The cast and crew of ELLE are remembering James Van Der Beek, whose appearance in the show was his last role before his death earlier this year.
“It’s hard to put into words how special my time with James was,” actress June Diane posted on Instagram, along with photos of the pair on set. “He talked about his children and [wife] Kimberly between every take. We shared so many laughs and stories. My … was he charming. He’s one of the easiest actors I’ve ever worked with and left an indelible mark on our ELLE cast and crew. I’m so grateful to have spent such precious time with him and will treasure those memories for the rest of my life.”
ELLE, a LEGALLY BLONDE prequel series, sees Van Der Beek starring as Dean Wilson, a school superintendent and mayoral candidate. The actor passed away in 2026 at the age of 48, following a three-year battle with colorectal cancer.
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ELLE showrunners Laura Kittrell and Caroline Dries spoke about Van Der Beek in an interview with Variety, with Dries saying they “were so flattered that he wanted to do this show to begin with.”
“Laura and I are such big fans of his, so just getting to work with someone who was a hero when I was growing up was a treat. And getting to watch him take a character and elevate it was so exciting as a writer,” she continued.
Van Der Beek was equally excited about working on the show; executive producer Jason Moore recalled that Van Der Beek told him, “[Performing] really is a time where I don’t feel my pain. Focusing on work, I really actually am completely distracted, not only when the camera rolls, but just when I’m around all those people.”
“As he got sick, he really wanted to hold people close and bring people together. He was always really good at that,” Moore added.
Jacob Moskovitz, one of the actors on ELLE, told the California Post, “We didn’t have a ton of overlap, but he sat and ate lunch with us and talked with us. And he was just an absolute light on our set. We miss him very much. We’re really honored that he was a part of the show.”
Van Der Beek’s appearance in ELLE is one last gift for his many fans who love getting the chance to see him onscreen again.
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