How Kerr Smith playfully addresses Joshua Jackson’s absence from new “Dawson’s Creek” book

Sarah HearonWed, November 11, 2026 at 1:45 PM UTC

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Joshua Jackson and Kerr Smith on ‘Dawson’s Creek’Credit: EverettKey Points -

Kerr Smith interviewed James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams for his new book about Dawson’s Creek.

New insights from Joshua Jackson were noticeably missing from the project titled I Don’t Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson’s Creek.

EW asked Smith about Jackson’s absence.

Kerr Smith spoke to the majority of his Dawson’s Creek costars, including James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams, for his book, but new insights from Joshua Jackson were noticeably missing from I Don’t Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson’s Creek.

“Everybody makes their own choice. I’m not going to talk bad about anybody,” Smith tells Entertainment Weekly of Jackson.

The actor, who played Jack McPhee on the WB drama, does make a reference to his costar being MIA in the book, telling EW: “Some people pick up on it, some people won’t, but I had to do it.”

Credit: Grand Central Publishing

The reference appears in Kerr’s chapter about Dawson’s Creek’s series finale, specifically the fan-favorite scene where Pacey (Jackson) tells Joey (Holmes) she’s “off the hook.”

“The main reason I love this scene is that it features Josh Jackson and Katie Holmes at the absolute pinnacle of their Dawson’s Creek powers. Their chemistry and affection, their sense of nuance and comic timing. It’s just perfect. To me anyway,” Smith writes.

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Holmes, however, isn’t as sold on her performance. She tells Smith in the book: “Watching the scene with Josh in the kitchen, I wish I could have shot it over again; I wasn’t happy with what I did.”

While Smith acknowledges that it’s not uncommon for an actor to criticize their own work, even if they can’t pinpoint exactly what may be missing, he respectfully disagrees with Holmes.

“With all due respect, you’re wrong. You positively crushed this scene. Both of you,” he writes before the subtle dig at Jackson. “Right, Josh? Josh? (I’m sure he’ll get back to me any second now).”

Of reconnecting with Holmes for the project, Smith tells EW: “It was really interesting because when Katie and I Zoomed, I hadn’t seen her since 2018 — since we did the EW reunion. She turns the camera on. She’s all poised and everything. She’s Kate Holmes; she’s a full-blown adult. And as soon as we got talking, boom, right into Katie. Just like we never missed a step.”

The pair would go on to see each other in person when the cast, including Smith, Williams, Holmes, and Jackson, staged a reunion to raise money for Van Der Beek amid his fight with cancer in September 2025. Van Der Beek, who was too sick to attend, died in February 2026.

“It was a very emotional weekend, obviously, because James didn’t make it, but even if he was there, it would still be incredibly emotional,” Smith tells EW. “It was one of those amazing nights that I knew was going to be a one-off, and I just wanted to stay in the moment. That was my biggest thing that night — stay in the moment and just enjoy every second of it.”

on Entertainment Weekly

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