Joshua Jackson Speaks Out for First Time After 'Dawson's Creek' Costar James Van Der Beek's Sad Death: 'That Loss for His Family Is Enormous'

Joshua Jackson has broken his silence on pal James Van Der Beek's devastating death at age 48.

During an appearance on the Tuesday, March 10, episode of the Today show, Jackson, 47, sat down with NBC star Craig Melvin to reflect on the untimely passing of his Dawson's Creek costar — who died on February 11 after a difficult battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

"I think it hits in a variety of different ways," Jackson explained of his grieving journey. "For me as a father now, the enormity of that tragedy hits me in a very different way than just as a colleague, so I think the processing is ongoing."

Jackson, who shares 5-year-old daughter Juno with ex-wife Jodie Turner-Smith, admitted he's been thinking about Van Der Beek's life and the legacy he left behind "quite a bit” in the nearly one month since the father-of-six died.

Reflecting on the time he spent with Van Der Beek on the set of Dawson's Creek, Jackson expressed: "It was formative for us. And I know both of us look back on that time with great fondness. But I will also say is [that] I know that I’m just a footnote in what he actually accomplished in his life."

Jackson went on to gush over Van Der Beek's characteristics, adding: "He became what we used to just call a ‘good man,’ a man of the kind of belief, the kind of faith that allowed him to face the impossible with grace, an unbelievable partner and husband, right?"

"Just a real man who showed up for his family and a beautiful, kind, curious, interested, dedicated father," the Fringe actor continued. "And so while on the one hand that’s beautiful and I think he did lead a very good life and he was a good man, it is also, the tragedy of that loss for his family is enormous."

In honor of Van Der Beek's memory, Jackson appeared on Today to reveal his partnership with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to promote cancer screenings alongside Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty.

"I didn’t realize the number is 65% of people in our age cohort haven’t gone out and gotten tested," he admitted. "Haven’t started the conversation. That’s where the idea started. I also liked that they wanted to do something that was a little bit light because this is not a fun conversation. It’s kind of scary."

Encouraging men to visit getbodychecked.com and schedule an appointment, Jackson added: "I think the testing and screening has gotten better, but it’s also true that the earlier you find something, the better your possible outcomes are."

"And I don’t know about the guys that you know, but the guys that I know, guys don’t like to talk about this. We don’t like to go to the doctor. We don’t like to deal with this stuff. There are a lot of ways in your life, that stiff upper lip thing can be helpful, but in this, it’s not helpful at all," he concluded.