Tom Holland was so emotionally drained while filming the miniseries The Crowded Room that he decided to retire for a year – Variety writes.
The young actor that most people know from the Spider-Man movies, In his interview with Extra He talked about how he was so stressed out by filming the series that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown by the end. That is why he decided to take a break from work for the sake of his mental health.
The series was written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, and three of the ten episodes were directed by Cornel Mondrucho.
In the series, Holland plays Danny Sullivan, who was arrested in the summer of 1979 after participating in a shooting at Rockefeller Center. The series is based on the true crimes of a man named Billy Milligan, who was later diagnosed with DID. Amanda Seyfried plays Sullivan’s psychologist on the series.
Filming lasted ten months, Holland said of the medium he felt safe the whole time, and Akiva Goldsman was also “always there to cry on his shoulder”. However, in the end, he had completely lost his mind.
“It was a difficult period, that’s for sure. I discovered feelings I hadn’t experienced before. As a producer, I also had to deal with day-to-day organizational tasks, which added to the pressure on me.”
According to Holland, while he enjoyed learning how to produce, doing his best as an actor in a character with severe mental problems pushed him to the limit of his endurance.
“I’m no stranger to hard work. I always thought hard work was good business. But this show still broke. The moment came when I needed a break, I had to just disappear. I went to Mexico for a week and lay on the beach and relax. Now I decided to take a A year off, because it was difficult to do this series.”
Last month , In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Holland also spoke about how, on the set of The Crowded Room, he felt for the first time that his work was also affecting his personal life and that he couldn’t shake his personality. “I saw the character,” he said, “but not me.” In the interview, he indicated that at one point he felt a very strong urge to shave his head, to see if he could get rid of the influence of the role. “Of course, we were still in the middle of filming, I couldn’t do that…but I’ve never felt like this before.”
Recently, the actor has been outspoken about his mental problems and the fact that at one point he tried to suppress stress in himself with alcohol. He told Entertainment Weekly he’s been sober for about a year and a half, and thanks The Crowded Room for, among other things, beginning to deal consciously with his mental health. As he said, he now realizes what “triggers” him, which is also why he’s trying to stay away from social media.
He confirmed that it will not go away, not least because he is very proud of the series and wants to experience its reception with fans. He said, “I feel that the hard work was not in vain.” The question is how long he can enjoy his retirement, because according to the news, preparations for the fourth Spider-Man movie have already begun.
The series will premiere on Apple TV+ on June 9.
