Dawson’s Creek fans have been excited about the Katie Holmes–Joshua Jackson reunion at the heart of Holmes’ latest film Happy Hours since the first paparazzi photos emerged of the two actors walking down a New York City sidewalk.
But there was something broader that sparked Holmes’ idea for her latest work as a writer and director, which premiered earlier this month at the Tribeca Festival: the increased social isolation that many people have felt since the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked what she hoped audiences grappling with those feelings of loneliness and a struggle to connect emotionally could take away from the film, Holmes told The Hollywood Reporter that she hoped people would “feel a sense of compassion for themselves and others and a sense of hope and that we can have fun again.”
Jackson added, “And that love is possible; life is long; there’s no given path; there’s no shelf life, and you’re going to be OK. It feels like knowing that you can take a deep breath and be OK right now is more important than it’s ever been.”
In putting together the cast for the film, Holmes didn’t just rely on her familiarity with Jackson, she also looked to the actors she’d worked with in the 2024 Broadway production of Our Town. Castmembers John McGinty, Donald Webber Jr. and Sky Smith were all part of the company of the Broadway production. McGinty had also worked with Jackson on Children of a Lesser God, describing joining Happy Hours as a “natural progression.”
