Katie Holmes's Big Fear Will Surprise You
Katie Holmes — an actress and major tabloid-seller who had millions of 2000's tweens crushing — has had a long and illustrious career. Though the notoriously private star manages to keep fans guessing, there are still plenty of fun facts to learn about the actress — she was initially offered the leading role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" but turned it down to stay in school — she made her big break with the 1998 premiere of teen drama "Dawson's Creek," where she was in one of pop culture's greatest love triangles (and even dated one of her on-screen beau's, Joshua Jackson); and, of course, she's known for her marriage to Tom Cruise between 2006 and 2012, during which his ties with Scientology were under hot debate. The pair share a daughter, 15-year-old Suri Cruise, who is growing up to look just like her stunning mom.
But Holmes has a little-known, deep-seated fear that might confuse some wildlife lovers. Her phobia was revealed on a 2011 "Tonight Show" appearance. She told then-host Jay Leno, "You know everybody always says spiders or a dog and how they're more afraid of you than you are of them ... I don't find that with raccoons." She also had the experience to back this up. "I was recently sitting outside, and this raccoon comes right [up to me]. I was expecting [it] to be more afraid of me, and I'm staring at it, and he's staring back like he's gonna kick my butt" (via HuffPost).
She faced her fear head-on
So, how did Katie Holmes face her worst fear in the flesh? The actress took the offense, standing up at the staring — best case, starstruck, worst case, rabid — critter. "I didn't know what to do, so I stood up and barked at him, and he ran away" (via HuffPost). Though Holmes' bark might have been worse than her bite, resources on interacting with raccoons agree with her forward approach — like being face to face with a bear, you want to appear larger than you are to intimidate the animal, according to The Spruce. Katie was right to be alarmed when the critter approached her, especially since the nocturnal creatures are rarely active during the day — when a raccoon is hanging out in daylight, you can safely assume it is sick or injured. The territorial animals can also be a danger to outdoor pets and children, so it's best to stay safe and keep away from the creatures if they don't back off. Nevertheless, the actress clearly has guts under pressure. And hopefully, the experience was curative, and Katie's no longer living in fear.