James Van Der Beek brought his daughters to the set of Prime Video’s Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, during filming. Showrunner Caroline Dries revealed the girls sat with him in video village and that their visit—especially their first time on a real set—
James Van Der Beek’s daughters didn’t just watch from the sidelines while he worked on his final onscreen role. On the set of Prime Video’s Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, they were there with him—turning a grueling filming schedule into something that felt almost like a family hangout.
Elle is set to arrive on July 1, and James was expected to appear as a recurring character. His storyline took a devastating turn: he passed away shortly before the second season started filming due to cancer.
Still, the memories he made during production are shining through. Tuesday’s NYC premiere of the show brought showrunner Caroline Dries into the spotlight, and a new video captured by People shows her praising James’ dedication in a way that’s hard not to feel.
“He brought his daughters to set, he sat with us on plastic folding chairs in video village, he made us laugh, he told us stories and he showed us nothing but kindness.”
Dries later described how special it was to see James as a father behind the scenes—especially at the stretch of the season when everyone starts running out of steam.
“At a point in the season where you start to get tired, the hours are long, having [his daughters] around just being so positive and so invested and curious about everything was so fun. They were Legally Blonde fans and also the blondest girls I’ve ever seen.”
She added that the girls’ presence carried an extra layer of surprise because it was their first time on a real filming set.
“They had never been on set before, which surprised me. They had never seen Dawson’s Creek, so they didn’t have … The fan girl that I was to James, they didn’t understand that.”
In a later post, James’ wife Kimberly Van Der Beek reposted the premiere video on her Instagram Stories, naming the daughters who got that time with their dad on set: Emilia, 10, and Annabel, 12.
“Emilia and Annabel had the pleasure of separately being on set with him. They treated the kiddos beautifully and he was so proud of this role… especially because his daughters were so looking forward to watching it!”
It’s a small detail in the middle of a massive public loss. but it lands with real force: on a production that’s now moving forward in the wake of his death. James Van Der Beek’s final role carries the warmth of family minutes—plastic folding chairs. jokes. stories. and two girls experiencing a real set for the first time.
James Van Der Beek Elle Legally Blonde prequel series Prime Video Caroline Dries Emilia Van Der Beek Annabel Van Der Beek Kimberly Van Der Beek NYC premiere Dawson’s Creek