Katie Holmes was widely appreciated for her work as Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. So when she didn’t return to play the character again in the subsequent films, getting replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, fans were quite surprised. On top of that, rumors put all the blame on Tom Cruise, her husband of the time.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

During the time of Tom Cruise’s relationship with Katie Holmes, the tabloids were having a pretty ruthless go at the two. The news pieces got so disturbing at one point that Katie Holmes had to call them out for being “disgusting.” One such piece suggested that Tom Cruise was the true reason behind the actress quitting one of the biggest superhero trilogies in the industry. Is there any truth to that story?

 

Did Katie Holmes Quit Because of Tom Cruise?

Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins
 

When Katie Holmes left The Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, she cited scheduling conflicts as the reason. But since she was married to one of the biggest superstars of Hollywood, there were a lot of speculations around the exit. Tabloids suggested that the scheduling conflicts she talked about were actually Tom Cruise’s. In 2012, Cruise told Playboy, “When Kate’s shooting, I am there with her and the kids. We are always together.”

E-News listed another “untrue” rumor that Warner Bros. fired Holmes because Cruise had “sucked all the publicity air out of the room ahead of the film’s June 2005 release.” TMZ was another media outlet that weighed in on the topic. According to them, the Top Gun: Maverick actor was so protective of Holmes that he wouldn’t even let her fly in the same airplane as the rest of the cast members.

“We are told Tom also imposed his will during Batman Begins…prohibiting Katie from flying with the rest of the cast. Instead, Katie would only travel on Tom’s private jet. One source tells us Morgan Freeman was ‘disgusted’ by the situation. On the other side, however, one source scoffed and said, ‘Wow, Tom offered her his private jet. How terrible for Katie.”
However, Morgan Freeman later turned the rumor down stating that he doesn’t recall having any knowledge about how Holmes was treated. He added that since he didn’t know anything about it, he never commented on the whole issue.

 

Katie Holmes Takes Tom Cruise Out of the Bad Light

Tom Cruise with Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise
Well, all of that turned out to be nothing but rumors and Holmes made sure we all know that. In 2016, Business Insider asked the Jack and Jill actress about her time as Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. Answering the question, Holmes also affirmed that the choice to leave the trilogy was hers and only hers.

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“You know, I really enjoyed working on the first one and I wish I could have worked with Chris Nolan again and I hope to work with him again. It was a decision that I made at that time and it was right for me at the moment, so I don’t have any regrets. I think Maggie did a wonderful job.”
So, there you have it! According to Holmes, she had full control of the decision and does not regret it. Cruise and Holmes separated in 2012 after the actress filed for divorce in June. 53 days after the filing, the divorce was finalized. The two share a daughter, Suri Cruise.

Batman Begins is available to stream on HBO Max.