For a whole generation, she is Joey Potter, the shy teenager of the Dawson series, the one whose heart swings between two boys, and whose personality asserts itself and blossoms over six seasons. But Katie Holmes is also a director and producer. In parallel with her acting career, the American has signed four feature films including Rare Objects, the story of a young woman in full reconstruction after a sexual assault, released in April in the United States. On Thursday, May 18 in Cannes, she participated in the first of Kering's Women In Motion talks, which highlight female personalities who animate the world of cinema today. A meeting organized while the 76th International Film Festival has just begun.
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Go behind the camera
That same morning, Katie Holmes announced that she would participate in a mentoring program for women directors in Saudi Arabia. An opportunity she seized to "help foster women's expression around the world." As for her, the desire to tell her own stories came to her very early: in front of The Little Man, the first film directed by Jodie Foster in 1991. "I already admired her as an actress, but I think it was the first time I'd seen a female director," she recalls. An inspiring example, which Katie Holmes followed in 2015 with Eternal Princess, a short documentary film about gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Then with a first film, All we had, in 2016.
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When she went behind the camera, Katie Holmes was not afraid that she would be sent back to her status as an actress: "I listened to myself, and especially not what others could say. But I was accompanied by many friends authors, directors and screenwriters who helped me, encouraged me, gave me their point of view. Sometimes it's difficult: when one of your loved ones gives you feedback on your project and suggests you make some changes, it hurts a little. But you lick your wounds, and you go back, because you know, deep down, that your job will be better. That's why it's essential to surround yourself with the right people." And to work, tirelessly: "For me, directing is like classical dance. You can't do it right away, but the more you persevere, day after day, the more you see your progress."
Collaborate with actresses
Today, Katie Holmes hopes that her double hat allows her to be closer to those she directs: "When I'm on set, I want to say to the actors: 'I'm one of you! I understand you.'" With particular attention paid to young actresses, whom she takes care to include in the creative process: "With them, I think it is important to collaborate. To ask them what they think of a scene, a dialogue. Let their gaze also participate in the development of the film." As for the advice she would give, more broadly, to young girls today: "Do not hesitate to make your voice heard. And for that, trust each other, and always move forward. It's important to be your first support." Without putting too much pressure on his own shoulders: "This is the advice I would give to the one I was, younger: let go, and enjoy more."
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The return of Joey Potter?
Today, Katie Holmes is working on a new project that she keeps confidential for the moment, because it is only in the preparatory stage and is hampered by the writers' strike in the United States. A movement that she fully supports: "This is an important strike. I am on their side. We need people who tell stories." As for fans hoping for the reunion of the cast of Dawson, they will be disappointed: "We discussed a lot about the opportunity to make a reboot or a sequel to the series," she said. "But Dawson is a bit like a time capsule: it belongs to the 90s. Everything was different, there were no mobile phones. There was a lot of innocence, too. We told ourselves that all this would not necessarily find its place, if it was adapted to our current time. " Joey Potter's shy pout will remain an eternal memory. Replaced by the frank and clear look of an accomplished actress and director.