James Van Der Beek always tried to look on the bright side during his cancer battle. A few months before the 48-year-old actor died, he sat down for an interview with Today's Craig Melvin to discuss his stage three colorectal cancer diagnosis - and he had a positive update. James shared that he felt "much, much better" than he did prior when he couldn't attend a Dawson's Creek reunion in person due to illness. He continued: "It's been a longer journey than I ever thought it would be. It's required more of me - more patience, more discipline, more strength than I knew I had.