It’s been said by many people that Katie Holmes gave up what was left of her personality when she escaped from Tom Cruise and Scientology. Like, she played that so brilliantly and her escape was so thorough and planned-out that she used up all of her personality/charisma/goodwill. Personally, I’m still rooting for her, and I also think her post-divorce “low key” vibe is important to her. She has what she always wanted: a quiet life in NYC, raising her daughter her way and working occasionally. So I read Katie’s Ocean Drive cover interview expecting the same kind of blah, vanilla, nothing-much-there profile. And she surprised me. I’m not saying she’s the most charismatic person in the world or anything, but she really does show flashes of personality and there are a handful of interesting quotes and asides. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
No regrets: “I don’t regret anything that I’ve done. I’ve learned from everything, and everything sort of leads you to the next place. I just keep going.”
Her normal life: “I have a very normal life, and I happen to work in an industry that is abnormal. Daily life, I take a train and cab; it’s just about getting from here to there, and I don’t care how I do it. I have to get there.”
Her cracked iPhone: “I think most people have cracked iPhones. I’ve just been too busy.”
Her intense workout regimen: “A little bit of everything—running, yoga, dance class, spin class. I try to fit as much in as I can without really stressing about it, and I always try to have a good time.”
What she eats: On the Ocean Drive set, Holmes enjoys a slice of pizza (no plate, like New Yorkers do) and Diet Coke and a soy latte. Salads and veggies were on special order, but she didn’t go near them. “I try to be healthy and eat fruits and veggies, but I enjoy going out to dinner and having french fries like everyone else. And good guacamole.”
She loves NYC: “What is wonderful about New York is there’s so many places that you can live here your whole life and never see, and there’s just so many hidden treasures. If you’re having a bad day, you just take a walk, and it’s not only that you see people who are having a worse day than you, it’s just that you’re in life. You suddenly can’t be stuck in whatever problem you’re in because you have to hail a cab or you have to get a subway ticket. There’s more than just you. And I think the harsh winters give you a little bit of character.”
She joined Instagram & Twitter: “Some people post, like, 25 pictures a day; I post one a week. I had to get into the, you know, 2015.”
Her risky life: “I don’t shy away from risks. I’m just interested in a lot of different things. I don’t even think of it as a risk; I think of it as something exciting and new. As I’ve grown up, I think that the harder you work the more successful you are. From what I have seen, the people at the top, they’re just constantly working and constantly surrounding themselves with other successful, like-minded creative people.”
Tabloid stuff: “Since I started in the business, [tabloid journalism has] changed so much, and I feel that it’s very distracting from the work that people are putting in and are putting out,” says Holmes. “There is such talent out there, and sometimes it’s distracted by reports and tabloids and media and that’s unfortunate. I wish the spotlight could go back on celebrating the talent and leave it at that.”
A potential Dawson’s Creek reunion: “[Dawson’s Creek] was such a special time in all of our lives [but] some things are better when it stays the way it was. I would love to get together with everybody, [but] I’m not sure a reunion would be as fulfilling as what we all want it to be. I’m game for anything.”
What strikes me is that Katie still feels like she’s starting over post-divorce. Like, even her career has been rebooted, with some old glitches. Her career really isn’t going gangbusters or anything, but I would imagine she could carve out a decent career as a film and TV character actress, you never know. I also get the feeling that she’s being boring on purpose – she has her freedom, she has her daughter, and to protect her new life, her public persona is purposefully “boring.”
Photos courtesy of Ocean Drive.
One small critique: New Yorkers never say “subway tickets”….they’re metro cards, or at one time, tokens. Me thinks she’s more of a cab gal, lol
Same thought here – subway ticket!?!
Yeah, as if she is cramming herself on the train with a bunch of pedestrians on the reg. Puh-lease!
Agreed. Metro card, Katie. That being said, Katie looks like she could be Stockard Channing’s trashy granddaughter.
“A subway ticket”? Nah, you still aren’t from New York.
Lol maybe her assistant gets it and she doesn’t know what to call it. Would that be the same as saying underground ticket instead of oyster card.
It says “Metro Card” on it. At least it did last time I went to a Yankees game.
I’ve never been a critic of Katie but this quote made me say “really??!” You really don’t regret partnering up with a complete lunatic, having his child, subjecting that innocent child to years of bizarre lifestyle and then the fallout being that the child will now have the lifelong emotional pain of abandonment by her lunatic father?
Of course she doesn’t regret having her daughter. No child is something to regret. But if I were her I would have BIG regrets about how it all went down and how her child will continue to suffer due to how crazy Tom is.
I don’t know, what’s done is done. I think it’s probably healthier to try to put it behind her and move on rather than dwell on all that and wallow in regret. As she said, she’s learned some lessons and moving forward is pretty much the only option she’s (or any one of us, really) got.
@Esmom….excellent reply! We can choose to wallow in regret, or move forward, and learn from our mistakes. I think it is a great lesson to her daughter, that when things aren’t going right, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start again. What good are regrets…they just hold you back!
Agree. I can’t regret my first marriage because I learned things from it that I needed to learn.
I read that quote in a completely different way. When she says she doesn’t regret anything that she’s done, to me, she’s obviously talking about the way she got out of said marriage to said lunatic. But I don’t think she can be any more specific than that. As in, I’m sure she does regret partnering up with Tom, but she doesn’t regret the ninja-like way she got out of that situation, and that’s what I think the quote is referring to. However, I’m also sure she’s bound pretty tightly by some confidentiality agreements, and she can’t just straight-up say that. She has to be “boring” post-divorce, as they say, because she’s still trying to fly under the radar. Scientologists are dangerous, and if she’s not enemy number one I’m sure she’s still pretty high up on the list. I’m sure she knows that anything she says could have a backlash.
Shambles you read my mind. I agre 10000 percent let’s not forget she’s still the worst kind of “SP” and prob still has paranoia moments. I know I would!?
That lunatic still remains the father of her daughter.
Suri would not exist without that relationship. That is the best part and it’s done. (Plus, I’m sure we will never hear her utter a word about Tom, his existence, or his name ever again.)
I sure wish she had talked about whether or not she’s hittin’ it with Jamie Foxx, though!
I can understand why she would not want to put a lot of information out there, for obvious reasons. Plus, she supposedly received enough money to live very comfortably and not ‘have’ to work ever again. No point in trying to chase attention.
Maybe she doesn’t want to sh*t-talk her daughter’s father, knowing that anything she says will be on the internet forever. She’s been nothing but classy throughout the whole process, as far as I’m aware.
I get her line of thinking. I don’t see how you go from regretting your choice to be with Tom and not get to then regretting your daughter. I’m guessing she thinks her daughter makes it all worth it and there is no regret. Also, even if she shared your line of thinking, what purpose would it do to say she regretted things, as everyone would point to Tom at that point and that would be all the article is about.
Why carry around regret? Analyze it, learn, move on.
I interpreted that as she doesn’t regret being with Tom, because she has Suri, and she wouldn’t otherwise. Every step leads you somewhere else, and she’s doing fine and is wiser perhaps. Off topic, I don’t think her pics look boring at all; she looks great!
Agree!!! She blew it in a truly epic way but she has a daughter. (I still don’t believe she was actually pregnant OR that Suri is Tom’s child.)
I think she does regret marrying Tom, but nobody in public (famous or non-famous) ever admits their regrets (not that they’re obligated to do so in a public forum. It’s just most people aren’t open books about personal regrets. That’s the kind of stuff you talk about with your family or your therapist).
Nonetheless, If Suri really is Tom’s daughter, I can see why she wouldn’t hold on to regret. I’m just not convinced that she really is Tom’s daughter. Thus I continue to believe that she PRIVATELY regrets marrying Tom, but isn’t going to say so out loud. I mean, I’m sure her dad regrets that she married him!
As for her perceived boringness mentioned above, I think she was always kind of boring as a public personality. This is what she was like pre-Tom Cruise. The most interesting thing about her is that she was dumb/ambitious enough to marry Tom.
Seems like the only thing she is famous for is having been married and divorced.
She sounds pretty normal here. I know what she means about how being in the big city can be comforting. There’s something about the combination of density and anonymity that I have always loved.
On a superficial note, she is lovely but this styling does her no favors. I don’t see why the mag felt they had to be edgy. It doesn’t really work.
Oh, Joey. We all know you regret never banging Dawson.
They banged! But he had a girlfriend. And then there was drama.
Gah! How could I forget?!? Wonder who I have to bang to get Dawson’s Creek and Felicity on Netflix?
One minor problem with Katie having a career is she’s a really bad actress. She’s not a teenager anymore that can get away with crooked smirks and doe eyes. She’s really got to prove she has the chops. I’m skeptical to say the least.
I agree, she’s just not good. I think she’s had more opportunities than her talent would suggest, but there are so many lousy actors, it’s hard to pick on her too much. Now that clothing line, on the other hand – purely bought and paid for and that was ridiculous.
I know everyone loves to think that she “escaped” from big bad Tom but I think it was a deal from the get-go, and the contract included her walking away with the kid.
Agree – she’s a boring actress and a bit of a snore in an interview. Not sure I agree with Josephine though – Tom came out of this looking awful (for not seeing Suri and of course for making Katie the robobride). Hard to believe he wouldn’t have realized public opinion would damn him for this?
Personally, I think she married him for the connections and of course, child support – TONS of child support dollars there.
I do not find her pretty.Just a bland plane jane.
She used to be pretty. Then she married Tom. Then she left Tom. And the looks never came back…
No one can ever get her styling right. This edgy look doesn’t work.
On the bright side I like her positive spin on what had to be a harrowing experience escaping from an awful marriage. Clearly she’s made of sterner stuff than Id ever have guessed! Go Katie!
Yeah, her escape from that madness is pretty incredible. I finally got around to watching Going Clear and that cult is scarier than I thought.
I am still so impressed by her escape, and I will always root for her because of it. I don’t think she is a good actress, but I agree that she could be a TV actress or character actress. She’ll never carry a film or a show, but she could be part of an ensemble.
As for her styling, although I thought she was horrible as Jackie Kennedy, the styling suited her. I think she looks best in those classic, clean lines, like Jackie Kennedy or Audrey Hepburn. I also liked her hair best at the Jackie K length.
Ditto. I had little respect her when she was “robot Katie” while married to loony Tom Cruise. But how she got out of that marriage was – using her true and tired word – Amazing. She should have become an FBI agent.
Puleeze-Katie could easily ask her assistant to get her a new phone. Her assistant, one of the nannies, her agent, chef, trainer, housekeeper or any one of the many people on her PR team. :::rolls eyes:::
She was great on Ray Donovan. Go on Katie!!!
She does an awful job of appearing down to earth. Sorry.
She’s always suffered from a lack of personality. When she first got with Tom and did all those interviews praising him and sounded like a brain damaged drone, people acted like that was some new thing. But that’s just how she speaks, whether it’s about fashion, or Tom, or motherhood. She’s never said an interesting thing in her life.
Why do you think Tom chose her? Her spectacular lack of personality was the drawcard.
Remember when SNL mocked her in one of those ‘Miley’ interviews? I always think of how Anne H imitated her when I read Katie’s interviews.
Haha yes! Anne’s imitation of KH was spot-on. Hilarious
I never found her to be bursting with charisma either, but I do think around the time of Tom and the “amazing” interviews she was going through some brainwashing for sure. But yeah, she’s never been a big personality or super charming, so I don’t know why anyone would expect her to be now.
Yes, you’re right. No personality and won’t fight back. But I think her game plan all along was big support dollars – either for her or a child or both.
I think she thought Tom was going to make her career, and when it became clear even he couldn’t do anything much for her in that regard, she started taking notice of all the messed up stuff going on.
Those first 2-3 years of their relationship, they were both really pushing for her to become this huge star. It didn’t take, at all. I really think if it had worked, and she was on the same level as the Julia Roberts and J-Law’s of the world, she wouldn’t have left.
Oh I definitely think she was being brainwashed, but the actual way she spoke and responded to questions was nothing new. A few months before Tom she did an interview where she just said things like ‘Cupcakes are great. I really love cupcakes. Cupcakes are the best.’. Replace cupcakes with Tom and you’ve got all her interviews from that time.
I suspect Tom would have been happier if she’d been capable of selling it better, so while he was responsible for the message, he wasn’t responsible for the delivery.
Was she ever really not boring before she got married? She was pretty mellow when Dawson’s Creepy was big.
I was wondering the same thing. She isn’t boring on purpose, simply because she wants to protect her and Suris lives. Katie has always always been boring.
Her only interesting role to date as far as I can recall is Small Town Tramp in The Gift.
She is stronger than people think, Scientolo-crazy weren’t able to brainwash her, but escaping from that marriage probably drained everything from her, so obviously now she need a LOT of time for herself and for her daughter.
I am rooting for her.
I’m not a big fan, but I think her face and eyes look very beautiful in the top photo.
She has never had any personality. If she had not done the whole Cruise marriage thing, she would have been forgotten about a long time ago.
Yep. I’m sure that’s precisely why Cruise married her–she’s a totally blank slate.
I think it’s good that Holmes got her and her daughter away from a bad situation.
I don’t hate Holmes and she is a pretty girl but she was never much of an adult actress. She was fine in teen roles and I guess okay in that Miss Meadow’s movie but overall the hype from her as an actress wasn’t really deserved.
she should quit acting and become a full time model. she is so much more striking in still photographs than in movement and on screen.
Carrying regret with you all your life is not healthy. It stunts your emotional growth and holds you back from exploring your full potential out of fear of the unknown. I’ve hooked up with a good few lunatics in my time and don’t regret it at all – yes I’ve been embarrassed that I let myself get led into relationships I wasn’t happy with but I have to agree with Katie that everything is a learning process, even the negative stuff, and in the end makes you a better person.
In other words, “I made an incredibly foolish mistake getting involved with Tom Cruise, even with all the warning signs screaming at me; yet, I plowed ahead.
I’m likely to do something stupid again.”
I Still think Suri looks like Tommy Davis and he has sort of disappeared not long after Katie left, I admire the way she did that. She sure shook things up.
I agree – funny how he and his wife suddenly disappeared. Apparently they’re in Arizona, she’s a realtor and he’s a bigwig in some huge finance company…even though he has no experience, and they’re living in a massive multi-million dollar home. Hmmmmm…my spidey senses are tingling….
He fell into Miscavige’s disfavor because he was the spokesperson for COS and made some huge blunders publicly and off he went, ousted out of the inner circle. He won’t denounce the church still, so the church leaves him alone. Whatever job he has is hooked to his father, who is not COS.
He was seen recently in LA all smiles.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2989073/Erica-Packer-spotted-former-Scientology-boss-Tommy-Davis-Los-Angeles.html
She’s average as an actress, and I’m sure offers aren’t rolling in for her for that reason.
I liked the interview with her.
She should regret that hideous cover shot. Ick.
She needs to play a role where she is a robotic, stepford-esque wife. I dont think anything else could suit her personality (or lack thereof) better.
She was admitted to Columbia University, but deferred twice because of Dawson’s Creek, much to the disappointment of her father. No walk in the park to get in there, but that’s one major road not taken and never will be. Boring fact?
She looks amazing in those photos!
While I would love to hear all the details of the TomKat Contract, form Katie herself, that day will never come. Who can blame her for her blandness. Although well resourced, she appears to have sole responsibility for a child who is going to need a lot of explanations down the track. Quite apart from her non-disclosure clauses, bland seems to be her only logical option.
I think she has permanent goodwill with many people for playing such a blinder against $cientology and its tiny Crown Prince.
I totally agree with your assessment. She’s keeping her private stuff private through that boringness. She knows she needs to stay visible for the roles and the endorsement gigs, but she’s not putting too much out there. I liked that she made her apology to Leah Remini (?) so public and acknowedged the stuff she was saying was true, but it was succinct and not too out there too. Good luck, Katie! Congrats on the smooth escape from the loony bin.
Just because someone is very private, doesn’t make them boring. Because she doesn’t go on and on about nothing nothing in interviews doesn’t make her boring.
Of what I see she leads an interesting life and her non celebrity friends look like fun and the ones who are involved in the business are very interesting.
As for her acting , she got very good reviews for Miss Meadows and excellent reviews for Touched with Fire. She is the star and director of her movie All we Had and has amazing support from people who believe in her.
She is also part owner of a hair product company, does lots of endorsements in between.
I think she is stunning, beautiful colour eyes and face.
Loves her family and always been close to them, looks after her daughter and gets on with her life.
More to this girl than meets the eye, and that is the way she likes it!
Katie should regret the sleazy hair look in these photos.