James Van Der Beek Lives An Incredibly Normal Life

A whole generation grew up watching James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery in Dawson's Creek, and it is safe to say the iconic '90s television character made the actor famous the world over. Though Van Der Beek has worked steadily since his breakthrough role, the Varsity Blues star actually lives a relatively chill life when he's not acting. With a loving wife and a large family, the actor appears to be extremely content spending time with his nearest and dearest at home or on the road, rather than walking red carpets and attending glamorous parties.

From where he's chosen to live to his commitment to being the best father he can be, the guy who won the Teen Choice Awards surfboard for Choice Breakout Star back in 1999 is probably one of the more relatable celebrities around today. Or at the very least, he doesn't lead the "Hollywood life" you might think someone who's been on TV for multiple decades would lead. Here's everything you need to know about James Van Der Beek's incredibly normal life. 

While it would be easy to assume that the star of Dawson's Creek savored the success he garnered when the show became an instant, that wasn't really the case. During a 2020 interview with Good Morning America, James Van Der Beek revealed, "I never wanted to be an actor as a kid. I wanted to be an athlete." In fact, the Dancing with the Stars alum was so unprepared for super-stardom that he freaked out a little bit when it happened. "My reaction to fame was to run away from it," he explained. "I didn't know what to do with fame. I didn't know what to do with recognizability."

According to Dawson himself, being thrown into the spotlight was hard as a young performer. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Van Der Beek admitted, "I took myself way too seriously... The ego certainly is the biggest obstacle as an artist or performer, so any chance you get to destroy that is really healthy." But after playing an over-the-top version of himself in Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, it's clear that Van Der Beek is much more comfortable with himself and his fame these days.

When it was time for the Van Der Beeks to move from Los Angeles to Texas, they made an excursion out of it. Rather than climbing into a moving truck, the family hopped in an RV and took a cross-country road trip to their new home, documenting their adventures along the way. Sharing some sweet snaps from the journey on Instagram, James Van Der Beek explained, "10-day road trip. 5 kids. 2 dogs. Plus 2 baby rescue puppies we adopted on day one. Because, unless your good friends try to talk you out of at least some part of your vacation... it's not an adventure."

The family's trip to Texas isn't the first time they've vacationed in an RV. In 2019, Van Der Beek shared a photo of himself wearing Christmas pajamas while filling up the RV with gas. As he told Fatherly, "We got in an RV this holiday and we just drove. We had no idea where we'd sleep or where we'd park at the end of the day — we'd just get a map and try to find some out of the way place in nature." Van Der Beek went on to say that an unplanned trip out in the wilderness is his "favorite thing" to do with his family. "You put your phone down. In most places, your phone doesn't even work. And you're just present with them."

While James Van Der Beek's kids seem to handle his fame with aplomb, there's one aspect of his career that they're less clued-in on. Most of the world was introduced to Van Der Beek in his career-making role as Dawson Leery in Dawson's Creek, but his children are a little uncertain about the show's premise and name. As reported by Today in February 2020, Van Der Beek shared an Instagram Story in which he spoke with one of his daughters about the TV series that made him famous. "Why is it called Dalson's Creek?" his daughter asked, coining a brand new spelling for the show's title. "Is it because Dalson owns a creek and someone tries to destroy it?"

Playing along with his daughter's hilarious summary of Dawson's Creek, Van Der Beek replied, "Exactly. He owns a creek, and then somebody's trying to blow it up and, so he has to use kung fu and ninja moves to try to prevent that from happening." His daughter reportedly replied, "I can imagine you doing that," before proceeding to do some kung fu moves of her own. Basically, if anyone wants to reboot Dawson's Creek for the 2020s, Van Der Beek's children have already developed a brand new, timely take.

While many celebrities seem to relish the glamorous lifestyles that fame affords them, James Van Der Beek appears to be extremely happy living a quiet life at home, and attending the odd restaurant now and again. In fact, according to the actor, the thing that he would miss if he wasn't well-known is actually pretty understandable. During an interview with iNews, Van Der Beek revealed, "I don't know what I'd do if I went to a crowded restaurant and I walked up to the hostess and didn't feel like there was a pretty good chance I could still get a table. That's my superpower. I would feel bereft if that superpower was taken away." However, the former teen star was quick to note, "It doesn't always work, I'll go and see the person and judge their age range and think 'Yeah not a chance.'"

Aside from enjoying getting a table at any restaurant, the CSI: Cyber star shared some advice for the teen stars of today, such as the kids from Stranger Things. "You don't change overnight," he told iNews, "but the way people treat you overnight [does]. Because of something that's make believe, essentially." Van Der Beek has his feet firmly on the ground and doesn't seem to be all that swayed by the so-called celebrity lifestyle.

While the character Dawson Leery was never very lucky in love, James Van Der Beek has been married to his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, for a long time. In August 2020, the couple celebrated their tenth anniversary, and James commemorated the milestone on Instagram. He shared, "A year prior to [the wedding], I'd been famous, been wealthy, been married, been divorced, been less-than-wealthy, been single... and I was in Israel, on a trip with an organized group, when it hit me: I was done being single. I wanted a real relationship. A soul mate." The actor was also looking for "Someone with whom [he] could build a family," and the couple has since welcomed five children together. Near the end of the post, James called Kimberly "the best human" he knows. 

Kimberly also paid tribute to her husband of ten years in an adorable Instagram post. She captioned a sweet photo taken with her beau, "Life with you has been a beautiful and adventurous tale of love, strength, vulnerability and magic. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Happy anniversary." It's clear that the Van Der Beeks are very much in love all these years later. Dawson should be so lucky.

In his anniversary tribute to Kimberly Van Der Beek, James Van Der Beek revealed that he met his wife completely by chance during a trip to Israel. The actor wrote on Instagram, "I was mid-revelation, rattling all this off to a friend of mine when a voice interrupted us, wanting to ask him a question. I was annoyed. Who the hell was stepping all over my moment?" However, James's annoyance quickly dissipated once he started talking to the woman who would turn out to be his future wife. He continued, "I turned around... it was @vanderkimberly. Three days later, I asked her what she was looking for in a relationship. Her answer: 'I'm not looking for a relationship.' Six months later we were living together."

Prior to walking down the aisle with Kimberly, James was married to actor Heather McComb. The Dawson's Creek star tied the knot with his first wife on July 5, 2003, but the couple separated in April 2009 and finalized their divorce on March 31, 2010. According to People, James met Kimberly in the summer of 2009, following his divorce, and the couple went back to Israel the next year to get hitched. While their first encounter may have been accidental, their relationship has truly stood the test of time.