Katie Holmes has been a screen fixture since 1998 and has always been willing to take chances.
She starred in TV’s “Dawson Creek” for five years and most recently made appearances in “Ray Donovan.”
On the big screen it was a great day when Holmes became the love interest of Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman) but a sad one when she did not return to the franchise. But even before that, she starred as Derek Luke’s lover in “Pieces of April.” In between those two, Holmes starred in the all time favorite film, “First Daughter” directed by Forest Whitaker—which was the first time the Film Strip interviewed Holmes.
In her latest film, “Touched with Fire,” directed by Paul Dalio, Holmes struggles with mental illness. In this moving, captivating drama, Holmes and co-star Luke Kirby are poets with a bipolar disorder who meet while seeking help. When they come together in a treatment facility, their chemistry is instant and intense, driving each other’s mania to new heights. In an interview recently at the Central Park West Ritz Carlton in New York City, Holmes was quite lucid on the subject of lunacy.
Paul said your performance was incredible and you put so much blood, sweat and tears into it. How important was this role to you?
This is an exploration of people at a certain time in their lives. Trying to figure out the right way to deal with an illness. As an actor I feel this was a wonderful experience to grow creatively.
I approached this project not really knowing much about this disease. When I met with Paul [Dalio] I was so inspired by his passion and willingness to bring such a personal story to the screen. The opportunity to take on such a challenging role just seemed so right.
Was it rewarding portraying a real life character?
I was excited when I read the script and happy that from the beginning we were all creating characters based on real experiences. Paul was giving us his real life experiences. So it was very helpful. I realized through this process how many people have been affected personally so it made the work really rewarding.”
Syndicated Entertainment journalist Marie Moore reports on film and TV from her New York City base. Contact her at [email protected]
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