Michelle Williams has spoken for the first time about the death of her late Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.
Van Der Beek, who had been receiving treatment for stage 3 colorectal cancer, died last month at the age of 48.
At last night’s Actor Awards, Williams received the prize for Best Female Actor in a Limited Series for her performance in Dying for Sex.
Afterwards, she was asked by Entertainment Tonight whether she was thinking of Van Der Beek when she won.
“I’m thinking about him, and I’m thinking about his family constantly,” replied Williams.
She added: “I also just want to say, like, it’s been such an amazing thing as James’s friend, and a friend of the family, to see the response in the wake of his passing. I just really want to say thank you to each and every person who contributed to sustaining their life and their children’s lives. It’s an incredibly meaningful thing to witness.”
After Van Der Beek’s death, family friends launched a GoFundMe to support his wife, Kimberly, and their six young children amid the costly medical bills they incurred during his care.
More than $2.5 million was raised for the family. While they received an outpouring of both emotional and financial support from a slew of fans and fellow celebrities — including director Steven Spielberg, who donated $25,000 — some online commenters questioned the family’s need for financial assistance given Van Der Beek’s fame.
In the wake of that criticism, several celebrities spoke out in defense of the fundraising efforts.
“Not everything is what it looks like online. A little context goes a long way,” Broadway star Donna Vivino wrote on Instagram. “For those of you attacking James Van Der Beek’s wife for having a GoFundMe may I give you some FACTS?”
She noted that the “family [does] not OWN the farm they live on, they were renting,” and that they were not living off Dawson’s Creek residuals.
In 2012, Van Der Beek told TODAY.com that “there was no residual money” from the hit show. “I was 20. It was a bad contract. I saw almost nothing from that.”
Vivino added that months before his death, Van Der Beek began auctioning off memorabilia from his career to help support himself and his family.
Finally, she emphasized that “cancer treatment is effin expensive even WITH insurance.”
“Heartbreaking that you even needed to make this post,” Yellowstone actor Hassie Harrison commented on Vivino’s post. “How can people be so rotten.”
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