Cocktails were flowing and friendships formed at The Motion Picture & Television Fund's NextGen party in Hollywood on Sunday June 22, but Busy Phillips and Joshua Jackson spent their evening talking quietly amongst themselves.
The Dawson's Creek alum have remained friends over the 22 years since the show ended and Joshua was there to support Busy who was the host for the evening, and at one point came close to tears as she gave a speech to the crowds.
© Variety via Getty ImagesInsiders told HELLO! that they saw the pair talking quietly in an intimate corner of The Aster's rooftop bar and garden, away from the crowds, where they were joined by friends including Saturday Night Live's Sasheer Zamata.
At one point, Joshua appeared to be comforting Busy, warmly placing a hand on her knee, but there was also a lot of laughter, with the Doctor Odyssey star joyfully falling back onto the sofa at one point.
© Getty Images for MPTF NextGenJoshua posed for pictures on the small red carpet and appeared happy and relaxed, staying close to friends, including talking to The Pitt stars Sarah Jane Morris and Ned Brower at the bar, along with The Pitt executive producer Simran Baidwan.
But he remained tucked in the corner for most of the evening, including when Busy spoke to press and denied internet reports that she had recently spent time dining with Joshua, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams in New York City.
"I wasn't hanging out with them, but we keep in touch – we like text and stuff!" she told HELLO!
© Getty Images for MPTF NextGenDawson's Creek was a coming-of-age teen drama centered around the lives of teenagers Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), Pacey Witter (Jackson) and Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams).
Busy joined the show as Audrey Liddell, Joey’s college roommate, and a love interest for Pacey, in the final two seasons.
At one point Busy also gave a speech in which she spoke of the "grace" the MPTF has given in supporting the community of artists.
"These are the most uncertain times," she said.
"I love this city so much but it is an uncertain time, and I'm incredibly grateful to know that organizations like MPTF exist, and I'm grateful to be able to show up for them and I'm grateful to be asked by my friends to show up for them."
"It's worth showing up for other people, because it's worth putting love and energy and time and our money into giving back to people who are in our industry, to people who could be us tomorrow," she shared.
Motion Picture & Television Fund is a charitable organization founded in 1925 that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temporary financial assistance, case management, and residential living.
© Getty Images for MPTF NextGenEarlier in the evening Busy, who flew into Los Angeles from New York City for the event, told HELLO! that it was important for her to attend and host because it was necessary to "show up for the community that you're a part of".
"There by the grace of God, we're all able to continue to do our jobs and make art, but anything can happen," she continued.
"We live in this time where certainly anything has been happening and this year has really shown us how important it is to rally around those in your community. The MPTF really is there to support all artists in this industry, and I think that that is an incredible cause and something that we all need to get behind because we want more people to be making things."
The mom-of-two also gushed over the next generation of actors, including Sadie Sink's performance in John Proctor Is the Villain, the Tony-nominated Broadway show, and the cast of Adults, revealing that she invited them to join her birthday party "because they're so funny and they're all in their early twenties".
The NextGen party was attended by Grey's Anatomy's Camilla Luddington and Harry Shum Jr, Tyler Posey and his wife Phem, St Denis Medical's Alison Tolman and Ginny & Georgia's Scott Porter.
