From Dawson’s Creek To Batman Begins, Katie Holmes’s Greatest Roles

In recent years, we've been bewitched by Katie Holmes and her amazing sense of street style. She makes a checked shirt and a pair of jeans look effortlessly stylish, she has great taste in shoes, and that cashmere bra and cardigan set was a genuinely iconic fashion moment. Katie has hit front pages all over the world, thanks in part to her marriage to actor Tom Cruise, their resulting divorce, their young daughter Suri and, most recently, a rapidly escalating romance with New York chef Emilio Vitolo Jr. But let's not forget that before all that, she was one of America's favourite young actresses.

Her latest role in The Secret: Dare To Dream, inspired by the successful self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, landed on Netflix earlier this year. In all honesty, it's not very good, but don't let that fool you: Katie is an undeniably talented and charismatic actress.

As Joey, a young woman at the centre of one of the most prevailing love triangles in TV history, she won a place in the hearts of millions of teenagers, and later used her tenure on Dawson's Creek as a springboard into film. Here are our favourite Katie Holmes performances.

Dawson's Creek

It bears repeating: Katie's work on Dawson's Creek was hugely significant to a certain generation. Joey was a smart, sensitive teenager dealing with a problem that basically lasted for the 168 episode run: Dawson or Pacey. The former was the safe choice: a kind and attentive best friend who could offer security and comfort. The latter was a risky move, a well-meaning but less 'strong on paper'. We won't spoil things just in case you're planning a binge watch anytime soon, but Joey definitely made the right decision.

As Dawson, James Van Der Beek may have been the star of the show, but Katie was undoubtedly its beating heart. While co-star Michelle Williams' success is undoubtedly warranted, it's a shame that Katie has never matched her accolades.

Wonder Boys

It takes talent to square up to screen legend Michael Douglas and not disappear into the shadows. Katie was excellent as Hannah, a plucky creative writing student harbouring unrequited feelings for her professor, Grady Tripp, played by Douglas. The film was a financial disappointment but was critically acclaimed, proving that Katie - still in the middle of the Dawson's Creek machine - was keen to make interesting choices in her work.

The Gift

Katie didn't exactly stick around for long in this 2000 thriller - starring Cate Blanchett as a disturbed clairvoyant - but it was a significant role for her. As Jessica King, a flirtatious and stifled local woman whose murder kicks off the film's central mystery, Katie defied her growing reputation as America's favourite girl next door and showed that she could get serious and, most importably, against type when she needed to.

Pieces Of April

Speaking of against type, if you haven't seen Katie's impressive turn in Pieces Of April then you are absolutely missing out. She plays the April of the title, a young woman who's got a bit lost in life - in case that passes you by initially, she's given pink hair and heavy eye shadow - but seeks a personal redemption by inviting her difficult family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Obviously, her oven breaks, and the film follows her struggles to show that she's not a screw up as her family approach. Katie is funny and expressive and very, very watchable in an underrated, unexpectedly human film.

Batman Begins

It's a huge shame that Katie didn't get to follow up her performance in the first Batman film from Christopher Nolan. As Rachel, Bruce Wayne's old friend and love interest, she possessed the charm of Joey but added depth and drama. Scheduling conflicts with another film - an unremarkable comedy called Mad Money, in which she stars alongside Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah - meant that she couldn't return to really get her teeth into the role in The Dark Knight. She was replaced with the admittedly excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal.

First Daughter

Katie was well into her twenties when she played Samantha, the daughter of the President of the United States who's heading off to college. It's light fare, given some extra heft by Forest Whitaker's direction, but she lends real charm to the part. Sometimes typecasting works: if you can play light, fluffy romance well, why mess with success?

See, told you she wasn't just a style icon.

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