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Reel Carolina magazine
July/August 2002
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Katie Holmes: The Perfect “Girl Next Door” Returns to Wilmington
You may not want to read the same old "Katie Holmes Trivia" and hear about how it’s time for her to go back into her intellectual and verbose "Joey-mode" for "Dawson's Creek" for one more season. You may not want to glance across the words "wiser than her years" again – even people who barely know of Katie and her talents realize that. Yes, she comes from a better than terrific, tight-knit family and she made nearly perfect grades through high school. Yes, she's a 23-year-old actress who receives praise from her peers, veteran actors and even some of the toughest critics in the business. (And if you don’t know the basic "Katie facts," you should by now.) Yes, she is absolutely drug-free… and you’ll probably never see her out in a drunken stupor like many of today's young stars. And this speaks volumes: Her "boyfriend," Chris Klein, ("American Pie") is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Honestly!
Chances are, you want to read something fresh and insightful. First, let's go with a little fairly new info: Later this year, we'll get to see Ms. Holmes opposite Benjamin Bratt ("Law & Order", "Miss Congeniality") in "Abandon", a psychological thriller written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, the Academy Award writer of "Traffic." Holmes plays a straight-A college student (shock!) dealing with the mysterious disappearance of an ex-boyfriend. Bratt plays an investigator who ends up "involved" with the troubled coed.
"Abandon" will mark Holmes's first leading role and she had to demand more of her budding talent than simply looking cute and biting her lip, which has caused some of the onscreen "magic" in some of her roles. She spent two months in Montreal making the film, playing what she calls "the most challenging part of her career" – and both Gaghan and Bratt are singing her praises.
Gaghan insisted, "It's not a kiddie role. There's a reason she works with Ang Lee ("The Ice Storm") and Curtis Hanson ("Wonder Boys")." Gaghan was so impressed with Holmes in "Wonder Boys" that he changed the name of the lead character to Katie while writing "Abandon."
"I was amazed that someone her age could hold her own with Michael Douglas," he says. "And when she came in to audition for the part, she nailed it. I guess sometimes your intuition is actually right."
Gaghan also praised Katie's professionalism and pointed out how few opportunities there are for a young actor (under 25) to carry a movie. "And she carries "Abandon,"" he insists. "I've been staring at this movie a lot while editing it, and maybe I’m biased, but Katie is a movie star."
Now, we can apply a bit of insight – Holmes's career strategy seems to be working perfectly: Find good scripts and work with quality, experienced (and older) actors and ingenious directors. "Wonder Boys" gave her the opportunity to match skills with Douglas, Frances McDormand, Rip Tom and Robert Downey Jr. "The Gift" allowed her to mix it up with Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear and Cate Blanchett. Katie also did her first nude scene, which she says, "was important to the scene and the character." The scene in question is terribly violent and serves as the focal point of the movie. The film's director, Sam Raimi, couldn't help gushing about how impressed he was with Katie as an actor and how "she was mature beyond her years."
Hmmm. We haven't heard that before.
Since she spends nine months a year working with people her age on Dawson's, her above-mentioned career strategy is her ticket to being the more-edgy and multi-dimensional actor she needs to be to reach and stay on the top level of her profession. Within a few months, Katie should receive rave reviews for her role in "Abandon." Then of course, more "A-list" opportunities will knock and it won't be long before all the "power players" in Hollywood are ringing her phone of the hook.
Wait a minute. She's already on the phone every time I see her…
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Side part of article:
Katie Holmes: The Production List
"Abandon" (2002) Benjamin Bratt
"The Gift" (2000) Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg
Kinnear
"Wonder Boys" (2000) Michael Douglas, Rip Torn, Robert Downey Jr,
Frances McDormand, Tobey Maguire
"Teaching Mrs. Tingle" (1999) Helen Mirren, Barry Watson
"Go!" (1999) Sarah Polley, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr
"Disturbing Behavior" (1998) James Marsden, Nick Stahl
"Dawson’s Creek" (1998) James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams,
Joshua Jackson, Kerr Smith
"The Ice Storm" (1997) Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire
Katie Holmes: Facts and Trivia
Full Name: Katherine Noelle Holmes
Birthday: December 18, 1978
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Height: 5’9” (or very close)
Family: Dad, Attorney; Mom, Homemaker; three older sisters and a
brother
Favorite Movie: My Best Friend’s Wedding
Favorite Actors: Tom Hanks, Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan
She Wants To Work With: Oliver Stone, Ron Howard and Woody Allen
Worst Habit: drinking too much coffee
Favorite Musicians: Dave Matthews Band, Natalie Merchant, Jewel, Sarah
McLachlan
Hobbies: shopping, karaoke, watching hoops