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Fans instantly associate Tom Holland with the friendly, neighbourhoood Spiderman but in the upcoming miniseries, The Crowded Room, the actor is out to prove that he is ready to break out of his superhero shell and explore exciting, complicated, and mature characters with depth.
The Crowded Room stars Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Lior Raz, Laila Robins, and Henry Eikenberry. The much-anticipated miniseries will feature 10 hour-long episodes in total.
Directed by Akiva Goldsman, the first three episodes of The Crowded Room will premiere on Apple TV+ on June 9, 2023. The remaining seven episodes will be released weekly, meaning that the audience will have to wait to watch the finale which will available to stream on July 28, 2023.
From the trailer, it is evident that the series will be a nail-biter from start to finish. If you are a fan of gripping psychological thrillers then you should add this upcoming miniseries to your watchlist.
5 facts about The Crowded Room that will pique your interest in the upcoming miniseries
1) Tom Holland was the first choice for the lead role
Since most fans are used to Tom playing cheerful and funny characters, it would definitely be interesting for them to see the actor portray a complex character in The Crowded Room who is more than what meets the eye.
When The Crowded Room creator Akiva Goldsman reached out to Tom and shared the premise of the psychological thriller, the actor was immediately interested because he had been looking to try more complex roles. Goldsman, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stated that Holland was "the first and only person" he spoke to about playing the role of the protagonist, Danny. He said:
"He took this character to heart. It was an unbelievably challenging piece."
2) Inspired by a non-fiction book
The Crowded Room is inspired from The Minds of Billy Milligan written by Daniel Keyes. Originally published in the year 1981, the novel is about the real story of Billy Milligan who is the first person in U.S. history to be acquitted of a major crime by pleading dissociative identity disorder.
The book won two awards. In 1986, it won the Kurd Lasswitz Award for Best Book by a Foreign Author, and in 1993, it won the Seiun Award for Non-Fiction of the Year.
3) A stellar cast
In The Crowded Room, 26-year-old Tom will be playing the role of Danny, who is loosely based on Billy Milligan. There is an air of mystery around his character and since he is the lead, he will bring the story together. Fans of the popular actor will be hoping that he can deliver a strong performance that will cement his status as a versatile actor who always delivers.
Tom will be joined by Amanda Seyfried who will be playing the role of Rya Goodwin, a clinical psychologist who is interviewing Danny to find out what really happened and understand whether he is guilty or not. Over the years, Amanda has explored many different roles, proving that she is a versatile actor.
The audience should also keep an eye out for Emmy Rossum who plays Danny's mother, Candy Sullivan, in The Crowded Room. A talented actor, she started acting at a young age and has been delivering powerful performances for many years.
4) Tom experienced a meltdown
When actors take on complex roles, it is common for them to immerse themselves in the character to be able to portray them well. But while that process makes the content enjoyable for the audience, it can easily take a toll on the actor. With Tom, after about nine months of shooting for The Crowded Room, he found it difficult to detach himself from the character.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he shared that he had a "meltdown" at home:
"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."
Thankfully, his co-stars lent a helping hand when he was struggling and stood by his side when he needed some much-needed support.
5) Focussing on mental health
One of the biggest takeaways from The Crowded Room would be for the audience to take a deep hard look at mental health, their own and of those around them.
Tom shared that while preparing for the role, he met mental health experts who not only helped him understand the character better but also empowered him with the knowledge that can help him work on improving his own mental health.
Since so many people struggle with mental health issues that go undiagnosed, it would definitely be wonderful if The Crowded Room could help start a dialogue about the same.
These five facts prove that adding The Crowded Room to your June 2023 Apple TV+ watchlist would be worthwhile.
