VIDEO: James Van Der Beek To Play Himself In Sitcom

James Van Der Beek, who may forever be known as Dawson Leery from the 90s teen drama, Dawson's Creek, is leaving his soap operatic youth behind to take on a more meta role. Van Der Beek will play a spoof of himself in the pilot of ABC's upcoming comedy, Don't Trust the B***h in Apt. 23. Krysten Ritter, from Gilmore Girls fame, will play the titular role, and Van Der Beek will portray her best friend.

The 33-year-old actor joins the ranks of such reborn television stars as Neil Patrick Harris, who played an exaggerated, semi-fictional version of himself in the Harold and Kumar movies, and Matt LeBlanc, who has recently created an alter ego in HBO's Episodes.

The former teen heartthrob has recently been showing off his comedic chops on internet sites like Funny or Die, where he makes fun of his former emotionally packed acting style in a video called "Vandermemes," subtitled, "Get All Your Vanderneeds Taken Care Of."

If you feel like indulging your own Vanderneeds, you'll have to wait awhile. Don't Trust the B***h in Apt. 23 is in pre-production. In the meantime, you can watch the "Vandermemes" video below. —KIMBERLY STEELE

Watch the clip: