Katie Holmes Balances TV, Film

(CBS)  For six seasons, actress Katie Holmes has been balancing her day job playing Joey Potter on the hit WB series "Dawson's Creek" with a critically acclaimed movie career in films including "The Gift" and "Wonder Boys". Her latest big screen effort is "Abandon."

Holmes explains to The Early Show that "Abandon" is a psychological thriller. Her character, Katie Burke, is a senior at a prestigious college trying to cope with the two-year disappearance of a loved one. Burke tries to face her fear of abandonment as a possible romance with a detective, played by Benjamin Bratt, develops. However, the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend comes back to haunt her.

"Abandon" is written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, the award-winning writer of "Traffic."

After the initial success of "Dawson's Creek," Holmes went on to star in films that were mostly either teen comedies or horror movies. But in recent years she chose ensemble pieces. Why the change?

"First of all, I had great opportunities. You know, I mean, I was cast in 'Wonder Boys' somehow and that experience just was a whole different learning experience for me. And I suddenly was learning something and not working with just people my own age," says Holmes.

In "Wonder Boys" she co-starred with Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire.

"So I wanted to try to keep doing that. Because I thought, I just want to become a better actor. And I don't know how else to do that, except for trying to surround myself by really good people," she says.

Holmes' first professional audition resulted in a plum role in the award-winning film, "The Ice Storm," directed by Ang Lee.

She also has appeared in films "Disturbing Behavior," co-starring Nick Stahl; "Teaching Mrs.Tingle;" and the feature "Go!" Most recently, Holmes was seen in "The Gift," directed by Sam Raimi.

Her next movie release was to be opposite Colin Farrell in Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth," but the film's release has been delayed because its distributor, Paramount, thought the movie's plot was too similar to recent real-life sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area.

Facts About Katie Holmes

• Katie Noelle Holmes was born in Toledo, Ohio, on Dec. 18, 1978
  
• Holmes put her acceptance to prestigious Columbia University on hold
  
• In 1997, she had a featured role as Libbets Casey in Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm"
  
• in 1998, Holmes was cast as Joey Potter, the childhood best friend of the title character, in the ensemble TV drama "Dawson's Creek"
  
• She received a MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance for "Disturbing Behavior" in 1999