusive]

James Van Der Beek’s loved ones and fans are still processing his death. The Dawson’s Creek standout died at the age of 48 following a battle with cancer.

He leaves behind six children, and a wife, Kimberly. The devoted father traded in Hollywood for a life on the ranch in Texas where he found a serene life, one in which he could raise his children with a sense of normalcy.

It’s something the actor was extremely proud of. When we spoke with Van Der Beek in 2023, he gushed about the ability to slow down and take in family moments with his wife and kids. 

Van Der Beek explained the decision to move was due to being able to raise his children in a spacious property, and with more privacy. But what he got was much more. 

“We found a beautiful spot that allows the kids to walk out the door, to play, to adventure, to climb trees, build forts. We have a nature camp where they build fires in the morning,” he gushed. He said everything from the weather to the ability to enjoy nature was a better fit for their family.

“It just kind of gets us on a little bit more of a natural rhythm. We pay more attention to when the sun comes up, but when the sun goes down. We know what phase the moon is in. We’re grateful for rain when it comes because we’ve had some pretty dry years. We can watch the land change and get dry and then get green and flowers bloom, and we’re planting a garden,” he added. “It teaches kids, teaches my kids, I think, some awareness of their environment and a connection to the natural rhythms of the seasons and I’m really grateful that they can have that.”

Growing up in Connecticut and then moving to Tinsel Town made Texas all the more appealing. Van Der Beek explained that the change was a welcome adventure. 

“This is really new for me. I mean, I’m not used to having the water go out and having to figure out how to fix the water pump. These are all adventures,” he explained. “But what I’m psyched about is one of the things I really want to teach my kid is to not be afraid to jump into learning something. “OK, this is a problem, this is a skill that you know may have not encountered before,” to really just model for them jumping into it, figuring it out, learning, gaining a new skill.”