James Van Der Beek died in February. On Tuesday 1 July, audiences will see him one final time. His role as Dean Wilson — a mayoral candidate and school district superintendent — in Elle, Prime Video’s Legally Blonde prequel series, is his last recorded performance. And those who worked alongside him want people to know what they saw on set.
“He’s so charismatic, and I’m so excited for people to get to see his performance, because he just brought so much life to this character, and to set, honestly,” said Lexi Minetree, who plays the young Elle Woods, speaking at Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest. “I remember meeting him and just feeling so much warmth, and he even brought his daughters to set.”
Co-showrunner Caroline Dries, at the series’ New York premiere last week, offered a more intimate account. “James told me that acting allowed him to be someone else and forget the pain he was in,” she said. Dries described Van Der Beek as upbeat and generous throughout the shoot, sitting with the crew in video village, making them laugh, and showing “nothing but kindness.”
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 but did not make the news public until November 2024. He was cast in Elle in May 2025, posting on Instagram that he was “going back to work for a bit” and describing himself as “super excited” to join the production. He had spoken openly about what filming gave him during his illness, telling NBC’s Today show that “the greatest thing about work is cancer doesn’t exist between action and cut.” He died on 11 February at 48, survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children.
Elle, created by Laura Kittrell, follows the future Harvard law student through her teenage years in Seattle and also stars Tom Everett Scott and June Diane Raphael. Executive producer Reese Witherspoon, who originated the role of Elle Woods in the 2001 film, called Van Der Beek “an extraordinary, talented man who also showed great kindness and grace in every action.”
The series arrives in a week that will ask audiences to watch a man they know is gone bring a character to life. For the cast, at least, that distinction is clear. “We miss him so much,” Minetree said.
