-Welcome back to the show! -Thank you.
-I always love having you here.
Isn't it fun -- backstage, by the way?
-Backstage is incredible. You walked in --
-I mean, there's mascots. There's the gold medalists.
People with gold medals walking around -- isn't it fun?
-I know. -And Katie Holmes.
Yeah, back there's --
-I was like, "Why didn't I bring my skates?"
-I know.
Well, you said you got really into the Olympics.
Do you always get into it or no? -I do.
I'm an Olympic junkie, and I love it so much.
In fact, this year, I was watching the skiing,
and I was like, "We have to go skiing."
So we went Presidents' Day weekend,
and it was so much fun, but I --
-Are you a good skier? -I'm okay.
[ Laughter ] I'm -- I'm -- I'm okay,
but I was, like, so into it.
I was, like --
in my head, I was, you know, on the Olympic team,
and, you know, I was -- [ Laughter ]
-But in real life, you're -- you're pizza-ing.
-I'm pizza-ing. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
-But I was -- I was like, yeah,
I'm gonna be on the "Today" show in the morning.
-Yeah, no, yeah, exactly. -With my gold medal.
-Yeah, but you weren't, no. -No, I wasn't. I wasn't.
But it's okay. -Yeah.
-I have -- -Does Suri like skiing, too?
'Cause you've got to start young, right?
-She's really good. -She is? Yeah.
-So -- So, that's a challenge, because she's really good,
and I'm trying to keep up,
and I'm, like, "No, no, no!" -Yes.
-"Not the -- Not the double blue!
I can't -- I can't do it!" -I know.
It's like, "Yeah, we got to stick to the bunny slope, man!"
-I'm like... -I am the --
I'm doing it just for the kids. -It's so hard.
-I grew up in -- I'm from Brooklyn,
so I don't know anything about the outdoors at all,
or anything, seriously. [ Laughter ]
So, I mean, just going skiing was such a big ordeal,
and dressing the kids up, and they have to go to the bathroom,
and the whole thing, and then I've got to go to the bathroom.
Then I've got to change my onesie,
but they're really good, and they're so little that
I think they have no fear of falling or anything.
-I know. -They just -- Right?
But I'm so scared.
-And they go down the hill so fast.
I'm like, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"
-I know. I keep ruining all the family photos,
'cause I'm like -- I'm just -- I'm just nervous.
[ Light laughter ] When I ski, it's beyond pizza.
It is so -- It's so, like, Jerry Lewis, like "Ah!"
It's like -- But I... [ Laughter ]
Every photo of my wife is like -- she's so cool.
She's like Suzy Chapstick in there, be like --
she looks good.
I'm just, like, nervous just standing still.
[ Laughter ] People are saying, "You're --
Sir, you're ruining our vacation. Please, please."
[ Laughter ] -But it's all about the look.
Like, if you have the right ski outfit, you know?
-See, you kind of have a cool outfit. I have --
-I tried, because I feel like I got in the chairlift,
it doesn't -- nobody knows which slope you're going down.
-Oh, yeah, that's true. -So it's like,
as long as you have, like, you know, your stance, like...
-Yeah, if you got your stance -- -It's like, yeah, that's right.
-And you look cool, and you're like,
"Yeah, I'm going -- I'm going down Kitten Paw."
-Yeah. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[ Laughter ]
I saw you posted this. Look at this.
Is that -- [ Audience awws ]
Look at baby, baby, baby face right there.
-I know.
-That was -- Was that the first -- first season?
-This was the pilot. -This was the pilot?
-So, this is April of '97. -"Dawson's Creek."
-Yes. -April of '97.
Do you remember this time?
Do you remember auditioning for this?
-Yes. So, I was a senior in high school,
and I remember -- I had done a pilot season
the year before, my junior year,
and I had gone out to L.A. and tested for things,
and my senior year, I was like, "You know what?
I'm only gonna have this year to do my high-school musical,"
and they gave me a role,
which was really exciting for me.
-What was -- What was the musical? Do you remember?
-It was "Damn Yankees." -Hey, nice.
-And I was Lola. So I was like, "Eee!"
You know?
And, so, then I was, like,
auditioning on tapes in my basement.
And my -- like, my mom and I had, you know, a routine.
We would read the sides together.
She would hold the camera. She would read the other part.
So she was Dawson in this situation, and I was Joey.
-Your mom was the original Dawson.
-She was the original Dawson. [ Laughter ]
Yeah, we -- we did a lot of very interesting conversations
doing those auditions. -Yeah, interesting.
-And, anyways, they -- we sent the tape in,
and they said, "Okay, great. Can you come out and test?
Because we -- you know, you're part of, like, a small group."
But they wanted me to come the day of my opening night.
So I was like, "Wait." [ Chuckles ]
-Wow. That's a -- That's a life decision right there.
-Yeah. So my dad, who's, you know, very wise --
he said, "Well, Kate,
what do you think is the right decision here?"
-Yeah. -And I said, "Well, uh...
I think I could -- I kind of made a commitment.
So I probably can't break that, you know,
with my friends and the school and everything."
He's like, "Yeah, I don't think you can."
So we called and said, "We can't do it,"
and then they waited,
but the funny -- the -- the weird --
the funny thing is, is that Kevin Williamson,
who created the show and saw the tape --
he said, "Katie, I only saw half of your audition
because your sister's volleyball game was on the --
like, was taped through it." [ Laughter ]
-You -- You taped over it -- -Yeah.
[ Laughter ] I mean, that's how --
and I'm still that good at technology.
I'm like...
-That's what got you the role, yeah.
-That's what got me the role, I guess.
-Half the audition, see, and here you are 20 years later.
Yeah. -Yeah.
-I mean, how old -- You guys were just kids.
-So, we were babies.
We were -- We were 18 when we started.
Michelle was 16. -Wow.
-And it was such a great time. -Isn't that fun?
You kind of grew up together. -Yeah.
-And -- And you see those guys every now and then, right?
-Every now and then, and we're all gonna get together, so...
-Hey, no way. -Yeah.
So it'll be really exciting. -How fun is that?
-I know.
-Well, I can't wait for the Instagram post.
[ Laughter ]
Let's talk about your new movie, "Dear Dictator."
First of all, Michael Caine.
I love Michael Caine. -I love Michael Caine.
-Now, you've worked with him before, right?
-I worked with him on "Batman Begins."
That's right. -But this --
this movie is a comedy,
and working with him in a comedy was so much fun,
and he plays a dictator who moves into our house,
unbeknownst to me, and he's living in the basement.
And I play a woman who has a teenage daughter
who is rebelling to the point
of having a dictator from another country
come and live in our house,
but, ultimately, it -- it helps our relationship.
-Yeah, and -- and Michael, does he give you advice
or any, like, or acting advice or anything?
'Cause he -- you know, he's famous.
He has this great acting tape
where he teaches people how to act.
And he's like, "I'm Michael Caine.
It's all in the eyes." [ Laughter ]
"You have to look out.
You have to make sure your eyes don't blink."
[ Laughter ]
"You never blink when you act. That's -- You never blink.
That's the secret to..."
[ Speaking gibberish ]
[ Laughter ]
-I just tried not to blink. -I wasn't --
You just didn't blink the whole time, yeah.
-I just didn't blink, and I was like...
-But he's a great guy, huh?
-He's great. -He's just legendary.