Katie Holmes On Growing Up 'Together' With Her Daughter & Burden Of Ageing In Hollywood

Apr 11, 2022

Katie Holmes is a woman of many talents who is no stranger to the spotlight. While her talents as an actress, director and producer are what put her on the map and have continued to earn her fame, success and recognition, it was her whirlwind relationship with fellow actor Tom Cruise that really brought the star plenty of media attention. 

The pair were married from 2006 to 2012, and they had one child together named Suri. Holmes now has custody of her daughter. She is also showing just how content and confident she has become since her famous split and is continuing to advance her career more and more.

Holmes was born December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. She focused on both her studies and her love for entertaining from a young age and has since created a successful career for herself. She took modeling lessons when she was 14 and eventually signed with an agent. 

Holmes began focusing on acting by performing in plays before landing her first role in the feature film “The Ice Storm” in 1997. Her career launched from then, with Holmes taking on other roles in both television and on the big screen. She directed her first film “All We Had” in 2016, starring in the movie as well.

The actress is currently 43 years old and has opened up about what it’s like growing older in the entertainment industry. She is also finding the confidence to stand up for herself and not take no for an answer as she continues on her journey of self-love.

Holmes has been met with some ups and downs as a working woman in the entertainment industry. She has also dealt with plenty of media attention, meaning she’s used to having her every move analyzed and scrutinized. She first achieved fame on the television series “Dawson’s Creek” from 1998 to 2003 before going on to star in films. Holmes also has credits as a producer and director and has also been on Broadway.

As someone who’s been in the industry for several decades, Holmes has gotten used to adjusting her work ethic and approach to her career. Speaking with InStyle’s Laura Brown back in 2020, Holmes said, “I have been in this business for quite some time. We both know you have ups and downs.” 

However, she explained that she has recently felt a new sense of freedom in her personal and professional life. “I feel like I can be more creative and have more time, have my voice,” Holmes said. “It's sort of, like, just put your stuff out there and be yourself. It takes a while to be comfortable, though.”

The actress admitted that she felt “consumed” by what people thought of her at times, but she now tries to live the way she wants. “I feel like I’m finally figuring that out,” she said. “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.” Holmes also talked about feeling more confident now in her 40s than she used to during her early days in Hollywood.

She continued, “I have seen things. I have experienced things. I know what I’m talking about, and I know that my feelings and my insights are worthy. I’m going to listen to myself instead of deferring to someone else.”

In fact, Holmes even welcomes some challenges every now and then and is open to hearing others’ ideas and opinions. “Whenever someone tells me no, I keep going,” she stated. According to InStyle, her film “Rare Objects” has been in development for more than five years, as Holmes and the production team have been working on trying to bring their different visions to life.

Holmes also talked about what life is like as a woman in her 40s. “As I told a friend of mine, ‘You know what’s so upsetting about the 40s? My old tricks don’t work,’” she said while laughing. “I have older siblings; I’m the baby of five. So I was always the cute one, and you get used to being the cute one.”

Nowadays, Holmes focuses on her skincare routine filled with hyaluronic acid and face brightening serums and creams. “When you’re 40-plus, you’ve really gotta take your vitamins,” she added.

Still, aging has not deterred Holmes from living her best life and striving to accomplish all of her goals. She said:

“I always wanted adventure, and I got it. And I'm still on one. In life you're supposed to have joy, pain, loss, calm. We're not supposed to say, ‘If I could go back, I would want everything joyful,’ because it's not going to happen. That's life. Nobody gets off free, and you're not supposed to. Because then you're going to miss things.”

Although she's always kept a low profile, Holmes has on occasion spoken about her daughter Suri. Speaking with "Elle UK" in 2019, Holmes opened up about becoming a mother relatively young and growing with her daughter:

"I was happy to become a mum in my twenties. It’s been nice that our ages fit . . . how do I put this? Every age that my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together."

After being asked whether she worries about bad influences impacting her now-teenage daughter, she says:

"Doesn’t every parent? But, yes, of course I’m worried. There is so much bad news and hate and things that don’t make sense . . . The atmosphere around the world is… terrifying."

But despite the world being a scary place, Holmes has created a sanctuary for her and her daughter in their New York home. She said in the same "Elle UK" interview:

"It’s really homey. I have a lot of pictures. I like vintage art from flea markets. Because we’re in New York, I want our apartment to be very cozy and soft — the city around us is so intense and hard. So that’s our style. And a lot of colors."

The mother and daughter certainly seem to be a perfect pairing. In an April 2020 interview with "InStyle," Holmes discussed Suri's personality, which she described as "strong." She talked about Suri's incredible work ethic, saying that she's "focused and a hard worker," and that when she picks up an interest she works hard and becomes very good at it, before moving onto something new to stimulate her. 

What do you think about Katie Holmes’ attitude toward aging? Are you excited to see what the next stage of her career looks like? Let us know, and feel free to send this to your family and friends.