NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Tom Holland has revealed his mental health journey after his new role. The Spider-Man actor plays Danny Sullivan, a guy who is detained after being involved in a shooting in New York City in 1979, in 'The Crowded Room'. It will make its Apple TV+ debut on June 9 and is based on the 1981 novel 'The Minds of Billy Milligan,' it is also a true story.
Holland who is also an executive producer of the project describes it as "an insight into the power of the human mind" and "the ways in which we can deal with trauma." He told Entertainment Weekly, "It's a show that will take you on twists and turns — you'll never know where you are or what's going on — and then it will all come to a miraculous conclusion toward the end."
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'It really beat me up'
However the series had also impacted his mental health as the star said, "I'm no stranger to the physical aspects of the job doing the whole action-movie thing," he told the outlet. "But the mental aspect, it really beat me up and it took a long time for me to recover afterward, to sort of get back to reality."
Holland said, recalling how he had "a bit of a meltdown at home" because he felt the urge to "get rid of this character," "I was seeing myself in him but in my personal life." Akiva Goldsman, who serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer on the series, said, "He took this character to heart. It was an unbelievably challenging piece," he told EW.
'I remember having a bit of a meltdown'
Holland was so much into the character that he thought getting rid of it, "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.' And, obviously, we were mid-shooting, so I decided not to… It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before." He further revealed, "We shot 130 days in a row."
Holland is one year and four months sober
In the interview it was revealed Holland is one year and four months sober, "Learning about mental health and the power of it and speaking to psychiatrists about Danny and Billy's struggles, has been something that has been so informative to my own life," he said.
Holland claimed to have improved at "recognizing triggers" for himself and identifying "things that stress me out." The 'Uncharted' actor expressed his hope that 'The Crowded Room' may encourage viewers to "have more respect and more sympathy for people who are going through mental health issues."