On the red carpet for the Apple TV+ series “The Last Thing He Said to Me” on Thursday night, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner both shared their memories of James Van Der Beek.
Van der Beek, who died Wednesday at the age of 48, had played her final role in the “Legally Blonde” prequel series “Elle,” which Witherspoon executive produced. It will be premiered on Amazon Prime from July 1st.
Variety’s Marc Malkin asked Witherspoon on the carpet about working with the late “Dawson’s Creek” actor. “It was a lot of fun because we grew up in this business, so we always knew James,” Witherspoon said. “He was always there. We went to parties together. It’s a really terrible loss.”
Witherspoon continued, “He was so beloved in our community. He was always a very generous person, a man of very high character and high values. He brought that to his day-to-day work on set with our young cast. They just adored him.”
She wrote on Instagram on Wednesday that she was “devastated,” adding, “What an extraordinarily talented man who showed incredible kindness and grace in everything he did. All the angels are praying for his family during this difficult time.”
Garner told Malkin, “We grew up together. We celebrated their successes and James always brought the whole family into every room. I just send all my love to Kimberly and their beautiful children.”
After Van Der Beek’s death, Garner wrote, “What a heartbreaking loss. Lots of love Kimberly and your children as they go through this tender time.”
Garner will star in and serve as an executive producer on “The Last Thing He Told Me,” which premieres its second season on February 20. Witherspoon served as an executive producer on the series through her “Hello Sunshine” run.
