Katie Holmes covers the latest issue of Town&Country. I really like most of the photos from the article (although I am not crazy about the cover above). Katie, in my opinion, makes a good model in general but I like these because they are flirty, not the angelic-mother vibe most people try to give her. These make her look like a bit of fun. The main reason for the interview is for Katie to promote her reprisal of the role of Jackie Kennedy in the limited series, The Kennedys: After Camelot. Katie plays a post assignation Jackie after playing a First Lady Jackie in The Kennedys with Greg Kinnear as her Jack Kennedy. You can read the whole article here, the interviewer seems quite enchanted by Katie. Below are a few quotes:

On her connection with Jackie Kennedy:“Jackie Kennedy had these values that we as Americans believe in, but she also had this sense of adventure that made you pay attention. She was so graceful, even when she was scared or sad. I really admire her protection of the Kennedy name, her husband, and how much she wanted her children to be as grounded and normal and successful on their own as possible. Those are the things I love about her—and why I wanted to play her again.”

On giving up acting eventually:“For now I like acting and directing. Eventually I’ll just direct. It’s been something that has come to me over time. I’ve been acting for about 20 years now, and in the last few years I’ve become more confident and gotten more interested in storytelling as a whole. Also, I’ve been feeling inspired to put my point of view out there. It’s scary, but the process of it is something I really love.”

On directing making her a better mom:“This business is so unstable, and you never really know where you’re going to be. The thing about directing is I can say I have this window and that’s when we’re getting it done. 

My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now. It’s very important that I’m present and she has a stable, innocent childhood. I feel so blessed to do what I do, but there’s nothing in the world better than watching your child succeed.”

On children growing up:“Every day, kids get a little further away from you. That’s a positive thing. They should be becoming more independent, but it’s heartbreaking. You want them to stay with you forever, but they’re these amazing beings, and you have to do everything you can to give them what they need—and then they’re going to go. And that’s going to be very, very sad for me.”

Full circle: Jackie and being a mom “To experience something publicly and privately is a lot for a person to go through. In today’s world a lot of celebrities probably shield their children from the tabloids; in my household we know what they print isn’t true, so we don’t pay attention. There are more important things. But it’s very relatable to me; if people know who you are, they might write about you, and you can’t control that.”

[From Town&Country]

I like what she said about kids growing further away from you being a good thing. I think that’s something parents forget, that the goal is to prepare those little independent minds for their own path. And I do honestly think Katie has provided a secure childhood for Suri.

Two of Katie’s friends, producer Jane Rosenthal and designer Zac Posen, are quoted in the article and both call Katie a risk-taker and fearless. I understand this in relation to leaving Tom Cruise, of course, but Katie’s narrative is that she is just a homebody from Ohio who plays board games with her daughter’s friends when not at industry events. The whole lead-in to this interview was Katie receiving texts from her mother about hometown gossip after which she swore the interviewer to secrecy. And then she literally said, “normal stuff” when describing what she enjoys doing on vacation. I’m not saying the two are mutually exclusive but it is an amusing dichotomy. I’m all for more women directors making headlines so if this is where Katie wants to move, good for her. She recently directed her first feature, All We Had, which explored the subject of a mother and daughter. It wasn’t completely panned but it wasn’t very well praised. Obviously Katie is just starting out and has plenty of time to sharpen her skill but a common thread in the criticisms about the film was that Katie played it too safe. Maybe it’s time to take those risks.

Photo credit: Cedric Buchet/Town&Country, Getty Images