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7 Photos of Katie Holmes Young & Giving Off All the Joey Potter Vibes

At the age of 40, Katie Holmes looks basically the same as she did when she made her Dawson’s Creek debut. But, believe it or not, it’s been more than 20 years since the hit teen drama aired. Thankfully, you can relive the days of Katie Holmes young and just beginning her Hollywood career with these seven photos. 

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handout/Getty Images

1997

Once upon a time, in 1997, 19-year-old Katie Homes snagged a gig on a promising teen drama called Dawson's Creek, in which she starred alongside a similarly young James van der Beek. Holmes played Joey Potter, a young teen helplessly in love with her best friend and neighbor Dawson (van der Beek), and the rest is history. 

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Ron Galella/Getty Images

1997

In addition to her role as Joey Potter, Holmes also earned a part in acclaimed director Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm. Here she is with her very ’90s hair at the New York premiere of the film.

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jim smeal/ron galella collection/getty images

1998

By 1998, she was basically a red carpet pro and had already covered mags like Seventeen, Rolling Stone and TV Guide. Here she is at her very first Emmy Awards. We’re digging those ringlets, Katie.

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Ron Galella/Getty image

1999

With the success of Dawson’s Creek, Holmes began racking up lead roles in major movies like Teaching Mrs. Tingle alongside Dame Helen Mirren. Just look at her pout at the premiere. 

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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

2000

We’d be remiss not to mention her five-year romance with Chris Klein (they were even engaged but split in 2005!) and her chance run-in with Beyoncé at the MTV Movie Awards. 

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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

2006

By the time this pic was snapped in 2006, 27-year-old Holmes was married to Tom Cruise (they started dating in April 2005 and became engaged 7 weeks later) and had welcomed their daughter, Suri Cruise.

Holmes recently opened up about becoming a mom at a relatively young age in the Elle UK December issue. “I was happy to become a mom in my twenties. It’s been nice that our ages fit,” she said. “Every age that my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together.”

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Marcel Thomas/Getty IMages

2008

At 29, Holmes debuted a matching haircut with 2-year-old Suri, making her transition from teen starlette to chic mama complete. 

That concludes our trip down Katie Holmes memory lane.  



lex

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.