Katie Holmes chats about ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’

Joey Potter has grown up. The 31 year-old woman who became famous for that character on “Dawson’s Creek” so many years ago, is now poised and unflappable as she sits in New York’s Waldorf Astoria, sweetly answering questions about her latest film, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.”
 
Produced by the auteur of gore, Guillermo Del Toro, “Dark” centers around a young girl named Sally (Bailee Madison) who joins her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Holmes) to live at an old restored mansion, which, Sally learns, harbors some creepy ancient creatures who are dying for some company.
 
“They’re like cockroaches but worse because they’re slimy, so it’s like half-maggot, half cockroach,” Holmes says of the predatory homunculi.
 
Where the actress, who has been married to fellow actor Tom Cruise for five years this November, is heavy on charm — she even thanked us for coming out in the rain to support the film — she’s light on candor. Holmes is one to, as we say in the business, “stick to the script.”  
 
“It was a real thrill to work with Guillermo,” she says when asked how doing this movie compared with the horror movies she did earlier in her career. “I loved the characters and the family dynamics that really bring the audience in. Then, all of a sudden something scary happens and you realize you’re on this thrill ride.”
 
But how about those films like “I Know What You Did Last Summer”? She continues:
 
“I started my career with ‘The Ice Storm’ — that was a character-driven slice-of-life drama and horror. I feel fortunate. I’ve worked with a lot of really good actors and filmmakers, so it was nice to have that opportunity again in this picture.”