Selma Blair Almost Got Katie Holmes' Role on 'Dawson's Creek' !

To read more on the Dawson’s Creek reunion, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday. You can buy the full set of five covers here. Or purchase the individual covers featuring James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams & Busy Philipps, or the original foursome online or at Barnes & Noble. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW. Watch the full episode of Entertainment Weekly Cast Reunions: Dawson’s Creek, streaming now on PeopleTV.com or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.

Katie Holmes became a household name as Joey Potter, the moody tomboy everyone rooted for, on Dawson’s Creek. But another actress almost scored the part, creator Kevin Williamson reveals in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, which reunited the cast for the first time since the teen drama’s 2003 finale.

Williamson, 53, tells EW that he was originally eyeing Cruel Intentions star Selma Blair for the role.

“I really loved Selma until, of course, I got the infamous videotape from the basement of the Holmes family in Toledo, Ohio,” he says, referencing Holmes’ last-minute audition tape filmed in her parents’ house. “And when that video showed up, it changed my whole life.”Dawson’s Creek thrust the then little-known actress into the spotlight with instant fame; she says the cast grew up together filming in Wilmington, North Carolina.

• Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign
  up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

“I was still a teenager, and it was nice to read a script that felt like it expressed things that I was still trying to understand for myself and, I mean, the experience was very overwhelming because I was brand-new,” says Holmes, 39. “It was my second job, and I didn’t even know really, like, where to look.”

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: See the Dawson’s Creek cast reunited

Another casting scoop? Grey’s Anatomy‘s Katherine Heigl was a top contender for reformed party girl with a heart of gold Jen, eventually played by Michelle Williams.

For much more on Dawson’s Creek and other Untold Stories, pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday. To purchase the four collector’s covers, visit your local Barnes & Noble starting April 3 or visit the EW Back Issues store.