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We're Hangin' With..... KATIE HOLMES! by: Lynn B.
AGW: What drew you to do Pieces of April? What do you look for in a movie? Katie: I always love a good story, in a movie. I like movies that make me feel and think, but I like movies that have hope, and I feel like this movie has a lot of hope at the end. I think there's always a lot going on, in every scene in this movie, so it keeps me captured. I'm not one of those people that doesn't like the special effects, or anything like that. I like that. I like all the different facets of filmmaking. I just think that you always need a good story, and I think this is a good story. AGW: What was the last good story that you saw? Katie: I just saw Kill Bill. That was a good story. I loved it! I thought Uma Thurman was just awesome. And, I saw Lost in Translation and I really liked that movie. Everyone in that movie is so talented, and Sofia Coppola is so talented. AGW: What was it about this project that made you want to get involved? Katie: I thought it was one of the best things I've ever read, and I really liked Peter [Hedges, writer/director]. It's kind of scary to say, "Well, I'm going to do this. I don't know who you're going to cast and I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'm going to give up a certain amount of time in my life for this and we'll see.' But, that's kind of what you have to do in this world. I just really, really enjoyed the material and I had a lot of faith in Peter. His reputation speaks for itself.[Hedges wrote What's Eating Gilbert Grape and About a Boy]. AGW: April is a rebellious young woman, but she also has a passion for life. What do you think she was passionate about? Katie: I think she was passionate about discovering new things about life, living on the edge, doing things that were different and challenging -- different from where she came from -- and just being her own person. I think she had a real passion for that. AGW: Do you like living on the edge as well? Katie: I suppose. I love acting and I suppose that taking risks is a huge part of being an actress, and that's thrilling. It's almost addictive to work in this town. I suppose I'm someone who enjoys a good ride and a good journey. AGW: What attracted you to playing the character of April? Could you relate to her? Katie: Well, I suppose what drew me to playing April was the fact that she's in her early 20's, trying to figure it all out. It's not easy and I think that it's a very confusing age. So many of my friends who are actors, who are musicians, who are college graduates looking for a job, are kind of like, 'What are we doing? I have my apartment. Okay, now what?' I think she and Bobby [Derek's character] really represent, that time in your young life. I like April a lot because she's a character who isn't what she seems. She has a sort of tough, edgy appearance that leads you to believe that she's capable of anything and can handle anything, and she's strong and she doesn't care and, maybe, has a bad attitude. And yet, she's got this huge heart, and you really see how much she cares for Bobby and how much he cares for her, and you slowly start to understand all the confusion that's inside of her. I really enjoyed playing her. Her courage and stubborness and strong will are some things I can relate to. AGW: April has a pretty unique look. Did you contribute to the look of your character at all? Katie: A lot of it was Peter and the costume designer and the hair and make-up. I went around the East Village. I have some friends down there and they're really cool, and they could get away with a look like this. I'm just not that cool. [Laughs] So, I would say, 'These jeans are cool,' and they'd be like, 'Yeah, why don't we try this instead?' So, it was very collaborative. AGW: Would you be embarrassed to walk around like that? Katie: No. It's just not me. I would feel dorky, like I couldn't pull it off. It was a lot of fun, but in fact, I did feel like, 'Oh, I hope I do okay in this part.' I was like, 'Oh, I look like Pippi Longstocking. Oh, no!' AGW: Was there a point to making April and Bobby an interracial couple? Katie: I like the fact that it's an interracial relationship. I think it says a lot about the two of them. What we tried so hard to do was make sure they were so in love, caring and loving towards each other. April is so angry and guarded. It was important for us to show that she's with an amazing boyfriend that she cares about. It adds another layer. Derek Luke is innately kind and sweet and brings that to Bobby. AGW: What was it that you found challenging about filming in New York in a real apartment? Katie: I really liked filming in New York. I love New York. It's so energetic and it's so inspiring. We actually shot down in the lower east side and walked eight flights of stairs every morning. We were all in one apartment. We all shared one bathroom. Everything happened in four rooms. You were forced to really be a team. It was a beautiful thing. We were all there because we were moved by the story. You really felt like the character, and it helped to be in that world. You really stayed focused and you really felt everything. It was really magical. It was almost like doing a play. I enjoyed it. And, that city is so stimulating, anyway. You go from work out to dinner and you're just constantly observing and you feel good. AGW: What do you do in your downtime? Do you read books, watch movies, listen to music? Katie: I do all of those things. I love reading and I love catching up on the old movies. I love going out, sometimes. I like going to the movies. But, basically, I like to recharge myself by either traveling or just visiting my family and catching up, doing normal things that everybody does. It's kind of nice. AGW: What's the last book you read that you liked? Katie: I just finished 'Kate Remembered,' the Katherine Hepburn biography, and I'm on to 'The Da Vinci Code.' AGW: How was it to have a 16-day shooting schedule? Wasn't shooting Dawson's much slower? Katie: I preferred it. Not every movie can be shot that way, obviously. But, because of the emotional content of this movie, I felt like it was really advantageous for all the actors because we got to really stay in that character. I shot for 8 or 9 days, or 10 days maybe, so I was pretty much in that zone for that period of time. We knew that going in and it was one of those things where you just get ready, and you have no idea what's going to happen, if it's going to work, if it's not. The energy on set was just that of, 'We're going to get through this. We're going to solve these problems.' It was like camp. To be coming off of the television show, I really liked that pace. I like a fast pace. I get bored when I have to wait around because then I over think things. I think I do a better job when I just do it [laughs], and I get to keep doing it. When you're shooting with a digital camera, you don't have to take time to reload [the film] and there wasn't much lighting. It was just scene to scene to scene, and you do get to do it 20 takes, and it's half an hour. Whereas, with film, that's about two hours. AGW: Did this movie [in which a girl is dealing with her mom dying] make you want to call home more? Katie:
Yeah. This movie makes you realize 'god, I miss my family. My family is
so important to me'. I'd hate to have this dysfunctional relationship,
this gap. It's so painful for these characters. They are losing time.
It makes you think it's worth making that phone call. It's a recharger.
It makes you think, 'I'm going to honor those relationships and focus
on them a little more'. Katie: I did these movies back to back. Doing Pieces of April was very emotional. I was either running up the stairs or mad or crying or holding back the tears or frustrated, or whatever. There were just all these different elements in the character, all the time. And so, by the end of the movie, I was pretty exhausted. When I went to do The Singing Detective there was no weight on my shoulders. I got to wear a nurse's uniform and lip-synch and make out with Robert Downey, Jr. So, I was like, "This is fun." [Laughs] It was great. It was fun to act opposite Robert, and all the people I met on that movie were just really good. I got to hang out with Broadway dancers who had 20 years experience, telling me their stories. It was a lovely, fun summer experience. I had a great time. AGW: Looking back on your career, is there anything that you're embarrassed about? Katie: Not yet. Not yet. I'm sure soon. AGW: Dawson's is finished. Are you working now? Katie:
I'm unemployed. I'm not bored yet. I think it's going to be a big reality
check this year with the show finished. I went right into a movie this
summer so I haven't had a chance to deal with "Dawson's Creek"
not being around any more. It's an adjustment. I've never had time on
my hands.
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Young
actress Katie Holmes has spent five years playing worried tomboy Joey
Potter on "Dawson's Creek". With the show in the past, she's
looking back wistfully but moving on to film roles that are as far from
Joey as she can get. Her misfit, rebellious young April in the new indie
film Pieces of April in which Katie co-stars with hot Derek Luke, certainly
fills that bill and she also stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. in The Singing
Detective and will play the President's daughter in First Daughter, to
be released early next year. We caught up with the busy actress to talk
about life after Dawsons.