Busy Philipps on ‘insanely inappropriate’ Dawson’s Creek romance that proves ‘how much we have changed for the better’

Busy Philipps is looking back at her time on Dawson’s Creek, recalling one “insanely inappropriate” storyline in particular that she feels demonstrates just how far culturally, we have come.

Philipps, 46, joined the seminal drama in its fifth season as Joey Potter’s (Katie Holmes) college roommate, Audrey Liddell. Her character eventually began a relationship with Joey’s high school ex, Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson).

However, years before Audrey and Pacey met, Pacey was controversially involved with his 36-year-old high school English teacher, Tamara Jacobs (Leann Hunley), in the series’ pilot episode.

“They’re not even together,” Philipps noted of Audrey and Pacey, in a new interview with People.

“He’s going to have a really insanely inappropriate relationship with a teacher, which by the way, is so wild. And just goes to show you culturally how much we have changed for the better, right?”

In the show’s first season, Tamara is introduced as a new resident of Capeside, Massachusetts. Shortly after her arrival, she enters the video rental store where Pacey works, and begins to flirt with him, unaware that he’s 16 and her soon-to-be student. They then embark on a secret love affair, and she ultimately takes Pacey’s virginity. Their relationship is eventually discovered, leading to Tamara’s resignation from the school and her moving away.

At the recent Dawson’s Creek reunion event, which brought together most of the show’s original cast, including Philipps, Jackson, Holmes, and Michelle Williams, for a special live reading of the pilot episode, Philipps played the part of Tamara.

“[Series creator] Kevin Williamson didn’t write the part of Audrey, he wasn’t a part of that,” Philipps explained. “He was already long gone from the show when they went to college, and my character was added.

“After the show, I said, ‘Well, Kevin, I guess you did write a part for me on Dawson's Creek. You just didn’t know that it would take 20 years for me to be the right age to play it,’” she quipped.

The special reunion, which took place late last month, raised money for the F Cancer charity and James Van Der Beek, the show’s original title lead, who last year announced his Stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Van Der Beek led Dawson’s Creek as Dawson Leery, a wannabe filmmaker in the small fictional town of Capeside. The six-season series, which aired from 1998 to 2003, chronicled the lives of Dawson and his high school friends throughout young adulthood.

While Van Der Beek was initially expected to make an appearance at the reunion, he was forced to pull out last minute after contracting two stomach viruses.

Still, in spite of his illness, the 48-year-old actor made a special appearance in a pre-recorded clip that played on the screen.

In the video, he introduced his replacement, Hamilton star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and thanked fans for buying tickets to the event.