Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson’s reunion film ‘Happy Hours’ premieres at Tribeca Festival. The film, directed by Holmes, hopes to instill a sense of hope and connection among people after the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Happy Hours’ is a story of hope and connection
Actors Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson say they hope their reunion film ‘Happy Hours’ will spark a new sense of hope, compassion and connection in audiences. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film comes after years of social isolation following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film, which reunites the former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ co-stars, premiered at the Tribeca Festival earlier this month. Written and directed by Holmes, ‘Happy Hours’ takes inspiration from her experience working on the 2024 Broadway production ‘Our Town’.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Holmes said the film was inspired by the emotional isolation that many people have experienced in recent years. Asked what she hoped audiences would take from the film, Holmes said, “I hope people feel a sense of compassion and hope for themselves and others and that we can have fun again.”
Jackson echoed the same sentiment, saying, “And that love is possible; life is long; there is no set path; there is no shelf life, and you will be okay. It feels like knowing that you can take a deep breath and be okay right now is more important than ever.”
Katie Holmes’s direction praised
Holmes assembled the cast by bringing together longtime collaborators, including several actors with whom she had worked on Broadway’s Our Town. Cast members John McGinty, Donald Webber Jr. and Skye Smith joined the project after working with Holmes on the stage production.
Webber praised Holmes’ directing skills, recalling that they had become close friends while performing in ‘Our Town’. Weber said, “There’s no way I thought this incredible person, incredible actress, incredible everything, would also be an incredible director. And it turns out she was an incredible director, too.”
He added, “I’m proud of the things she’s been able to get us to do because I think she’s an actor’s director.”
Holmes revealed that Webber encouraged him during the development of the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Holmes recalled, “Every night after the death scene, we’d talk on the stairs. You really pushed me to keep going, and you’d ask, ‘How did that pitch go?’ And I’d say, ‘Looking forward to hearing,’ or, ‘We’ll keep trying’.”
Introducing the film at the Tribeca Festival, Holmes described ‘Happy Hours’ as a celebration of collaboration and human connection. “This film is made in the same spirit for which the Tribeca Film Festival is known,” he said.
“What you’re going to see is a beautiful community of artists who inspire each other and support each other and who said yes to this experience,” Holmes said. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Holmes further said, “Collaborating is not only fun, but also necessary and quite magical. Our time making this film was truly magical.”
Thanking Jackson, Holmes said, “Josh, thank you for sharing this space with me again. You created the ideal creative experience for me years ago and again on this film. This film is about connection and reconnection and our individual experiences that shape how we come together.”
Katie is an associate director
Actor Jack Martin, who played the younger version of Jackson’s character, said that the script immediately attracted him to the project. Martin said, “It was one of the best scripts I’ve ever read. It was phenomenal. I love romance movies… It was just beautifully written, very authentic dialogue, incredible relationships. I was so emotionally moved after reading it.”
Martin, Joe Tippett and Chloe Kerwin also praised Holmes’ collaborative style as a filmmaker. “She’s very encouraging and makes you feel like you’re always on the right path,” Kerwin said. Tippett joked, “She knows how to talk to actors and make you believe that all the ideas are yours when they’re really hers.”
McGuinty described Holmes as an open-minded ally. He said, “She’s really like a collaborator. She’s amazing because she’s so open to so many different ideas… Every time I work with her I learn about her as a person, as a human being, intellectually, on every level. I’m just so grateful.”
‘Dawson’s Creek’ couple reunites
The reunion between Holmes and Jackson has created a lot of excitement among ‘Dawson’s Creek’ fans. Without revealing the plot, Weber teased, “Everyone asks me, ‘Do they get together in the movie? Do they stay together?’ Without giving anything away, all I can say is that this is a reunion worth waiting for.”
Actress Constance Wu said that the pair’s real-life history gives the film additional emotional depth. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wu said, “The history between two people, which this film is about, is something you can’t fake. There’s so much richness in their history… They’ve watched each other grow up, and that’s a beautiful thing. And to see that and appreciate that is so worthy of the big screen.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)