That was a tough start...

Sure, James Van Der Beek had his breakout role on a show called the teen drama Dawson's Creek, but since then, the 40-year-old actor -- as well as several of his co-stars --  has gone on to have a prolific career -- something that didn't exactly come across during two interviewers' introduction of Van Der Beek on the British talk show This Morning.

"Almost 20 years on, Katie Holmes is a leading Hollywood actress, she famously married Tom Cruise, Michelle Williams, you see four Oscar nominations ... Joshua Jackson plays the jilted husband in the Golden Globe-winning drama, The Affair," the interviewers remark. "But what happened to the main man himself, Mr. James Van Der Beek?"

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Van Der Beek kept polite during the moment, while visibly appearing to notice how the lead-in makes it seem like he had fallen off the map since his days at the Creek.

"I have been on television the last 20 years," he laughed, admitting he was surprised it was still a part of the conversation. "It was a long time ago."

Despite the awkward intro, Van Der Beek did acknowledge the show's success in his growth as an actor.

"It changed my life, it was a huge opportunity," he shared. "I learned how to be on camera, I learned how to deal with celebrity."

Check out the interview below.

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And after obliging the bit of nostalgia, Van Deer Beek did get a chance to talk about his upcoming Sky 1 comedy, Carter's Get Rich, about a teenager who develops a dating app and sells it to a shameless wealthy investor played by Van Der Beek.

Describing his character on the new show as a "really obnoxious American billionaire," Van Der Beek admitted, "the most fun characters to play, I find, are the ones who have zero shame."

Carter's Get Rich is coming soon to the British TV channel.

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Meanwhile, Katie Holmes dished on her Dawson's Creek memories last year -- specifically, who was the best kisser on the cast!

Watch the video below for more.