If there’s one thing we know for sure about Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise, it’s that the two can almost pass as twins, especially as Suri, now sixteen years old, gets older. There’s another thing that seems to be pretty obvious about this mom-and-daughter duo: how much they love each other.
While many of us think about the quarantine brought on by COVID-19 as a dreary, anxious time, Holmes described it as a “perpetual vacation.” Why? Mostly because lockdown allowed her to spend quality time with her daughter. “I painted, we had a sewing machine so we were making quilts, we were cooking; we were on a perpetual vacation,” Holmes said to Amazing Magazine (via the Daily Mail). Not everyone would enjoy spending that much time with their parents, but it seems that Suri and Holmes are basically best friends. It probably helps that Holmes seems like the most supportive mom ever: “My main goal is to just let her know how much I love her,” Holmes said (per People). Below, we’ll get into all the ways Suri is growing up to be just like her mom.
Katie Holmes’ IG throwback pic looks just like SuriKatie Holmes/InstagramProbably the most obvious way that Suri Cruise takes after Katie Holmes is how she’s pretty much the spitting image of her mom. In some photos of Suri, you can see hints of her dad, Tom Cruise, in her features, but she has the same dark hair, high cheekbones, and kind smile that her mom is known for.
In a throwback Instagram post celebrating her birthday, Holmes posted a photo of herself as a child — and it looks remarkably similar to Suri as a child. The photo shows Holmes as a beaming toddler, and she captioned the picture, “Thank you for all of the kindness on my birthday. I do love being a December baby.” The actress could have just as easily fooled followers into thinking the photo was a picture of Suri. In fact, in another Instagram post featuring an old photo of Holmes and her daughter, you can see that Suri had the exact same bob haircut her mom had as a child.
Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise share the same signature smileJames Devaney/Getty ImagesKatie Holmes is most well-known for her role in the 1990s hit series “Dawson’s Creek,” but many may also know her for her smile. Whether Holmes is giving a mysterious smirk or a toothy grin, she’s often been captured by paparazzi wearing a smile, which has served to add to the cute, girl-next-door vibe that she’s had since her days on “Dawson’s Creek.” Although it seems Holmes has had some dental work done over the years, this hasn’t changed the overall impression of her signature smile.
And although Suri Cruise has stayed out of the public and little is known about the sixteen-year-old, what is clear is that she inherited her mom’s smile. In photos, Suri frequently smiles gamely for the cameras and looks nearly identical to Holmes. And photos of Holmes and Suri together demonstrate even further the way they both have the same smile — and the same friendly, kind vibe about them.
Both Katie and Suri are fashionistasRay Tamarra/Getty ImagesRemember when Katie Holmes broke the internet and shook the world with a cardigan? In November 2019, Holmes stepped out in a beige cardigan with a matching knit bra — and everyone went crazy over her ability to transform something as simple (and, let’s face it, unsexy) as a cardigan into a sexy and chic look. When Holmes was asked if she intended to make the cardigan such a Look, she replied, as cool as ever, that the piece of clothing was just “very comfortable and easy” (via Vogue). Truly effortlessly chic.
As for Suri Cruise, recent photos of her (via Yahoo!) show that she seems to share the same classic, put-together style as her mom, and she’s often seen in timeless basics like jeans, t-shirts, and sundresses. However, her shoe collection is a whole different story: At just five years old, her shoe collection was rumored to cost around $150,000. And she even seems to gravitate toward high-end brands like Marc Jacobs and Christian Louboutin.
A source told the Daily Mail that Suri had a preference for heels, saying that “The older she gets, the less she wants to wear anything but little heels…Even when she’s going to play dates or walking on the beach, she cries if Katie reaches for anything but a little pair of sandals with some sort of heel.”
Suri has dipped her toe into actingDia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesKatie Holmes has an undeniably prolific acting career. Per IMDb, she started her journey at just 17 years old when she landed a small role in the 1997 movie “The Ice Storm.” After that, her fame skyrocketed when she landed a main role on 1998’s “Dawson’s Creek,” where she played the character of Joey Potter. Shortly after, Holmes got her first big award for her role in “Disturbing Behavior,” where she won Best Breakthrough Female Performance at the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. Since then, Holmes has continued to act in movies and TV series, and has also produced and directed some films of her own.
With both her mom and dad in the business of acting, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Suri has also tried her hand at acting. In 2013, she was in “Oblivion,” an action movie made by her dad, Tom Cruise. At the time, Suri was just 7 years old, and played a pretty small role. Since then, Suri hasn’t taken any other acting roles, but who’s to say what the future has in store?
Katie and Suri share the same laid-back personality
Katie Holmes is known for her friendly, girl-next-door energy, and her daughter Suri, who always appears chipper and friendly in photos, seems to be equally charming. Holmes, for her part, has always been relatively private, but photos of her show a calm, friendly demeanor.
Additionally, a lack of personal drama (maybe besides the split with Tom Cruise, which Holmes also keeps incredibly private) also demonstrates Holmes’ laidback personality. In interviews, Holmes describes herself as a creative, spontaneous person who is also driven by her work. “I’m getting the projects I want made and just relaxing a little,” she told InStyle in 2020.
As far as we can tell, Suri appears to be the same way. In photos, the 16-year-old appears cheerful and down-to-earth, and, unlike others in her age group, Suri is nowhere to be found on social media — meaning no questionable-but-typical teenage behavior has been picked up by tabloids. Both Holmes and her daughter seem to be mostly focused on enjoying their lives and keeping their personal lives private, and we love that for them.
The mom-and-daughter duo have been spotted in matching outfits
There’s really nothing sweeter than mom-and-daughter coordinating outfits, and Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise have been proving this point for years. When Suri was younger, the two were frequently photographed wearing coordinating outfits, whether it was a matching white skirt and similar black-and-white tops or matching floral formal gowns.
Now, matching with your mom is adorable when you’re a kid, but most would assume that teenagers would run far, far away from the notion of matching with a parent. Not Suri, though. The now-16-year-old has been spotted wearing matching outfits with her mom on several occasions; most recently, the two were photographed wearing matching cream cardigans while out running errands, and not long before that, they were both out and about wearing a matching casual look of tank tops and jeans. It’s possible that Suri has just developed a sense of style similar to her mom’s — after all, Holmes was called an “It girl” by Vogue, so clearly, her sartorial choices are pretty top-notch.
They are both strong and independentChristopher Polk/kca2015/Getty ImagesPhysical similarities and matching outfits aside, it seems that the most important thing that Holmes has passed down to her daughter is her determination and independence. “My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality,” Katie said to InStyle. “To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it. She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality.”
Living in New York City allows Holmes to further encourage her daughter’s individuality and independence. “The city has a lot to offer, and I use it. Yes, it’s a little too exposed at times, and we work hard to maneuver and navigate. But what I love about New York is that for me and my child, this is our vibe. When there are 25 things to do every night, it takes you out of your own thing,” she said. And the best part of living in the city? “There’s a place not far from my house that does foot massages until midnight. That’s what New York offers!”
Holmes also makes time for fun and leisure in her schedule, modeling the importance of joy for her daughter. “I’ll take a class at Broadway Dance Center. I’ll go to the Joyce Theater. I do hot yoga and boxing classes. I have a book club. The city has a lot to offer, and I use it,” she said.
Katie and Suri are both creative
Given how she’s an actress, it’s not surprising that Katie Holmes is also a creative spirit. She founded a fashion line in 2009 with her friend and stylist Jeanne Yang called Holmes & Yang, and though the business only lasted a few years, it demonstrated Holmes’ creativity and eye for fashion. “I loved every minute of my time working on Holmes & Yang,” Holmes told Elle UK (via E! Online). “I remain passionate about the design aesthetic we created, and am so happy with what Jeanne and I accomplished.” Holmes ultimately left the line to focus on motherhood and her acting career, but her time in fashion demonstrates her creative streak.
Holmes aims to nurture this creativity in her daughter, too. “…I also try to be very creative with her, because I know she’s an artist, and that speaks to the girl in me,” Holmes said in 2014 (via People). She added that she’d much rather focus on creative projects than other typical kid activities. “To be honest? I’m not going to play tag, probably. That’s not at the top of my list. But I’ll paint all day, I’ll do the creative stuff.”
Both Katie and Suri like their privacy
Katie Holmes was a household name in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, but she sort of dropped off the radar after divorcing Tom Cruise in 2012, leading many to wonder what the once-uber-famous actress was up to. Unsurprisingly, Holmes was focused on raising Suri. “My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now,” Holmes told Town & Country. “It’s very important that I’m present and she has a stable, innocent childhood.” After going through such a high-profile divorce, it makes sense that Holmes wanted to shield Suri — and herself — from the media as much as possible.
Her daughter, Suri, who has largely stayed out of the public eye, seems to be as private as Holmes. Though Suri is sometimes photographed in New York City or in photos with her mom at events, little is known about her, and she doesn’t appear to use social media.
Suri may have a future in Hollywood
Though acting may not be in Suri’s future, it seems singing may be. The 16-year-old had a singing part in her mom’s 2022 film “Alone Together”: In the opening credits of the movie, Suri sings a cover of “Blue Moon.” As the story goes, Holmes needed someone with talent, and she knew her daughter wouldn’t disappoint. “I always want the highest level of talent,” Holmes said (via Yahoo!). “So I asked her! She’s very, very talented. She said she would do it and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing. That’s the way I direct in general: It’s like, ‘This is what I think we all want — go do your thing.'”
Evidently, “Alone Together” wasn’t the first time Suri sang in one of her mom’s movies. “She actually did sing in Rare Objects, which is the film we did last fall,” Holmes said. Does this mean that Suri will be America’s next singing sensation? Probably not any time soon. Aside from her two singing roles in mom’s movies, Suri is just “a 16-year-old kid doing high school,” according to Holmes.
Neither Katie nor Suri like social media
It seems celebrities either love or hate social media, and Katie Holmes seems to fall in the latter category. “I don’t use [Instagram] that much and, if I do, it’s usually just work geared,” she said. She added that social media just isn’t an accurate portrayal of who someone really is. “You can start to look at all these strangers and think you know them and there’s no way that can encapsulate a whole person,” she said (via Elle).
As far as Suri’s social media presence goes…she doesn’t seem to have one. There are plenty of fan pages out there, but if Suri has an Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, she’s good at keeping it on the down low. This could be due to the fact that she’s a private person like Holmes – or it may be due to her mom’s rules. As Holmes told Stellar Magazine (via Marie Claire), “Every parent is challenged by social media and the Internet. I think, for me, it’s just limiting the amount of time for myself and for my child. It’s important to get out and live and not always be on your phone.”
Katie passed her work ethic onto Suri
Holmes has worked steadily for the last twenty years, taking on many acting roles — on top of raising her daughter, mostly as a single mom — but in recent years, she has also found a love for directing, telling Town & Country she’ll probably end up directing rather than acting in the future. “I’ve been acting for about 20 years now, and in the last few years I’ve become more confident and gotten more interested in storytelling as a whole,” she shared. “Also, I’ve been feeling inspired to put my point of view out there. It’s scary, but the process of it is something I really love.”
It appears Holmes passed her strong work ethic onto her daughter. Katie told InStyle of Suri: “She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality. She’ll pick an activity and work her butt off until she’s really good at it. Then she’s like, “OK, I’m going to try the next thing.” She’s very focused and a hard worker.” Like mother, like daughter!
Both Katie and Suri are ‘kind, generous’ people
Katie Holmes has been called America’s Sweetheart. She just radiates such a kind, unassuming vibe. Some may wonder if that’s the case in real life, and it appears to be so, thanks to Holmes’ mom, who raised Holmes to be a good person.
Holmes told People that her mother is “just so kind and has such a pure heart; she really leads with those two qualities, so I try to do the same.” Holmes added that her mom’s kindness and generosity inspire her, and she aims to embody that and “pass that on to my own daughter.”
And as far as we can tell, Holmes has succeeded in her mission. Not only do photos show Suri as a kind and friendly teen, but the two have also spent time volunteering and helping those in need. In 2019, the mom and daughter went to Greece to help women and children at the Moria Refugee Camp, according to Marie Claire.
