Amid all the descriptors one could attach to Katie Holmes, the actress is first and foremost a mom.
"I think the basics are very important: The number one thing is making sure my child feels loved. And good about herself," Elle UK's April cover girl tells the magazine. "And that what she does and who she is, is special and important, and should be celebrated.'"
"My mom always said, ‘No one loves you like your mother,'" she also says.
Holmes is nothing if not a hands-on mom to 7-year-old Suri, her daughter with ex-husband with Tom Cruise.
"I think all of our experiences bring us to a greater understanding of ourselves and help us realize what is most important," continues the 35-year-old divorcée. "That being said, I have three older sisters and one older brother and I went to an all-girls school, and have always been a fan of women. I support women and all experiences give you more insight into others, as well as yourself."
And in a certain respect, Holmes experienced her coming-of-age twice, both in real life and as Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek.
"The world has changed so much since then," she notes. "Social media, and what people are watching. But I think innocence was one of the draws of the show. It was these kids going through first love and heartbreak and growing up and friendships changing. So I'm glad that the innocence still holds up."
Innocence may not have been what Elle was going for, however, when it put Holmes on the cover in a multicolored Prada coat and nothing else. The now-former designer, who chose to shut down her fashion line Holmes & Yang after five years, also models looks from Dior, Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler in the mag.
The full interview appears in the April 2014 issue of Elle UK, on sale March 6 and available as a digital edition.