Though Norbert Leo Butz plays Katie Holmes' brother in the new Broadway comedy Dead Accounts, the Tony-winning actor revealed that their first introduction felt like an awkward Internet date.
“Meeting Katie felt like being on a Match.com setup, because you never know what it’ll be like with a movie star who’s in the news,” Butz told The New York Times. “But I thought our chemistry was palpable. We were both Midwestern, from big families and raised Catholic.”
The similarities have helped Butz and Holmes bond in record time, so much so that the actors seem as comfortable with each other during interviews as real siblings. Not only do they have comparable backgrounds, they also mirror their characters: they play two of six siblings from Cincinnati in Dead Accounts.
With Holmes' personal life making headlines this summer, the actress told the Times that she is uncomfortable with people buying tickets simply to see her in person, and that she remains committed to staying grounded. “I have a hard time sleeping because I think about how serious this all is," she said. "I think about the cost of tickets. I think to myself, ‘You better do a good job.’”
Trying to impress strangers? Maybe acting is like Internet dating after all!
Dead Accounts opens at the Music Box Theatre on November 29.