Katie Holmesbot recently gave an interview to Diane Sawyer as part of the publicity tour for what I can only assume is the atrocious “Mad Money” with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah. To see Katie all on her own talking for a few minutes is rather jarring. Normally she’s either with (and presumable guided by) husband Tom Cruise, or you just hear little clips of her talking. To watch her all alone, you realize how flat she’s become. She seems like someone who has been given lessons in how to act like an adult. As a result, she doesn’t seem like herself. There’s all sorts of different kinds of adults. We don’t all have to act like unnaturally-poised drones. I can’t help but wonder if it’s part of Tom’s whole renaming her “Kate” thing, as he said something along the lines of Katie being a kid’s name.

Katie seems very unnatural, though not necessarily uncomfortable, in the interview. She talks with her hands a lot, and often looks down when responding to questions. She seems very sedate, and if Tom weren’t so vocally opposed to drugs, I would accuse him of medicating her. Katie just turned 29 in December. Somehow I can’t put my finger on it, but she comes across as much older than that.

During the interview, Diane Sawyer comments, “In April Suri will be two.” Katie responds very seriously, “I know. So fast.” Instead of the enthusiasm with which most people express this sentiment, she seems very concerned about it. She furrows her brow and shakes her head. Katie, Diane Sawyer just told you your child is growing up, not that you have a bowel disorder. Look a little happy. She makes a half-hearted attempt to make a joke and show how fun she and Cruise are while mentioning a recent trip to FAO Schwartz for Suri. “Tom and I were playing with a lot of the toys ourselves,” she notes flatly. Watching it, you get the impression she’s trying to be funny, but it’s awkward and unbelievable. She pauses for laughter or some reaction from Diane Sawyer, who doesn’t really give one. It somehow comes across as flat, and almost seems like Katie is acting. There’s no real enthusiasm or light in her eyes or her face when she talks about Tom, and not even much when she talks about Suri.

Here’s the video of Katie talking with Diane Sawyer.

It’s interesting to compare current Katie to “Dawson’s Creek” Katie in an appearance on “The Late Show” with David Letterman. She’s very funny, both accidentally and on purpose. Dave asks her about the recent sex plotline on Dawson’s Creek, and Katie explains that her character and her boyfriend almost finally “closed the deal” as she put it, but it didn’t quite happen. And later she finds out the reason is that her character’s boyfriend is gay. Joking about the experience of discovering the boyfriend’s secret, Holmes comments, “It was hard,” then immediately realizes what she’s said and turns bright red, covering her face with her hand. Everyone cracks up, and she has trouble moving on from it, but it’s really funny and genuine.

Later on when Dave asks her about her interests, she jokes, “Shopping… coffee….” and rolls her eyes. It was cute and funny then, though the shopping part turned out to be less of a parody than she probably intended. When Dave asks her if she has a lot of friends, she jokingly responds, “a couple.” She’s adorable, very animated with a lot of life to her. I would want to be that girl’s friend. One would think those qualities are likely what drew Tom Cruise to Katie. Yet she seems completely devoid of them now, and most people think that’s at Tom’s behest.

The best part of the interview might have come back to haunt Katie. Dave notes that she is very tall, and Katie mentions that she was self-conscious about her height when she first came to Hollywood, as everyone else is very small.

Dave: “You hit upon something interesting. They’re tiny, and I think that’s why some of them go into show business. They’re driven by that physical insecurity. “

Katie [laughing] “Yeah, you’re right, mostly.”

Dave: “Like Tom Cruise for example. Tiny man.”

Katie: “Again, yes!”

Dave. “Pretty boy Tom Cruise. Tiny tiny tiny man.” Katie nods along.

[From the Late Show]

Wonder what Tom thinks about that now? When you watch the two videos, it’s really sad to see that Katie’s turned into a “Kate” Holmesbot. I can’t help but wonder what she’s actually gotten out of this. Tom has a ton of money and her profile has certainly raised, but she’s capable of earning her own living, and she’d stay famous if for no other reason than giving birth to his child. I’m confused why she’s still in her relationship. But if you watch carefully, she tends to agree with everything David Letterman says. I think she’s likely either pretty passive or an all-out follower, and Tom loves to be a leader. Either way, look forward to more semi-creepy interviews in the next few weeks.