Before he was Dawson, James Van Der Beek was alien food!
This week, the Internet did what it does best and uncovered a gem from the actor's past -- showing him on the extremely short-lived TGIF sitcom "Aliens In the Family" back in 1996. The show revolved around a mixed human/extraterrestrial family living in the suburbs, and this episode found James taking one of the daughters out on a date.
Let's just say it didn't go well, check out the clip above.
The show only lasted two weeks on ABC's popular Friday night lineup and it's not hard to see why.
After Variety posted the clip earlier today, Van Der Beek took to Facebook to talk about the embarrassing role ... and revealed how it cost him a pretty sweet gig!
"Busted! One of my very early TV gigs unearthed, somehow," he wrote. "This was a show that was SO good it was pulled off the air after just two episodes. I was in episode three."
"In the worst possible timing, I had to turn down a last-minute offer to do an improv scene in the movie 'The Devil's Own' with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford because I was contractually obligated to be a part of this television gem," he continues. "I wonder if it's too late to get submitted for an Emmy for this... Surely, the hair deserves at least a nod, no?"
The actor would get his big break playing the title character on "Dawson's Creek" two years later and the rest is history.
Check out the gallery below to see what more of your favorite TGIF stars look like now.
