Katie Holmes is making a long-awaited return to television Tuesday night, guest-starring on ABC’s “Eli Stone” as a sexy heartbreaker — a far cry from her days starring as shy tomboy Joey on the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.”
But Holmes' return has not come without skepticism, as her acting career has often been eclipsed by her real-life role as “Mrs. Tom Cruise” and mom to tot Suri.
Before marrying cruise, Holmes seemed poised for a promising career. She received rave reviews for her performance in the indie film “Pieces of April,” and appeared in other films including “Batman Begins” and “Thank You for Smoking.”
But after her marriage, Holmes was thrust into a media whirlwind. Her tabloid star seemed bigger than ever as she became known as one of Hollywood’s best-dressed women and was photographed socializing with high-profile friends such as David and Victoria Beckham, Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith and Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anothony. But according to OK Magazine, the star took nearly three years off from work during that time.
Earlier this year, her potential come-back film “Mad Money” opened to dismal audiences and even worse reviews. When the news broke that she decided to return to the small screen on “Eli Stone,” many wondered if the decision was, as FOXNews.com’s Roger Friedman put it, savvy Hollywood career planning or suicide.
Earlier this month however, Holmes received solid reviews for her performance in the Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.”
And if her “Eli Stone” co-stars’ praise for Holmes is anything like the rest of Hollywood, she will be a top actress in no time.
“Working with Katie was great,” the show’s star Johnny Lee Miller told OK magazine. “It was fantastic. She was a really nice person to have around. … She is a phenomenal actress.”
Natasha Henstridge echoed Miller, telling OK that Holmes is “just a star,” and that “everyone loved working with her. She’s wonderfully talented and I think people forget a little bit.”
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