Tom Holland says his latest role really took a lot out of him.
The actor says he is taking a break from acting after making the AppleTV+ series, “The Crowded Room.”
“It was a tough time for sure,” he told “Extra” about the project, on which he also served as executive producer.
“We were exploring certain emotions that I have definitely never experienced before, and then on top of that being a producer dealing with the day-to-day kind of problems that come with any film set just added that extra level of pressure, but I really enjoyed it.”
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In the series, the “Spider-Man” star plays Billy Sullivan, a young man arrested in a 1979 shooting. It’s based on the true story of Billy Milligan and delves into the issues of mental health.
“I love the learning curve of becoming a producer,” Holland continued. “I’m no stranger to hard work. I’ve always sort of lived by this idea that hard work is good work.
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“I really enjoyed it, but then again, the show did break me. There did come a time where I was sort of like, ‘I need to have a break.’ I disappeared. I went to Mexico for a week and had some time on a beach and lay low. And I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was.”
The British-born Holland, 27, is an actor in demand, but he’s enjoying the idea of slowing down.
“I’ve done a little bit of traveling. I had an amazing time,” he said. “I’ve been seeing my family. I’ve been seeing my friends. I’ve been playing golf. I’ve been going to the garden center and buying plants and doing my best to keep them alive and all that sort of stuff. I’ve just been trying to be (a) regular bloke from Kingston and just relax.”
Holland says the role offered a challenge that stretched his abilities.
“I just really, really was terrified by the idea of playing this character and, for me, that’s a really good thing, so I said yes,” he said.
And while Holland needed some down time, the impact of playing Danny remained.
“I feel like I’ve grown up a lot, perhaps more so in the 10 months of making this show than I have in my entire career,” he said. “It definitely feels like the beginning of the next chapter, and I feel really good. I’m really happy.”
