Katie Holmes Recalls 'Trying to Go from Being a Girl to a Woman' While Filming 'Dawson's Creek' : 'I Am Not Sexy'

Dawson's Creek aired six seasons between 1998 and 2003 with Holmes as Joey Potter

Katie Holmes is reflecting on her early career — and how her time on Dawson's Creek shaped her life then and now.

Now 44, Holmes was only 18 when she started filming the teen drama. She "really appreciated the writing," she told Glamour. "I felt like, as a teenager, I had so many different feelings, trying to go from being a girl to a woman," Holmes said. "And I felt like [creator Kevin Williamson] had this way of putting words to those feelings."

Holmes also shared that portraying Joey Potter helped her process the real-life challenges she was facing at the time as she figured out her identity and her place in the world. "So for me, playing that role, I was like, Oh, that's what that means. Oh, I get that. I loved doing it. It was a really fun, profound experience."

Related:Katie Holmes on Dawson's Creek Reunion: 'I Think We'd All Have a Really Great Time Doing It'

Throughout her career, Holmes fought against being put in a "box" in terms of the type of characters she's played, telling Glamour: "I didn't want to be the sexy young thing. I am not sexy. I used to have a friend of mine come to all my photo shoots to make sure that they didn't try to make me that way."

Related:Katie Holmes Calls Stepping Behind the Camera 'Very Challenging'

Dawson's Creek aired six seasons between 1998 and 2003. Despite wrapping up nearly 20 years ago, the show still has a loyal following — and new fans.

Holmes previously explained why new loyalties are surprising to her in a conversation on The Jess Cagle Show. "It's pretty wild," she said. "I mean, I'm kind of amazed that people are connecting to it — only because the world was, it was right before phones and ... before the internet really took off and social media, and life now is so different than the simplicity that was portrayed between this group of friends."

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Dawson's Creek is available to stream on HBO Max.

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