In a recent video interview with Extra, Tom Holland said that he will be taking a year break from acting after the rigorous production of his upcoming Apple TV+ mystery thriller “The Crowded Room.”
The series stars Holland as Danny Sullivan, who is jailed in the summer of 1979 for his involvement in a Rockefeller Centre shooting.
The show is based on Billy Milligan’s true crimes, who was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder.
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“It was a tough time, for sure,” Holland said of the show’s production. “We were exploring emotions that I had never experienced before.”
On top of that, being a producer and dealing with the day-to-day challenges that occur with any film set just added that extra level of pressure.
Holland claimed he “loved the learning curve of becoming a producer,” but balancing two roles in one film while playing a character with significant mental health issues pushed him over the edge.
“I’m no stranger to a hard day’s work,” Holland explained. “I’ve always believed that hard work is good work.” However, the show did break me.
There was a time when I needed a break and went to Mexico for a week to relax on the beach and lay low. Because of how stressful this show was, I’m now taking a year off.
I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. “I feel like our efforts were not in vain.”
Holland acknowledged to Entertainment Weekly last month that working on “The Crowded Room” caused a “bit of a meltdown” in his personal life.
“I was seeing myself in the character, but it was in my personal life,” Holland explained. “I remember having a little meltdown at home and saying to myself, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’
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“I need to shave my head to free myself of this character.’ And, obviously, we were in the middle of a shoot, so I opted not to… It was unlike anything I’d ever seen or felt before.”
Holland said that he has been sober for a year and four months. He attributed his new perspective on his own mental health to the Apple TV+ series.
“Learning about mental health and the power of it, as well as speaking with psychiatrists about Danny and Billy’s struggles, has been so informative to my own life,” the actor said noting that he is now able to “recognize triggers” like social media “that stress me out.”
“The Crowded Room” also stars Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Lior Raz, Laila Robins, Christopher Abbott, and Henry Eikenberry. The series will release on Apple TV+ on June 9th.
