With the long-anticipated release of "The Dark Knight" right around the corner, and the movie's [article id="1576855"]much-talked-about trailer[/article] available to satiate our excitement, Batman fans everywhere are finally showing their smiles.

So why so serious? Because, for the first time, so is Katie Holmes.

"I wish them all the best for this summer," she said of her former "Batman Begins" co-stars. "I'm excited to see ['The Dark Knight']."

Deemed by many to be the weakest link in the first film of the series, Holmes begged off working on the sequel, she says, to pursue other projects, and was replaced in the role of Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes by Maggie Gyllenhaal. But that doesn't mean Holmes has any regrets about turning down the project, she insisted.

"Not at all. I had a great experience working with Chris Nolan [and] I'm sure it's going to be a great movie. [But] I chose to do this movie ['Mad Money'], and I'm really proud of it," she told MTV News.

With a [article id="1528965"]child[/article] and a marriage to Tom Cruise, it would be erroneous to say that Holmes has been out of the public eye for even a second during the last three years, but it has been nearly that long since the 29-year-old actress has actually, you know, acted ("Batman Begins" and "Thank You for Smoking" were released within months of each other in 2005).

But returning to the big screen with Friday's "Mad Money" seemed like the right move, she said, in part because of who she got to work with.

"I was so excited to work with Diane [Keaton] and Queen Latifah," Holmes asserted. "It was so much fun to create this character, so I'm excited."

Something of a fashion icon in her own right these days, Holmes said that when it comes to style, it's Keaton's universe and she's just playing in it.

"I would study what Diane wore every day, on and off the set, her character, it was amazing," Holmes said. "I think she is so chic, we are all trying to copy her."

Directed by Oscar winner Callie Khouri ("Thelma & Louise"), "Mad Money" follows three minimum-wage employees who devise a way to steal millions from a Federal Reserve bank. It's the perfect crime in a way, because the money is all set to be destroyed. Katie plays one of the scheming women, a free spirit in charge of transporting the funds.

To prepare for the role, Holmes visited a real Federal Bank, she said — an unbelievable experience even for one of the richest, most famous moms in the world.

"It's almost so much money that it's overwhelming. You never see that much, so it's hard to know exactly the amount that you're looking at, if that makes sense," she said of visiting the bank, where millions of dollars were set to be shredded. "I think $20 million was only like that," she added, holding up her fingers.

New experiences and a new movie. Forget "The Dark Knight." For Katie Holmes, those are reasons enough to be smiling.

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight."

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