James van der Beek's love triangle: Dawson's Creek cast reveal steamy 'life imitating art' romance... palpable roommate tensions... and the Katie Holmes open secret everyone on set knew

For decades, Dawson's Creek fans have speculated about whether its central love triangle storyline spilled into real life.

Viewers tuned in eagerly every week between 1998 and 2003 to follow the teen exploits of Joey (played by Katie Holmes), her childhood best friend and soulmate Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and her hot and heavy romance with Pacey (Joshua Jackson).

Now, a key actor in the series has all but confirmed one of the worst kept secrets of the show, how it drove a wedge between the young stars and the 'mom figure' who eventually brokered a peace deal between them.

In his new memoir, I Don't Want To Wait, Kerr Smith described how Van Der Beek and Jackson were roommates during filming of the inaugural season.

But, by the time Smith joined the cast as newcomer Jack McPhee in season two, the pair 'had gone their separate ways, address-wise,' he wrote.

'They had gone their separate ways otherwise too, which was... a bit more complicated.'

He added: 'The worst-kept secret at Dawson's Creek was season one's rather meta 'love triangle' between James, Josh and a certain Joey Potter look-alike.'

He doesn't name Holmes, but fans could guess using the word 'meta' could point to her. 

Holmes has never confirmed or denied having a relationship with Van Der Beek, but openly dated Jackson for one year. A source told the Daily Mail earlier this year though, that the love triangle was off-screen, too.

'James and Katie dated for a bit,' the insider said. 'They tried to keep their relationship secret but everyone on the set knew about it. Then news of them being a couple began to filter out.' 

Susanne Daniels, who was president of entertainment at WB when Dawson's Creek aired, also claimed there was a love triangle.

'Katie was first dating James,' Daniels said. 'Then fell in love with Josh. Then was dating Josh, then James and Josh were no longer roommates.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Holmes for comment. 

But Smith is quick to defend his castmates, reasoning that they were all young and attractive, and so of course they dated. It was hardly the scandal of the year.

However, the result was a rather awkward working environment in which everyone knew, but no one addressed the elephant in the room.

'Those simmering tensions had a way of making the on-set air feel slightly charged, even on the most ordinary days, into season two and beyond,' wrote Smith.

'I arrived on the show to find the tension between James and Josh already in place – low-grade, unspoken, known to everyone.'

He stresses that the actors were always professional. But when they weren't filming, they simply didn't speak to each other.

'I can't recall a single conversation between them. They didn't hang out. They didn't interact off set. It wasn't dramatic, and it didn't get in the way of anything that mattered. It was simply... a thing that existed.'

Age 26 at the time – even though he was playing a 16-year-old – Smith was older than his fellow castmates (Van Der Beek was 21, Jackson was 20, Holmes was 19) and he now says the whole thing was rather unnecessary and immature.

The two love rivals gave each other the silent treatment for the best part of season two. The tension, he said, was hard to miss.

'Just ask Dawson's mom,' he wrote. 'Mary-Margaret Humes deemed that period 'life imitating art' – a nonfiction version of the Dawson-Pacey rivalry playing out offstage, with a girl at the center of it.'

Twenty-five years after filming, she told Smith: 'Everyone was aware of it. It was a bit uncomfortable to be around... and also sad to watch.'

Which is why she eventually stepped in to stop the madness.

One night, Jackson invited his fellow cast members and crew to a private screening of his new movie, the 2000 thriller The Skulls, about an Ivy League secret society.

Van Der Beek was adamant he wouldn't attend and called Humes on the morning of the event to let her know.

But Humes wouldn't hear of it and insisted she would pick him up and take him there personally. No arguments.

'On the drive over, Mary-Margaret made her case,' wrote Smith. 'They were still early into the run of the show; they had what they hoped – and, frankly, expected – would be a long road ahead.

'This was a passing phase, and sometimes you just have to be the bigger man and show up.'

Van Der Beek took her advice to heart and, said Smith, after the screening, it was as if the energy suddenly shifted.

'Crew member after crew member made their way over to James, offering attaboy handshakes, backslaps and bro-hugs. 'Good to see ya here, buddy.' 'Really glad you made it out.' 'Wouldn't have been the same without ya.''

Even Jackson sought out his co-star and thanked him for making it.

'For the first time in ages, their eyes met, even when the cameras were off.'

Humes said it felt like 'the beginning of the healing process for them.'

For his part, Van Der Beek was thankful to his screen mom for making him see sense.

'I am soooo glad you made me do this,' he told her. 'I love you, Mom.'

Smith said the moment helps illustrate how much of a tight-knit community they all were during filming.

'One that could get bruised and bent and strained under the weight of young people living too close together for too long – and one that could also, with a little prodding from the right person at the right moment, find its way back to itself.'

Katie Holmes has since described Jackson as her first love, and the pair have remained friends. She directed him in the film Happy Hours, which premiered this year at the Tribeca Festival.

She also acknowledged her on-screen chemistry with Van Der Beek earlier this year, saying they 'just kind of clicked.' 

After he died following a battle with colorectal cancer in February, aged just 48, she shared an emotional tribute to her fellow actor.

'I am so grateful to have shared in a piece of James' journey,' she said.

She praised him for his 'compassion, bravery, selflessness and strength,' adding: 'An appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art – creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children – the journey of a hero.'

I Don't Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson's Creek by Kerr Smith is published by Grand Central, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.