Katie Holmes covers the September issue of Town & Country. An odd choice overall, but it doesn’t matter. Katie is promoting her return to Broadway in Kenny Leon’s revival of Our Town. Her daughter Suri is heading off to college and Katie already seems booked and busy. There’s an undercurrent of Katie trying to keep herself busy too, like she knows that being an empty-nester will hit her hard so she’s booking as much stuff as possible. But mostly, Katie has that je ne sais quoi quality of Xennials… the IDGAF attitude of a Gen Xer mixed with some older-Millennial quirks. Some highlights from Town & Country:

An empty-nester: Holmes has thrown herself into creative pursuits including dance classes (“I love a dance studio because every time you enter, you’re starting from the beginning, and that’s a good, meditative way to approach the day”), painting (“I like abstract and took a class right here”), and even a book club (“You learn so much about each other—it’s a chance for everybody to share what moves them”). She’s a great reader; her group, which meets about five times a year, recently discussed Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water.

How she prepares for a role: “I read a lot to calm my mind down, and then I play. We all live at this fast pace, and I know sometimes I need to calm down.”

Choosing her work: “Do I have 20 scripts at my door, all with the green light? No. Would that make life easier? Yes. Is that unrealistic? Yes. Everybody has to find their interesting story, try to put it together, and make poetry out of things. There’s a lot of thought that goes into the projects I work on, but at the end of the day you still want to create something that people will respond to. You’re always at the whim of someone.”

On why she is writing a love-story trilogy: “I was drawn to create a love story, because I think that that never goes out of style. We all want to escape into that.”

On being a fashion icon: “This is where we are right now. Fashion is really big, and it didn’t used to be. As an actor, you weren’t necessarily photographed all the time on the street. It’s different now, and it’s flattering, but it doesn’t change how I live or dress. I’m adamant about having a life and not letting this industry dictate decisions as simple as what I wear or as complicated as what I do. You don’t want to be afraid of anything, right?”

On her daughter, Suri, heading to college: “I’m proud of my daughter. Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I’m really proud of her and I’m happy. I remember being this age, this time of beginnings. It’s exciting to learn about yourself, and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think about it like that.”

[From Town & Country]

We don’t know much about Suri, but from what we can see, she seems like a perfectly well-adjusted kid who grew up in New York. She has friends, she got into a good college (Carnegie Mellon) and she’ll come home to visit her mom when she can. I bet Katie starts working more now too, not just on Broadway. I imagine she’ll say “yes” to more stuff where she would have to travel or be on location outside of NYC. Anyway, I still root for Katie. I hope she’s doing well and I hope she stays busy with all of her projects and hobbies.

Photos courtesy of Ruven Afanador for Town and Country, sent via promotional Town & Country email. Additional photos courtesy of Cover Images and Backgrid.