Katie Holmes: The Treasure from Toledo

Q: Were you devastated?

A: It was a taste of rejection, but it happened so fast. My mom and I started looking for apartments in the Valley and the thought of getting a tutor for my senior year seemed tough. There was a false happiness, but in the end, it was nice to have a senior year.

Q: When you got "Dawson's Creek," were your parents upset that you weren't going to college?

A: They're very education-oriented and I had been accepted to Columbia, so I have a pact with my father to go back and do college. It'll be after the series.

Q: You made Teaching Mrs. Tingle after your first season on "Dawson's." Were you upset it didn't do better?

A: Yes, but it was a great experience.

Q: The next film you made was Wonder Boys, which was a critical hit. How did it come about?

A: When the script came out my agent said, "Stop what you're doing and read this. You've got to go to New York because you have an audition with Curtis Hanson."

Q: Was it odd to go from the teen set of "Dawson's Creek" to the adult-dominated Wonder Boys?

A: That was a whole different world. Very humbling. Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr., Jane Adams, Tobey. You get put in your place. I'd done some movies and I was on this show that people were watching and I had a little ego--I thought this wasn't that hard. Then it was like, whoa. I just wanted to pick their brains.

Q: Which actor offered you the most practical advice?

A: Michael gave me some real wise words. He made me look more polished.

Q: Do you choose films mostly by script or by director?

A: I'd say I go director first, actors second, script third, because so many times what you read isn't what goes on the screen.

Q: After Wonder Boys, what was your thinking?

A: I didn't go after every opportunity that was out there. That's when I read The Gift and heard Cate Blanchett was going to be in it. I love her.

Q: This was different from anything else you'd done. Your character was a sexually charged girl. Did you campaign for the role?

A: I had to work for it. When I auditioned they said, "You're going to have to not wear your shirt. You're going to have to be underwater. Do you still want to do this?" I was like, "What, are you challenging me? What else have you got?" I thought I could pull this off. I wanted to prove I wasn't just the girl from "Dawson's Creek." It was kind of rebellious, I've got to admit that.

Q: What's the movie that's helped you most in your effort to have a career beyond "Dawson's Creek"?

A: Wonder Boys. That opened a lot of doors for me. "Dawson's Creek" put me in a box, and that got me out.

Q: Neither The Ice Storm nor Wonder Boys nor the The Gift did that well at the box office. Does that bother you?

A: A little, but not like with Teaching Mrs. Tingle, which I thought was going to be a big hit and I had a big part in. But I've never really been in a movie that has done well.

Q: Do you feel pressure to be in a hit?

A: I'd love for those movies to have done well, but you can never tell. I'd love to be in a hit. I'm really trying. And I'm saving my money.

Q: You've gotten many important roles, but there must have been one that you really wanted and didn't win.

A: I auditioned for Captain Corelli's Mandolin and I really liked that one. I was pretty bummed. But at the same time it was like--well, they'd be casting you against Nicolas Cage. I mean, c'mon. Then Penelope Cruz was better and more beautiful. I never saw the movie.

Q: How do you deal with reviews?

A: I do try not to read too many reviews. My mom will send me clippings, and I trust they're not going to be like, "Katie was horrible." But you can't take this too seriously. Some movies get terrible reviews and do great at the box office and most movies that get great reviews don't do so well at the box office. But you know what? I just read Katharine Hepburn's book Me: Stories of My Life and she didn't do very well at the box office. So, there's hope for us all.

Q: Were you a big movie fan growing up? Was there an actress you really admired?

A: I loved Julia Roberts. But I didn't see many movies. My parents were strict about R- and PG-13-rated films. I just saw Dirty Dancing a couple of years ago.

Q: What was your first R-rated movie?

A: I saw Basic Instinct in eighth grade. At a friend's house. We just giggled. Rewind. Giggle. Rewind. Giggle. I got more into movies in high school, and of course Leonardo's films.

Q: So you saw Titanic how many times?

A: Just three.

Q: What's your favorite movie?

A: I don't think I really have one. Back in the days it was Sixteen Candles. I loved Sense and Sensibility and Gosford Park.

Q: So you have highbrow tastes?

A: Oh, do I? Well, I also love Dumb & Dumber.

Q: What do you do when you're not working?

A: I read books. And, while you mention it, look at this--my blister. My dad is getting heavy into golf and he thought I was getting bored so he got me a golfing lesson.

Q: You've been dating actor Chris Klein for a while. Isn't that hard, since it's a long-distance relationship?

A: It is hard. Recently we've been able to see each other more. I go out there a lot. Talking on the phone gets a bit old. It keeps it interesting, but it makes it hard.

Q: Does it frustrate you that he can go make movies any time while you're shackled to a series?

A: He says, "You don't know how lucky you are to have something steady in beautiful North Carolina." The grass is always greener. We both have different experiences in which we can involve the other. It's nice.

Q: Do you get hounded by the tabloids?

A: I'm not newsworthy so I don't have a problem.

Q: Do you feel the clock on your future career starts with Abandon, or not until the series ends?

A: When the series is finished I'm going to have to find something else to do. I'm so used to having something to do-- I'll go crazy. I'm going to have to go to school, though, while I'm auditioning. I hope. I don't want to put a lot of pressure on Abandon. I've done that before and been disappointed. If it does work, maybe it will open some doors. If not, I'll just keep trying.

Pages: 1 2 3