James Van Der Beek, of ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ has been waging a private battle with colorectal cancer

James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a spokesperson for the actor confirmed to The Times.

The 47-year-old actor, known for his role in the teen drama series “Dawson’s Creek,” told People he had been “privately dealing with this diagnosis” and was taking steps to address it.

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” Van Der Beek said.

In “Dawson’s Creek,” the actor played the soap’s title character, an aspiring filmmaker who was initially aloof to his female best friend’s romantic feelings toward him.

The actor is also known for playing a meta-version of himself in “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23,” where he’s a smarmy has-been nicknamed “The Beek From the Creek.”

“The ego certainly is the biggest obstacle as an artist or performer, so any chance you get to destroy that is really healthy,” he told The Times in 2012.

Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.

Van Der Beek’s spokesperson confirmed his diagnosis with The Times.

His upcoming projects include the Tubi romance movie “Sidelined: The QB and Me” and “The Real Full Monty,” a TV special where Van Der Beek and other celebrities will participate in a strip tease to bring awareness to prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.

Staff writer Yvonne Villarreal contributed to this report.