Katie Holmes and "Dawson's Creek" are almost interchangeable, but Tom Cruise's ex takes her past teenybopper years in stride.

Katie Holmes in "Dawson's Creek" was the poster girl for nineties teenyboppers, earning a very promising career for herself and her co-stars during the show's run. Holmes is currently Olay's global ambassador, and is gearing up for a directorial stint at "All We Had."

The nineties generation knew Holmes first in "Dawson's Creek," though, as Joey Potter. Her career enjoyed a serious boost after she married Tom Cruise, as well as after a string of memorable performances in several movies. Looking back at her time in "Dawson's Creek," Holmes said she's taking everything in stride.

"I don't know if I have moved past it, but I don't really care. I had a ball doing it, and it's really nice to be a part of something that did affect people."

She noted the show opened up plenty of opportunities for everyone in the cast, confirming "You can't really ask for much more than that."

In spite of her success, Holmes confesses opportunities don't come as often as most people think. "It's a very hard business. You have to work hard every day and hope for the best. Sometimes offers are flying in, and sometimes they're not."

The relative scarcity of opportunities is partly the reason why Holmes is creating one on her own. "There aren't as many movies being made, period, so the challenge is to create projects for yourself."

The directing stint is new territory for her, but Holmes still doesn't consider herself ambitious. "I think ambition is a wonderful thing, but I see a lot of people who might be a little more ambitious [than me]; I just do what I do and go home," she said. "I have a balanced life. I like having different experiences, and I like being inspired."

Michelle Williams, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, and Katie Holmes co-starred in "Dawson's Creek" till the series wrapped up ten years ago (ellecanada.com).