Why Hollywood Won't Cast Katie Holmes Anymore

Katie Holmes had all the tools to launch a legendary acting career following her lead role as Rachel Dawes in 2005's superhero blockbuster, "Batman Begins." Instead, she seemed to lose momentum, passing up the chance to revive her role in the second film. It was a move heavily criticized by many who speculated that her film trajectory could have panned out far differently had she stuck with the franchise. After all, she was predicted to be the next up-and-coming Meryl Streep of her generation, a notion that fell flat after several roles in flops had her earning more Razzie Awards than a shot at an Oscar. 

The actor, who initially rose to fame in the late '90s on the popular television series "Dawson's Creek," has had a busy life while managing her acting career. While fans wonder why the actor hasn't snagged as many lead roles in critically acclaimed films as originally expected, she's had to put the big screen on hold to juggle her personal life. Juggling her tumultuous marriage (and subsequent divorce) to Tom Cruise and her single-parent status had her more than occupied, as did her career as an entrepreneur. But nowadays, the "Mad Money" star hopes to enjoy life at a slower pace. "I'm getting the projects I want made and just relaxing a little. I've been around for a long time, and I'm still here! I can't believe it," she told InStyle in 2020. Regardless, we're breaking down all the reasons why Hollywood won't cast Katie Holmes anymore. 

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' whirlwind relationship took over the news cycle in the mid-2000s, but could the spotlight on their relationship have taken away from Holmes' Hollywood trajectory? The couple exploded onto the scene just months before "Batman Begins" premiered in 2005, getting engaged in just eight weeks and tying the knot in a star-studded ceremony in Rome in 2006. But not everybody was over the moon about their love story.

The New York Post (via The Telegraph) reported that Warner Bros executives weren't pleased that the media tour for "Batman Begins" was overshadowed by the pair going public. After all, Cruise did jump up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch while professing his love for the star at the time. 

"She won't be in the sequel," an insider told the publication in 2005. "Warners is happy that people are now focusing on who'll be playing the Joker rather than Katie and Tom." Holmes opted to star in the 2008 film "Mad Money" instead, which was a major flop. 

In the years to follow, there was less talk of the Holmes' acting potential and more chatter about whether their relationship was merely a publicity stunt. Cruise's star continued to rise, while Holmes' days of working with directors like Ang Lee, Curtis Hanson, and Christopher Nolan were a distant reality. Instead, she opted for less complex roles, like on the competition show "So You Think You Can Dance" and guest starring on "How I Met Your Mother."

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise welcomed a new addition to their family in 2006, a daughter named Suri. In the years that followed, Holmes took a two-year acting hiatus, choosing instead to spend more time with her one and only child. Juggling becoming a new mother meant her Hollywood career took a step back, and the actor admitted she wouldn't have had it any other way. 

"My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now," she told Town & Country in 2017. "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." With that said, Holmes took part in several projects throughout Suri's childhood, starring in films like "The Romantics" and "Jack and Jill," as well as television series including "The Kennedys" and "Ray Donovan." None of her roles came close to Oscar or Emmy-level achievement, however, with many earning lackluster reviews.

Holmes doesn't seem too bothered about shooting for an Oscar win, however. Reports claimed the star specifically asked not to be included in the cast list distributed to Oscar voters after starring in the 2006 film "Thank You for Smoking," as reported by The Blade in 2007. Her reasoning stemmed from not wanting to draw attention to herself for what she considered to be a very small role. 

After Katie Holmes' two-year hiatus from acting, she decided to try her luck in theater. The "All We Had" star made her Broadway debut in 2008 in the 1947 production "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller. Holmes takes on the role of Ann Deever in the play, a truth-teller who falls in love with her late husband's brother after he dies during the war. Her character must navigate breaking the news to her in-laws while also dealing with the added stress of an estranged father who was convicted of manufacturing faulty airplane parts during World War II.

Holmes earned positive reviews from critics for her performance while also accomplishing a lifetime goal of hers. "I always wanted to do a Broadway play — since I was a little girl," Holmes told NPR. "And I've been looking for something for years ... and I'm so happy and I feel so lucky because this play and this cast and this character — it's so exciting to me."

The "All My Sons" revival proved to be a huge success, with the play grossing $684,002 during its first full week of preview performances. It smashed records, becoming the highest-grossing play on Broadway that week, with nearly all 1,052 seats in the theater filled. The experience turned over a new leaf for Holmes, who told NPR: "I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to rehearse for this amount of time, to work on a character and discover more and more ... every night is different. And just the whole experience of a live performance is incredibly different."

Katie Holmes' life got even busier in 2009 while juggling life with a toddler and launching a new fashion line. At the time, the actor went into business with her childhood friend Jeanne Yang, hoping to create a clothing line that offered outfits for young kids. The two eventually debuted their fashion line "Holmes & Yang" to the world, after growing up watching their mothers sew. 

"We started about a year ago, sketching different things, trying to find comfortable clothing for our daughters that is also pretty and cute," Holmes told Glamour in 2009. "We just started, and we've played around with doing things for women as well." The "Dawson's Creek" star is no stranger to the fashion world, and she even served as the face of Miu Miu for their spring 2009 collection. 

As their line evolved, Holmes and Yang focused shifted their focus to the everyday woman on the go. Their designs centered around wearability and practicality for the woman on the go, while also offering more delicate chiffon dresses, suit sets, and feminine silk skirts and button-ups.

After three successful New York Fashion Weeks and five years in business, Holmes & Yang disbanded in 2014. An insider told Page Six at the time that: "Jeanne enjoys the spotlight way more than Katie does. Things have definitely soured between them." Holmes, however, told DuJour that she and Yang felt the time was right to end their line. "We felt like it had run its course," she shared.

In news that shocked the world, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise announced their divorce in June 2012. Holmes had been the one to file the papers, with the "American Made" star admitting in a later deposition that she was wary about raising their daughter in the Church of Scientology. Holmes broke away from the religion and was ultimately granted primary custody of Suri, with Cruise given visitation rights. Still, the actor allegedly rarely saw his daughter, leading to what has been reported to be an estranged relationship between the father and daughter over the years.

Holmes took a serious step back from the spotlight following their tumultuous split, as shocking reports of divorce settlement stipulations between the two made headlines. According to a source who spoke to RadarOnline, the fashion designer was forced to keep a low profile in the years following their split to maintain her and her ex-husband's agreement. "Katie signed a clause in her quickie divorce settlement that prevents her from embarrassing Tom in various ways, like talking about him or Scientology, or publicly dating another man for five years after the divorce," the insider revealed.

In the wake of her divorce, headlines were more focused on Holmes' split with Cruise than on any of her ongoing projects. While the actor was involved in several television series and films, like "The Giver" and "Underdogs," none garnered as much attention as her acting career pre-Cruise.

Perhaps the reason that Katie Holmes didn't have the Meryl Streep-like trajectory that some had envisioned for her was due to her own mental blocks. The "All We Had" star opened up about overthinking in acting in her interview with DuJour, admitting that sometimes she is her toughest critic.

"I think I've gotten more comfortable with acting over time. Early on, I could never get out of my head. I'd be thinking, 'I have to get the job.' And even when I had the job, I was afraid that I was going to get fired, or I just had the mentality of, 'I need to be good enough,'" she revealed. 

That fear eventually faded, however, as Holmes began to take on more projects and believe more in her work. "But the more projects you do, the older you get, the more life experience you get, you start to understand storytelling better," she shared. "So you're a little bit more confident going in. You're not afraid of getting fired: You just want to contribute." 

Katie Holmes traded screen time for the director's chair beginning in 2015, opting instead to showcase her skills behind the scenes. The actor took on her first directing role when she worked on the documentary short "Eternal Princess," which told the story of famous gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who shot to fame after scoring a 10 at the 1976 Olympic Games.

Holmes also starred and directed in the 2016 film "All We Had" and the 2017 mini-series "The Kennedys After Camelot." In her 2017 interview with Town & Country, the star said she hopes to transition solely to directing. "It's been something that has come to me over time," she exclaimed. "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."

The "Giver" star ultimately proved her directing talent with "Eternal Princess" premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015. Since then, she's also directed and starred in the 2022 film "Alone Together" and the 2023 film "Rare Objects." Directing has also offered Holmes more opportunities to spend time with Suri, with more flexible and consistent work times. "This business is so unstable, and you never really know where you're going to be," she explained. "The thing about directing is I can say I have this window and that's when we're getting it done."

For fans hoping to relive the days of "Dawson's Creek," those memories will live solely on streaming services for now. Unfortunately, a revival of the late '90s-early 2000s hit show doesn't seem likely.

"Dawson's Creek" became a fan-favorite coming-of-age tale involving two childhood friends, Dawson and Joey, as they navigate the difficult adolescent years and fall in love for the first time. The show put Katie Holmes on the map, as she played one of the lead characters in the show, Joey, alongside her on-screen love interest and co-star James Van Der Beek. While Holmes is grateful for "Dawson's Creek" and all its success, she's not sure it would be as well received in terms of a revival season. 

"There have been many discussions over the years. We all loved the experience," Holmes said in regard to a potential reunion during a Kering "Women in Motion" event in 2023 (via Variety). But Holmes holds the series in high regard, along with her other cast mates. "There's a protection that comes along with the discussion. The show was a time capsule. To put it into today's world might tarnish it a little bit. It was right before everyone had a phone and social media and all of that, so there was an innocence that was there between the characters that was one of the things I think people liked about the show. To put it into the setting of today's world, I'm not sure." 

As for Katie Holmes' future, the possibilities are endless. While fans may be on the edge of their seat waiting for a big-screen return, they shouldn't get their hopes up just yet. Holmes has a few more things to cross off her bucket list, including potentially becoming a published author. "I'd like to continue to write and direct my own films," she told The Sunday Times in 2024 (via the Mirror). "Maybe write a few books — fiction ... I would love to [launch a beauty line]."

To keep herself busy in the meantime, Holmes launched a collection with French fashion brand A.P.C. in June 2024. The actor, who partnered with A.P.C artistic director Judith Touitou for the line, drew on inspiration from her mother's sewing to create a limited-edition pastel-hued quilt to include in her collection, as well as several other pieces that emphasize business mixed with street style and everyday wear. Holmes' collection infuses French class with New York grit, with pieces starting under $200 and topping out around $1,300. 

"It's cool without being stuck up, for lack of a better word," Holmes told Marie Claire of her collection. "I just had fun because A.P.C. is so classic and I feel like you can wear the same thing every day in a different way," she admitted regarding her journey in designing the collection.