James Van Der Beek: 'I've learnt to relax'

In an interview with Parade, the Mercy star explained that he changed his perspective after one of his films flopped.

"I did a movie called Angus, which everyone told me was going to make my career and it was a big failure," he said. "That's when I basically learned to take everything with a grain of salt.

"I went backpacking through Europe for six months with no money, just a Eurorail pass and a hostel card. It was one of the best experiences of my life. And then I came back and got the role on Dawson's Creek. And I've never looked back."

Van Der Beek added that it is important to "relax", saying: "Enjoy the process, learn everything you can, and don't take things so seriously. I can relax a little bit now. One of the things that age has given me is the ability to just relax and kind of enjoy things a little bit more."

/Digital Spy/