You won't see Dawson hitting the dance floor anytime soon.
Though he plays a caricature of a washed-up, former teen star–who just so happens to share his name–on ABC's Don't Trust the B—- in Apt. 23, James Van Der Beek assures Parade.com that the real James Van Der Beek would never consider a Dancing With the Stars stint.
On the sitcom, the faux-Van Der Beek joins the cast of a DWTS-like program in a desperate bid to revive his career. Still, the former Dawson's Creek star, 35, says although those scenes were "a blast to film," he isn't ready to cha-cha in front of the cameras just yet.
"I think it's more fun to do it this way," Van Der Beek shares. "You can play it for laughs and not have to do all that work!"
The differences between Van Der Beek and his caricature don't end there. On Don't Trust the B—- in Apt. 23, fake Van Der Beek launches a line of skinny jeans, and employs the Dawson's Creek theme song as a seduction tactic.
"When we started making up things on my resume that don't exist, it very quickly stopped seeming like me and started seeming like a parody of actors and Hollywood and pop culture in general," the actor says. "I just thought it was so funny."
Van Der Beek assures Parade he has no qualms about making his character as outrageous as possible–even if people start confusing the two of them.
"A little bit of ego assassination is always a good thing," Van Der Beek tells Parade. "The less serious you take yourself, the better work you do in general."
