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Tag: The Giver

  • Katie Holmes Does Not Blame Tom Cruise For Slowdown In Her Career

    Actress Katie Holmes achieved the height of her popularity at a young age with the success of TV series Dawson’s Creek, but her career saw a definite lull in the period she was married to Tom Cruise. Holmes, however, recently told Dujour Magazine that her lack of movie roles at the time was not caused by her relationship with the huge star. She simply chalks it up to the way the movie business works.

    With the birth of her daughter, Suri, in 2006, Holmes’ film and TV career saw a slowdown. This year, though, her career has been resurrected with a slew of projects in the pipeline, not to mention her new film The Giver. “It’s the life of an actor. We don’t really have a lot of choice in the matter. You have dry spells, and then you have times when there is a lot of opportunity,” she said. She recounted how her father, when she was a young actor, had advised her not to let these changes affect how she lived her life.

    Holmes also spoke about how she has become more comfortable with acting over time. “Early on, I could never get out of my head… I was afraid that I was going to get fired,” she revealed. “But the more projects you do, the older you get, the more life experience you get, you start to understand storytelling better. So you’re a little bit more confident going in. You’re not afraid of getting fired: You just want to contribute.”

    In her latest project, The Giver, Holmes plays the mother of the lead character, Jonah. Her character is a respected member of a society that restricts freedom of choice. Although Holmes has kept silent since her divorce on the subject of her ex-husband and his allegiance to the Church of Scientology, some are reportedly seeing the parallels between the fictional world in The Giver and the real-life religion in which the actress used to take part.

    Katie Holmes’ latest movie project – ‘The Giver’

  • Katie Holmes Says Acting Dry Spell Had Nothing to Do With Tom Cruise

    Katie Holmes is making a comeback of sorts after a very quiet few years during her marriage to Tom Cruise.

    The Giver actress has four new movies completed and awaiting release, including Miss Meadows and Days and Nights, and it seems she is back stronger than ever.

    Despite speculation, Holmes says the dry spell was just a normal part of the business and had nothing to do with her marriage to the 52-year-old Mission: Impossible actor.

    In an interview with DuJour magazine, the statuesque brunette talked about life after Cruise and her latest acting projects.

    Holmes addressed persistent speculation and questions from DuJour that her divorce from Cruise two years ago “helped to bolster her career,” saying neither her marriage nor her divorce had anything to do with the ups and downs of her career.

    “It’s the life of an actor,” the Dawson’s Creek alum responded. “We don’t really have a lot of choice in the matter. You have dry spells, and then you have times when there is a lot of opportunity.”

    In fact, Holmes said she made the decision to take the time away from Hollywood to enjoy her eight-year-old daughter’s early years.

    “I totally admire women who go back to work six weeks after giving birth but when she was little, I was not ready,” she said. “I was a very nervous mother — like, sleeping next to her crib — and I was in that mode for a long time.”

    Suri‘s mom took a moment to reflect on how maturing has changed her approach to her craft.

    “I think I’ve gotten more comfortable with acting over time,” said the 35-year-old actress. “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.’

    “The more projects you do, the older you get, the more life experience you get, you start to understand storytelling better, so you’re a little bit more confident going in. You’re not afraid of getting fired: You just want to contribute.”

    Holmes is currently filming the Simon Curtis-directed film Woman in Gold. She said it was a refreshing choice to star in a film about “a happy married couple, because it’s rare to see that.”

    Holmes says she takes her celebrity status and the inevitability of paparazzi following her every move in stride, and doesn’t change the way she approaches life in New York City.

    “There’s definitely an awareness of the fact that people have camera phones, and that your privacy is sometimes invaded, but that’s something that I think everyone has had to adjust to,” Holmes explained. “Even early on, when I was a young actor and all of a sudden people knew who I was, my dad told me, ‘Don’t let that change how you live your life.’ I’ve always sort of approached it that way. You have to continue to do the things you want to do and not let outside forces dictate.”

  • Meryl Streep: Jeff Bridges ‘Managed to Elude Me’ Throughout Her Career, Until Now

    Meryl Streep: Jeff Bridges ‘Managed to Elude Me’ Throughout Her Career, Until Now

    Actress Meryl Streep has several reasons why she chose to play the order-keeping chief elder in the big-screen adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 Newbury Award-winning, young-adult novel The Giver — one of those was the opportunity to work alongside Jeff Bridges.

    “I’d always wanted to work with this gentleman here,” said the Oscar-winning actress at a press conference in New York Tuesday.

    “My entire career, I never got the chance. Somehow, he managed to elude me. So, that was a big, big part of the draw. I am also a big admirer of Phillip’s films,” she continued, referring the the film’s director, Phillip Noyce. “I think he is a pure, pure filmmaker with great taste and I knew, to bring this to life, especially the colorless parts of it, it would take a great artist.”

    Another reason for wanting to do the movie is her connection to the book through her children. Streep said the two youngest of her four children read Lowry’s book when they were in elementary school.

    “They had a list of required reading over the summer and it was always…,” Streep stopped mid-sentence to make the sound of a whip cracking, “… to get them to do it. That’s one of my parenting methods. But that [book] was put in front of them and they devoured it.”

    Streep, 65, said the role provided a unique challenge in her acting repertoire.

    “It’s an interesting thing to play — someone who has suppressed emotion, but I felt that the chief elder didn’t take her medication, as well, on certain days,” she said, referring to the hero’s refusal to ingest daily drugs that block emotions and memories.

    “Do you know what I mean? Like, we all skip, probably. Because, clearly, she had some deep history with the Giver,” she said of Bridges’ character. “And I think that was something that intrigued me about the script. But I think that is sort of the point of the book. You can’t keep things in. You can’t suppress the things that make us human and it is pointless to try.”

    Streep had one other important reason for deciding on the role.

    “Well, I like to be boss, so that was a good thing,” the three-time Oscar-winner said.

    Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush also star in The Giver, which opened nationwide Friday.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Katie Holmes Reflects on Life After Cruise, ‘The Giver’ and Raising Suri

    Katie Holmes is loving life right now.

    It’s been nearly two years since the 35-year-old actress divorced ex-husband Tom Cruise, and she is busier and happier than ever.

    Speaking with Today show host Matt Lauer last week, Holmes shared about life after Cruise, her role as mother to eight-year-old daughter Suri Cruise and portraying an empty-nesting mother in her new film, The Giver.

    “I’m a risk-taker,” Holmes told Matt Lauer of her decision to play the unnamed mother of the hero Jonas — played by Brenton Thwaites — in the movie based on Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel. “I love adventures and new things.”

    Holmes said it was easy to approach her role in The Giver.

    “I approached it like all mothers when their child is leaving the nest,” said the Dawson’s Creek alum. “There’s a pain. There’s a loss. That’s how I approached the character.”

    In the interview, Lauer referenced her escalation to superstar status following her marriage to Cruise and asked if she wishes she could go back to the days when she wasn’t the focus of so much attention.

    “Do you ever think you would make a deal and trade some of that fame to go back to that person you were beforehand?” Lauer asked.

    “You know what?” Holmes replied thoughtfully. “I never really look back. I just approach life [taking] it one day at a time. I’m really excited about where I am right now. I’ve had some really wonderful creative experiences. I’m just really grateful.”

    Holmes enjoyed an idyllic life growing up in Toledo, Ohio with a strong, supportive family and says she aspires to give her daughter a similar experience full of the same love and support she experienced, albeit in a very different environment from the one in which she was raised.

    “Of course you try your best. I try very hard because I’m very grateful for my upbringing, my parents, my siblings. I try to do what they did for me for my little one,” said Holmes. “The most important thing for me is letting her know how proud I am and her accomplishments mean everything. Whatever I do is whatever. It’s really just about her. That’s what I think is most important.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Katie Holmes Talks Her Topless Glamour Shoot

    Katie Holmes revealed that she has no issues with going topless for photo shoots. And that is exactly what she did on this month’s cover of Glamour magazine.

    While most were shocked to see Holmes without her top on, surprisingly this wasn’t her first time baring skin; she actually showed her breasts in The Gift in 2000.

    “I have done it before when I was young, the right time to do it,” Holmes said over the weekend while she was promoting her new movie The Giver at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. “But if the part called for it, sure, I’d do it again. I think people need to embrace themselves, their creativity and their bodies.”

    On the cover of Glamour, Holmes is seen wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans, and has her arms strategically placed to cover her breasts. Holmes explained the inspiration for the shoot was mainly Lauren Hutton and photos from the 70s. “The inspiration was a lot of Lauren Hutton and the great photos from the ’70s—jeans and Americana,” Holmes told E! News. “It felt right. It wasn’t about sexy. It was about being a woman. Sometimes we’re topless,” Holmes added with a smile.

    In addition to her work on The Giver, Holmes is also working on a film with Ryan Reynolds called Woman In Gold . Holmes even admitted that she would be open to a possible return to television. “TV right now is a great place to tell stories,” Holmes, who made her way to fame playing Joey on Dawson’s Creek, said. “There are so many opportunities to tell any kind of story. You can now stream so much online that it’s become a great medium for communicating to the masses.”

    The Giver is scheduled to premiere in theaters on August 15.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Katie Holmes Poses Topless, Gushes on Daughter Suri and Purchases Home in Midtown Manhattan

    Katie Holmes is busy, busy, busy — posing topless, working on stage and television, gushing on her daughter, Suri, and purchasing a new home in mid-town Manhattan.

    The Giver actress graced the cover of the August issue of Glamour, and posed topless in the photo spread for the magazine.

    The 35-year-old single mother told the magazine she is focused on daughter Suri and her work.

    “I am really focused on motherhood and work right now,” the actress told the magazine. “Motherhood is the greatest gift.”

    For the actress, it’s all about her little girl. In the interview, she gushed about the love she has for her 6-year-old daughter.

    ‘I didn’t know how much love I had in me. It’s overwhelming,’ said Holmes. ‘Every day I discover more about this spectacular human being I get to be the mother of.’

    The actress also told the magazine that her family — and the influence of her parents — is what has kept her grounded through fame and media scrutiny.

    “My family has been so crucial to my outlook on life. I started acting at 17 and had success at an early age, where all of a sudden people knew who I was,” said the Dawson’s Creek actress. “But my parents always treated me the exact same way at home and reminded me of gratitude. And that’s been a grounding force.”

    Meanwhile, a source told Us Weekly that the twosome is planning a move from Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood to a more family-friendly area in Midtown NYC.

    Holmes, who currently pays $12,500 a month to rent her apartment downtown, will become a home-owner with the purchase of the $4 million apartment.

    “She is buying in a more neighborhood-y area,” the source told Us. “The place has three bedrooms, and she needs to do some work to it but not much.”

    Holmes married actor Tom Cruise in 2006, and they became a very high-profile couple during their relationship. The couple was granted a quickie divorce six years after they married and reached a settlement just two weeks after filing.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ‘The Giver’ Trailer Released: Does it Live Up to the Book?

    The Weinstein Company released their first trailer for the upcoming movie The Giver. The film is a screen adaptation of the beloved children’s book of the same name. The Giver follows Jonas (played by Brenton Thwaites in the film) as he discovers that this utopian society is more dystopian than he once believed: it tries to deprive people of emotions and create Sameness. Jonas inherits the position of ‘Receiver of Memory.’ He will be the person who stores all the memories of the time before this society existed. Jonas begins to question things when he meets “The Giver (Jeff Bridges),” who shows him the beauty and pain that exists beyond this world.

    The Giver was published in 1993, and received a Newbery Medal the following year. The novel begins a loosely formed series of four books: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son (the only direct sequel to The Giver). The other three books in the series were created seven years after the original book.

    One noticeable difference from the book and the movie is Jonas’ age; he’s only 12 in the book, but looks around 16 in the movie (in real life Thwaites is 24). Another really big difference from the book version of The Giver and the movie is the film’s usage of color. In the book most of the characters are colorblind. Jonas, however, sees in color. Doing the entire film in color really makes fans of the book wonder if the film’s creators can be true to the essence of the book if they fail to keep one important element of it.

    The movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s beloved book also stars Alexander Skarsgard, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift. The Giver’s trailer will appear in theaters on March 20, and opens in theaters on August 15.

    Everyone loves The Giver, but will anyone love this movie?

    Image via The Giver, Facebook

  • Katie Holmes to Play Manhattan Socialite in ABC Pilot

    Katie Holmes will return to the small screen in her first starring role since Dawson’s Creek.

    The pilot, which will air on ABC, is currently untitled. Homes will play a Manhattan socialite who is described as Audrey Hepburn-esque.

    Homes will star opposite British actor Rufus Sewell. The pilot will be written and executive-produced by Richard LaGravenese, who has written screenplays for Beautiful Creatures, Freedom Writers, and P.S. I Love You.

    The pilot is set in New York City, where Holmes moved with daughter Suri, 7, following her much-publicized divorce from actor Tom Cruise.

    In August, Holmes will star alongside Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Taylor Swift in the movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s Newbery Award-winning young adult novel The Giver.

    Holmes’ other recent projects include starring roles in Days and Nights, Mania Days, and Miss Meadows.

    When she’s not working, trying to keep her daughter from becoming tabloid fodder, or advocating for breast cancer awareness, the actress can be found enjoying New York City.

    “I love the community in New York. I love New Yorkers. I ran into someone on the street the other day that I went to high school with,” she says. “I love the moments of spontaneity every day.”

    “I love the theater, the galleries in my neighborhood. Stuff [like] that is so much of what makes me love this city. I love the Knicks. I love talking to my neighbors in the elevator. I like feeling a part of something big.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons