Tom Holland got worldwide attention following his role as Spider-Man, one of the most popular Superheroes. He then tried his acting range in some other projects such as Chaos Walking, Cherry, Ruben Fleischer’s 2022 action adventure Uncharted and the American psychological thriller television miniseries The Crowded Room. But his role in this psychological thriller was too complicated and he faced a lot of challenges filming it.
Tom Holland Discussed The Challenges He Faced While Filming The Crowded Room
Tom Holland in The Crowded Room (2023). Image Credit: Apple TV+
The Crowded Room was Tom Holland’s passion project where, apart from starring, he served as an executive producer also. But it was not an easy task for him to portray Danny Sullivan in The Crowded Room.
The Apple TV+ series is an adaptation of Daniel Keyes’ novel The Minds of Billy Milligan which follows crime and investigation and twists and turns around it.
Holland, in an interview with Q’s Tom Power, spoke about the challenges while filming the 10-episode limited series:
“It’s just putting yourself in the shoes of someone who is suffering from the results of childhood trauma and feeling those feelings on a daily basis. I’d be naive to say that I understand what it is he’s been through, but I feel his pain. Waking up every day going to work and having to cry for six hours every day is a really taxing thing to do.”
“I lost a lot of weight. I had this crazy haircut. I was gone. I was tired. I was emotionally drained. And I’d look in the mirror and I wouldn’t see the person that I would see today, you know? So it was tough,” he added.
“This show absolutely broke me in every way possible,” Holland told The Hollywood Reporter at The Crowded Room premiere in New York City. “I just kept my head down. I dug my heels in, and I just tried my best.”
“You know, this is a really, really daunting task, playing this character. It’s TV, it’s something I haven’t done before. It’s a lot of work and I wanted to just have that extra stake in the game. I’m delighted to say I never needed to exercise that power though,” Holland told Den of Geek.
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After so much hard work and dedication to the character, the actor hoped that people would love the series but it did not go accordingly, particularly critics panned it with just a 27% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tom Holland Spoke About His Mental Health Struggles
Tom Holland and Sasha Lane in The Crowded Room (2023). Image Credit: Apple TV+
His role in The Crowded Room was a tough ride for him. It brought his professional growth to an extent, but it was more about the mental health of his own that he was compelled to take a close look.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Spider-Man: No Way Home star reflected how this particular role impacted his mental health.
“I’ve spent so long playing Nathan Drake (from ‘Uncharted’) and playing Spider-Man, who are characters that you can depend on, people you feel safe around, and, ultimately, people that feel really capable,” Holland told the outlet. “I really enjoyed playing Danny in those earlier episodes where I was able to lean into my more vulnerable side.“
“I’m no stranger to the physical aspects of the job doing the whole action-movie thing,” he added in the interview. “But the mental aspect, it really beat me up and it took a long time for me to recover afterwards, to sort of get back to reality.”
For him, to disconnect from the role after being involved for a long nine months was very tough. “I remember having a bit of a meltdown at home and thinking, like, ‘I’m going to shave my head. I need to shave my head because I need to get rid of this character,’” he recalled.
He added: “It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
Tom Holland in The Crowded Room. Image Credit: Apple TV+
Earlier, the actor took a break from social media citing how it was difficult for him to read about him in the apps.
“I get caught up, and I spiral when I read things about me online, and ultimately, it’s very detrimental to my mental state,” he said on Instagram.
Up next, according to Variety reports, Holland is ready to return to the stage as William Shakespeare’s most famous doomed lover Romeo in London’s West End revival of the play, with Jamie Lloyd directing.
Stream The Crowded Room on Apple TV+
