Holmes says love for Cruise is real

TOKYO - One of Hollywood's hottest couples may be having difficulty persuading the public their romance is genuine, but actress Katie Holmes says that her love for screen star Tom Cruise is real.

"I couldn't be happier. I'm so happy," Holmes said on her way into the world premiere of her latest movie "Batman Begins". "He's the most amazing man in the whole world," she said in Tokyo.

Cruise, 42, has also made no secret of his interest in the 26-year-old, until recently most famous for her role in TV series "Dawson's Creek".

In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Cruise shed his cool image to enthuse about the relationship, prompting many US commentators to question whether it was a publicity stunt aimed at promoting movies both stars were appearing in.

Cruise is starring in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds", due for release in June.

People magazine recently ran an unscientific poll showing that nearly two thirds of people questioned believed the Cruise-Holmes relationship was a stunt.

Holmes said she was proud to be appearing in "Batman Begins", directed by Christopher Nolan and also starring Morgan Freeman.

The veteran actor, who has often preferred roles in serious dramas in recent years, said he thought the time was right for him to take on a more commercial production.

"I haven't been asked to play in any of the major blockbuster types of movie -- Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Star Wars, any of that.

"Alec Guinness, who was one of England's most admired and able character actors, played Obi-wan Kenobi in Star Wars. He said he made more money off that movie than he'd made in all the movies he'd made prior to that. So I thought, OK, my shot."

- REUTERS