James Van Der Beek stunned 'Real Full Monty' co-stars with cancer by revealing his own cancer diagnosis.

James Van Der Beek's cancer diagnosis left his "The Real Full Monty" castmates stunned.

Anthony Anderson told Planet Chronicle Digital that a bomb was dropped on him.

"The Real Full Monty" features Anderson executive producing and starring alongside Van Der Beek, Bruno Tonioli, Tyler Posey, Taye Diggs, and Chris Jones. The special aims to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research by recreating the movie's iconic striptease finale.

During rehearsals, Van Der Beek shared his diagnosis with his castmates, emphasizing the significance of their work.

"The importance of 'The Real Full Monty' was highlighted by Anderson when he said, 'If our friend had not gone through this personally, I may not be here hosting this show with you today. This show not only means a lot to us, but to the community as well, as it emphasizes the importance of men getting educated, tested, and seeing a doctor.'"

Since announcing his colorectal cancer diagnosis, Van der Beek has been doing great, according to him.

On Nov. 3, the "Dawson's Creek" actor shared on Instagram that he has been diagnosed with cancer, a condition that affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide each year.

He revealed that he had been dealing with this privately, with a greater focus on getting treatment and improving his overall health than ever before.

He had planned to discuss the matter publicly and raise awareness, but his plans were changed the morning he posted about it when he learned a tabloid was going to publish the news.

He too took a moment to express his apologies to those he knew personally who learned about his diagnosis through the media, stating, "This process was not part of my preferred timeline... However, we embrace each unexpected turn as a guide, leading us to a greater purpose than we could have imagined without divine intervention."

During "The Real Full Monty" rehearsals, Tonioli's initial thought upon hearing Van Der Beek's announcement was about displaying strength and bravery.

The "Dancing with the Stars" judge was completely inspired by the contestant's positive attitude and strong character, stating, "That's really amazing."

Everyone on my 'Dancing with the Stars' team and my friends have been supportive of the show's message, which is important, despite its racy nature.

Even my kids, most of them, support their dad's decision to bare all on TV.

He stated that 60% of his children were completely supportive.

The 47-year-old has six children with his wife of 14 years, Kimberly.

Anderson quipped that Van Der Beek has a "complete brood" of children, and that the 60% implies four of them were present.

During the training and rehearsals for the show, Van Der Beek exclaimed, "I've never laughed harder."

"During the training, the heart of "Teen Wolf" lies in the character of Posey."

Diggs confessed, "I believed it would be a simplified advertisement, like a glorified PSA. I thought it would be effortless with a few step touches. However, it turned out to be laborious."

He continued, "I'm glad that I did. I didn't know that it would be such hard work, but it was the kind of work that was good for me, and it was good to just be with a bunch of people. I got to know each and every one of these fellas in a very intimate way. To have one focus, and then have an art form kind of behind that is very powerful. Something that could have been taken, you know, as is or as silly or light. You know we actually, we really focused."

Van Der Beek joked, "During our breaks from falling down laughing, we were highly focused."

The rehearsals were great, but it was when we actually had to do it that we truly loved it.

"Now that we're promoting 'The Real Full Monty,' I find myself explaining what we did on the show to my friends and family. When we were doing it, not many people knew what was going on or what I was doing. But now they see the advertisements and are curious about the show and movie. I enjoy explaining it to them because it gives me a sense of purpose to talk about the messaging behind everything."

Tonioli stated that we are all on the same page because we have all been affected by family and friends personally.

When Anderson reached out to him to be on "DWTS," it was an easy decision after his longtime friend and fellow judge Len Goodman passed away from prostate cancer last year.

"Tonioli stated that the reason for the loss of Len was definitely because of it, and it would make a difference. People would watch this and go out to get checked, emphasizing its importance."

"The Real Full Monty" debuts on FOX on Monday, Dec. 9, and will be available for streaming on Hulu the next day.