The 'Dawson's Creek' phenomenon continues in Wilmington

WILMINGTON -- It's been 10 years since 15-year-old Joey Potter discussed her emerging hormones with best friend Dawson Leery in his second-story bedroom.

Ten years since Pacey Witter, dressed as a sea monster for a role in Dawson's amateur movie, ogled new-girl-in-town Jen Lindley. Ten years since a certain teen drama became a national phenomenon and ushered Wilmington's film community into the national spotlight.

On Jan. 20, 1998, "Dawson's Creek" premiered to wildly mixed reviews. Praised and reviled for its hyper-sexual, super-wordy dialogue, the show centered around four high school students in the small town of Capeside, Mass. -- wannabe filmmaker Dawson (James Van Der Beek), sweet girl-next-door Joey (Katie Holmes), lovable scoundrel Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and new vixen in town Jen (Michelle Williams).

"Dawson's Creek" struck a chord with teens and young adults, launching six seasons of what would become the WB network's most popular show and inspiring thousands of young people to visit its sets on the Cape Fear Coast.

Of course, film tourism existed here before Dawson's Creek. But the show was in a league of its own.

"I call it the 'Dawson's Creek' phenomenon," said Connie Nelson of the Cape Fear Convention Center and Visitors Bureau.

Over spring break in 1999, "we got hundreds of calls from people who wanted to know where Mollye's Market was, where Dawson's house was," she said. The visitors bureau soon published a Frequently Asked Questions sheet for the show. "We still put it out and people still pick it up," Nelson said.

Of course, another teen drama calls Wilmington home now. "One Tree Hill" began filming here just as Dawson's Creek finished in 2003. But while "One Tree Hill's" fans are passionate and many, the show never became part of the cultural zeitgeist the way "Dawson's Creek" did. The creation of North Carolina native Kevin Williamson, the show turned its core cast into stars almost overnight. And no production since has created such a buzz around town, which is why, 10 years later, it's still making headlines.

Among the facts worth knowing about "Dawson's Creek":

--The show was created by Williamson, who penned the popular "Scream" movies. Williamson grew up in Oriental, N.C., and based the character of Dawson on himself.

-- After its debut, "Dawson's Creek" quickly became The WB's No. 1 show among 18- to 49-year-olds and delivered the young network's highest ratings ever in both of its regular time slots (9 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 p.m. Wednesdays). Its first season attracted an impressive 6.6 million viewers per episode.

-- Acknowledging how important the show was to its schedule, The WB network chose to re-air the "Dawson's Creek" pilot during its final hour of the network's existence in September 2006.

-- Future "One Tree Hill" stars Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton, and Lee Norris all made guest appearances on "Dawson's Creek."

-- TV Guide created four separate covers of its March 7, 1998, issue -- one for each of the show's stars.

Among the locations made famous:

-- Hell's Kitchen, 118 Princess St.

"Dawson's Creek" needed a down-and-dirty college bar for its last season. And filmmakers needed to use it often. So instead of renting one of downtown's many watering holes, producers bought one. Actually, they bought a natural food store called Mollye's Market and, using movie magic, converted it into just the bar they were looking for.

When the show ended and the property was put up for sale, most of the set -- band posters, graffiti-ed tables and other knickknacks -- remained in the building. Local restaurateur Ash Aziz bought the property in 2003 and turned it into a real restaurant and bar. He kept everything intact that would not conflict with a real restaurant's operation. He even kept the name.

Although Hell's Kitchen is under different ownership now, it still retains nearly all the "Dawson's Creek" memorabilia.

-- Water Street Restaurant, 5 S. Water St.

No "Dawson's Creek" pilgrimage is complete without a stop by the fish house Dawson's family owned, Leery's Fresh Fish. The building still looks just like it did when all the characters stopped by for a bite to eat after their high school classes. Water Street Restaurant can be spotted often through the show's early seasons.

-- University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Road Film crews rolled onto campus twice a month to film outdoor locations. Several buildings were used, including William Randall Library and Alderman Hall, which served as the facade of Capeside High School. Most interior scenes, though, were filmed on a soundstage at EUE/Screen Gems Studios.

During filming, UNCW used its role as a central figure on "Dawson's Creek" as a recruitment tool, and many of its students were interns on the production. The university is proud of its part on the show. A plaque on a bench at Alderman Hall keeps that history alive.

-- Hewlett's Creek

So where, exactly is Dawson's Creek? Well, there's no such place. All those beautiful sunset shots of Dawson standing on his dock among the marsh grass were actually filmed along Hewlett's Creek, best viewed from Pine Grove Road between Masonboro Loop Road and Holly Tree Drive.

Dawson's house was an actual private residence along the water. But it's not open for tours.

-- Dockside Restaurant, 1308 Airlie Road, Wrightsville Beach When Dawson and friends go to The Icehouse for a few beers, they are sitting inside a downtown bar called The Icehouse. But when the cameras pan from the bar to the outside where blue water sparkles and boats pass, you're actually looking at a view from Dockside Restaurant at Wrightsville Beach. The water is the Intracoastal Waterway.

The restaurant eventually burned down on the show because in reality, the downtown site became unusable because of an extensive construction project next door. And to make matters worse, the real Icehouse was soon demolished, leaving an empty lot and lots of memories along the Cape Fear River.

Since their days on "Dawson's Creek," the four main stars have had varying degrees of success.

Katie Holmes, the show's freshest face 10 years ago is now its most famous. Holmes' post-"Creek" life has included movie roles as the president's kid (in 2004's "First Daughter") and a superhero's girlfriend (in 2005's "Batman Begins"). But her real-life role as Tom Cruise's wife and baby mama catapulted her to Hollywood's A-list. She's now starring in "Mad Money" opposite Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah.

Michelle Williams is the only cast member to be nominated for an Oscar, for her supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain." She was engaged to "Brokeback" co-star Heath Ledger (the two have a daughter, Matilda) but they called off marriage plans last fall.

Ledger, 28, died Tuesday in his New York apartment. Williams is attached to several upcoming high-profile films, including "Shutter Island," a Martin Scorsese-directed mystery due out in 2009.

James Van Der Beek landed leading but forgettable roles in "The Rules of Attraction" and "Texas Rangers." He turned in a creepy performance as a killer last season on CBS' "Criminal Minds" and popped up recently as a bigoted advertiser on "Ugly Betty." He married actress Heather McComb in 2003.

Thanks to Disney's "Mighty Ducks' movies, Joshua Jackson was the most famous cast member in 1998. He recently had small roles in "Ocean's 11" (2001) and "Bobby" (2006) and his planned guest turn on "Grey's Anatomy" could help reignite his career.

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