James Van Der Beek, star of Dawson’s Creek and the Texas cult classic film Varsity Blues, will visit Dallas for a special screening of the ‘90s high school football drama this summer.
“An Evening with James Van Der Beek” will take place at the House of Blues Dallas on June 30. While all attendees will have the pleasure of watching Varsity Blues alongside its star, a limited number of VIP tickets are available for fans to take part in a post-show meet and greet with Van Der Beek.
Some might think it brave of Van Der Beek to screen a film featuring his cringeworthy Texas accent in the heart of Dallas. Although his delivery of "I don't wahnt yer liyfe" alone makes the entire film mock-worthy, other famous scenes, like the whipped cream bikini, have been subjected to a slew of their own spoofs and parodies. (Who can forget Chris Evans' take on the "sexy" dessert scene in Not Another Teen Movie?)
We gotta hand it to Dawson for making a career out of being obnoxious. He was pretty on-point as Robin's fuckboy ex-boyfriend Simon in How I Met Your Mother, and played a cliched version of himself in the short-lived Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23.
And in spite of Varsity Blues criticisms from Texas and beyond, the Connecticut native hasn't let it diminish his affection for the Lone Star State.
The actor and his family relocated from Beverly Hills to the Austin area in 2020, just a few miles from Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch. In a 2022 conversation with People, the dad of six said the move has been “centering” and “grounding” for him and his family and he has been able to share his love for Texas nature and the state's famously beautiful sunsets.
Unlike many North Texans, the on-screen quarterback doesn't bleed Dallas blue, as he's a known Green Bay Packers fan. (He had his Varsity Blues jersey number changed from No. 13 to No. 4 in honor of former Packers quarterback Brett Favre.) However, he does openly profess his love for Texas soccer. Since his move, Van Der Beek has shared a number of Instagram posts of him and his family cheering on Austin FC in the soccer club’s signature green gear.
“Of all my fellow weird Austinites … I think the ones who come out to cheer on @austinfc just might be my favorite,” Van Der Beek captioned a video last May. “There’s a heartbeat here, for sure.”
On top of showing his kids the real-life ways of Texas living, Van Der Beek held an at-home Varsity Blues screening of his own for his family in 2020. The actor captioned a video on his Instagram story saying his kids wanted to see “The Blue Movie” people are always talking to him about. While the actor took some flak from his kids for swearing in the movie, his then-8-year-old son Joshua could not get over a central part of Van Der Beek’s character: Mox's terrible accent. After explaining to his son that the reason he talked so funny was because he was “doing an accent,” Joshua continued to roast him for his terrible Southern twang.
“I hate that accent,” Joshua said, earning a laugh from Van Der Beek. “That one is the worst.”
It’s only expected that Van Der Beek will get similar critiques from North Texans at the summer screening, but we think folks should take it easy on the now-reformed Texas transplant. Plus, no one needs to see the actor’s infamous Dawson's Creek crying face on the Dallas stage.
“An Evening with James Van Der Beek and Screening of Varsity Blues” will be at the House of Blues Dallas, 2200 N. Lamar St., on June 30. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $44.50. More information can be found on the venue’s website.
