10 Amazing Performances That Turned Teen Idols Into Legitimate Actors

3. Katie Holmes - Pieces Of April

It's kind of sad that at the end of the day, Katie Holmes will probably be known for her performance as the doe-eyed Joey on Dawson's Creek and her high-profile, ill-fated marriage to Tom Cruise. Because although she has a tendency to associate herself with mediocre projects, she's actually a pretty talented actress. A few years after Dawson's Creek ended, she signed on for the lead role in a small, low-budget film called Pieces Of April. In it, she played a girl in her early 20s, the black sheep of her family, who invites her sickly mother, her overwhelmed father, and two younger siblings over to her tiny NYC apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving with her boyfriend (who is black, a fact that doesn't matter to the audience but means a hell of a lot to her parents). She brings charm and likability to the misfit role, and we can't help but root for her as she tries so hard to prove herself to her family. Pieces Of April marked the end of the time when Katie Holmes could believably play a teenager, so it's fair to say that taking on this character had a significant effect on her adult career.