Just Between Friends: Cast Bios







James Van Der Beek

Character name: Dawson Leery

Fate certainly played a hand in James Van Der Beek's entrance into the acting world, but it was his dedication and talent that earned leading roles in "Dawson's Creek" and two provocative new films - "I Love You...I Love You Not" and "Harvest."

Suffering a mild concussion when he was 13 years old, the athletic Van Der Beek wasn't permitted to play on the football team that year. So, for the first time, he decided to try out for the school play and landed the lead role of Danny Zuko in the school's production of "Grease." Bitten by the acting bug, he continued to do local children's theater in his home town of Cheshire, Conn.

He was still focused on acting at age 16, so his mother agreed one summer to travel the three hours each way to New York City in order for him to pursue acting professionally. While he landed an agent and a manager on their very first visit, he didn't find much success auditioning for commercials.

The next year, he was cast in the Off-Broadway play, "Finding the Sun," which was written and directed by Edward Albee. He describes this as the defining experience for him as an actor, and commuted six hours every day during the limited three-month run for rehearsals and performances in the middle of high school. After that experience, he starred in "Shenandoah" at the Goodspeed Opera House.

His first on-screen performance came with a starring role in the 1995 feature film "Angus," and he is featured in the upcoming release "I Love You...I Love You Not" with Claire Danes. Last summer, he completed the independent feature film "Harvest." A dean's list student, Van Der Beek received an academic scholarship from Drew University in Madison, N.J., where he majors in English with a minor in sociology. In what little free time he has, he enjoys writing and playing all kinds of sports.

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Michelle Williams

Character name: Jenifer Lindley

"Dawson's Creek" may be her first starring role in a series, but Michelle Williams is already a veteran of numerous feature films and television projects.

The proverbial small town girl, Williams was born and raised in rural Kalispell, Mont.,before moving with her family to San Diego when she was 10 years old. She became involved in community theater productions and was soon commuting to Los Angeles for professional auditions.

At age 14, Williams made her big-screen debut in the 1994 family film "Lassie," and was soon cast as the young alien in the film "Species." Most recently, Michelle was seen in the dramatic feature "A Thousand Acres," starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jason Robards and Jessica Lange.

In television, she starred in the television movie "A Mother's Justice."

In her free time, 17-year-old Williams is an avid reader, with her current favorite authors being Hermann Hesse, Dostoyevsky and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. She also enjoys boxing, which feeds into her early childhood fantasy of becoming the first female heavyweight champion of the world.

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Meredith Monroe

Character name: Andie Mcphee

Born in Houston, Texas, Monroe spent her childhood in Hinsdale, Illinois. After graduating high school, she moved to New York to study acting. Monroe's career was launched when she was cast midway through the season as a regular on the television series "Dangerous Minds." The series introduced Monroe to Los Angeles and she permanently relocated in August 1997.

Monroe immediately began working on television, doing guest spots on several shows including "Magnificent Seven," "Players" and "Promised Land," before landing the title role in "Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder."

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Kerr Smith

Character name: Jack Mcphee

Smith grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Exton, Pennsylvania, where his

competitive nature propelled him to excel in baseball, snow skiing, and student politics, first as class president and then as school president. His first dramatic performance was as Sir Edward Ramsey in his high school production of "The King and I."

After high school, Smith followed his financial advisor father's advice by earning an undergraduate degree in "something sensible" -- Business Administration (Finance & Accounting) -- from The University of Vermont. As a Kappa Sigma, Chief Justice of the Greek Judicial Board and a member of the ski patrol in Stowe, Vermont, Smith's college days were "very social," by his own admission. After graduation, Smith returned to Exton to start a business marketing firm with his father. After realizing that he "hated the selling aspect, but loved making the presentations," it was time to become an actor.

Smith's first acting job, as an extra in "Twelve Monkeys" with Bruce Willis, came immediately and coincidentally fell on his birthday. His first commercial came soon after. He sold his beloved Bronco II, moved to New York City and landed a part on "As the World Turns" within a few months.

Smith is best remembered for his portrayal of Ryder Hughes on the CBS daytime drama "As the World Turns." In 1996, his outstanding performance earned him a Best New Actor Award from Soap Opera Magazine.

A self-taught pianist, Smith enjoys writing music in his Los Angeles home recording studio. He is currently writing a screenplay about a college incident which will remain under wraps until its finished.

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Monica Keena

Character name=Abbigal Morgan

Born in New Jersey and raised in Brooklyn, Keena has always found an outlet for her creativity. As a child, she immersed herself in classes, determined to perfect her craft in drawing, painting, singing and dance.

At the age of 13, Keena auditioned for acceptance into LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, made famous around the world by "Fame." She was accepted into both the vocal and dramatic arts department, choosing drama as her preference. Shortly after beginning classes at LaGuardia, Keena earned her first role in a short film entitled "Burning Love," and portrayed Bertha in a stage reading of Strinburg's "The Father," with Al Pacino, Julianne Moore and Vivica Linfors. Other film credits include "Devil's Advocate," "While You Were Sleeping," "Ripe" and the starring role in "Snow White," opposite Sigourney Weaver. Keena will soon be in Miramax's "Strike," opposite Kirsten Dunst and Gabby Hoffman.

Keena recently finished her first year of college at New York University. In her free time, she takes writing classes.

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Katie Holmes

Character name: Josephine Potter

She was born in Toledo, Ohio. She started acting in theater productions in high school, but didn't think she had a shot at stardom living in the Midwest. But luck was on her side when she was attending a national modeling and talent convention in New York City, and she met a talent manager who encouraged her to come to Los Angeles for television's pilot season.

On her very first professional audition, Holmes dazzled the casting director for the acclaimed feature film "The Ice Storm." Directed by Ang Lee. It was her first attempt at professional acting and the film won several awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

When the next pilot season came up, during her senior year of high school, she decided to skip coming out to Los Angeles. Instead she chose to perform in her school's production of "Damn Yankees" as Lola. For the "Dawson's Creek" audition, she sent in a videotape from Toledo, and when the call back conflicted with her play's opening night, she declined rather than let down her classmates. Fortunately, the producers were able to reschedule her audition and she landed the series regular role of Joey Potter.

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Joshua Jackson

Character name: Pacey Witter

At only 19 his focus and determination have resulted in an accomplished list of stage, feature film and television credits.

Born in British Columbia, he landed his first professional acting job at age nine, when he was cast in several commercials for British Columbia Tourism. This led to a part on the television series "MacGyver," also shot in Vancouver, and the lead role as Charlie in a Seattle-based musical production of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

Jackson's big-screen debut was in Michael Bortman's well-received 1991 film "Crooked Hearts." This was quickly followed by his central performance playing on the ragtag hockey team in the Disney hit films "The Mighty Ducks" and "D2: The Mighty Ducks." In "Mighty Ducks 3," he played the coach's prodigy and the team's voice of reason.

Additional feature credits include "Andre," "Digger" and "Magic in the Water." This year he has appeared in Bryan Singer's "Apt Pupil," starring Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro and "Urban Legend". On the small screen, Jackson has starred in two Showtime Contemporary Classics: "Robin on Loxly," an updated version of the Robin Hood legend; and as the lead role in a modern interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet" called "Ronnie and Julie." Additional television credits include a recurring role in the Gary David Golberg series "Champs," as well as a guest-starring role in the Showtime anthology "The Outer Limits." Currently, Jackson and his family divide their time between Vancouver and California.

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