'Dawson’s Creek' Creator Says James Van Der Beek Was a 'Brat' During Show's Early Days

Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson has accused a young James Van Der Beek of being a "brat."

During an emotional speech honoring the late actor, Williamson mixed heartfelt praise for Van Der Beek with a few lighthearted jokes about him.

Williamson was honored with the Hero Award at the Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala, after he held a charity Dawson's Creek table read last September to support Van Der Beek and F--- Cancer.

"I had the great pleasure of knowing James for many years," the TV veteran told the audience. "I saw him go from a young kid to an extraordinary man, a husband, a father and a friend."

But Van Der Beek wasn't a saint. "James had a full character arc," Williamson recalled. "He started out as a brat. He would get a script, and he would call me, and he would be like, 'Why do I have to say this word? Nobody knows what this word means.' And I would say, 'Well, don’t worry about it, the way you mumble no one's going to hear it anyway.' And that was us. That was that was our relationship — Dawson talking to Dawson."

Dawson's Creek actor Joshua Jackson and writer producer Julie Plec presented Williamson with the award, and in turn, they praised the screenwriter's commitment to helping Van Der Beek and cancer patients more broadly.

In his speech, Jackson said, "In the days before we went on stage to do this reading to support James, his health took a turn, and Kevin opened up not only his heart for making sure that everybody was okay, but also his wallet to make sure that we were able to honor James and honor his family at this event in truly the most amazing way possible, to allow his children to be in a room filled with people there to celebrate their dad as they had seen him go through what he was going through with humility and grace and to see the love for him that existed outside of their family."

The honoree also described what it was like doing the table read last year.

"The only thing missing was James. He was meant to be there," Williamson said (via Deadline). "We were holding down hope until the last second, the doctors just wouldn’t let him get on the plane, but he still showed up that night with his unshakable courage and his spirit."

He continued, "I think he’s here with us tonight. He’s going to be with us for always. He’s awesome, and so I can’t pretend I’m worthy of any award but I will accept it. I’ll accept it in memory of my mother. I will accept it in the memory of James Van Der Beek, and I will accept it for the entire Dawson’s Creek family."

Williamson's mother sadly passed away from lung cancer.

The beloved actor, who also appeared in Varsity Blues and Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23, died earlier this year at just 48 years old, following a battle with bowel cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, as well as their six children.