“Dawson’s Creek” alums Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes spoke passionately about their “precious” relationship while promoting their new movie “Happy Hour.”
“The time we spent together when we were young is so precious to both of us,” Jackson said in an interview with Cherry the Geek TV on Sunday while holding Holmes’ hand at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“And that seems to be one of the central relationships in my life, personally and professionally,” he added.
Jackson, 47, praised Holmes’ work as director and writer on “Happy Hour,” the pair’s first collaboration since “Dawson’s Creek” ended 23 years ago.
“She created this beautiful space for us both to come back and work together and tell beautiful stories,” he explained. “A story full of hope, a real human story.”
Jackson added that she was “honored and excited” when Holmes, 47, asked her to work with him again.
“You wrote this for us. You did everything,” he said to Holmes. “So it was magical for me to be able to come back and thank you for waiting for me.”
Holmes called his working relationship with Jackson “very sacred” and said he was taking their on-screen reunion “very seriously.”
“There was a lot of talk about doing something again, but we never knew what it would be,” the “Batman Begins” star said. “So I think that’s really what it was about and we agreed to work on it.”
“He said yes, so it felt really good,” Holmes added of Jackson.
In “Happy Hour,” Holmes and Jackson play ex-lovers who cross paths again and debate whether it’s worth rekindling their romance.
The film, which also stars Mary-Louise Parker, Joe Tippett and Constance Wu, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend.
In separate interviews with “Entertainment Tonight,” Holmes and Jackson talked about their “Dawson’s Creek” co-star James Van Der Beek, who died of cancer in February at age 48.
“We made so many great memories together,” Holmes said. “And there are a lot of really great personal growth stories as well. We care deeply about his family and all my memories are of his family and each other.
Jackson said that what he would “most cherish” about their bond was learning about Van Der Beek after he became a husband and father.
“He was a great father and a great partner,” Jackson continued. “That time we all spent together was life-changing for each of us, both collectively and individually. But what he ended up being was the perfect version of him. So, that’s something I’ll always take home.”
Holmes and Jackson appeared on the popular WB series from 1998 to 2003 as on-screen couple Pacey Witter and Joey Potter.
In April, Holmes shared her and Jackson’s “happy hour” on Instagram and liked a fan’s comment encouraging them to go on a date.
Jackson previously spoke about his connection to Holmes and his former co-star during an April 2025 appearance on the Dinners on Me podcast, saying he and Holmes are “very close.”
“It’s not a daily call,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not a weekly, monthly, or biannual call. But when you’re together, there’s always something that I know that you know.”
