The words 91ƵTom Holland91Ƶ and can immediately illicit snickering. There are compilation videos on YouTube of the 91Ƶ star accidentally revealing too much about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
His slip-ups and near-giveaways have become a running joke among his co-stars and filmmakers. The actor found himself in familiar territory with his new twisty, surprise-laden series 91ƵThe Crowded Room,91Ƶ now streaming on Apple TV+ 91Ƶ and says by comparison, keeping quiet about Marvel is a piece of cake.
91ƵWith Marvel91Ƶ it91Ƶs all about the villain, the costume, the locations, the end result. They91Ƶre relatively easy to keep those things a secret,91Ƶ said Holland in a recent interview. 91ƵI know that sounds stupid coming from me because I spoil everything, but with 91ƵThe Crowded Room91Ƶ there are so many twists and turns in this show that people won91Ƶt be expecting. It really is a puzzle.91Ƶ
The limited-series takes place in 1970s New York with Holland as Danny, a young man arrested in connection with a . His accomplices are nowhere to be found and an investigator assigned to the case (played by Amanda Seyfried) conducts a series of interviews with Danny to piece together his involvement.
Holland and Seyfried filmed their scenes 91Ƶ out of order 91Ƶ 91Ƶfor almost three weeks straight91Ƶ in an interrogation room.
91ƵIt sometimes was confusing. I needed to know exactly where I was in the process with Danny, how much we knew or how much the audience knew and how much (Seyfried91Ƶs character) Rya knew,91Ƶ she explained. 91ƵIt was tricky.91Ƶ
Holland credits Seyfried for keeping him on track as they 91Ƶdid over 100 pages of dialogue at that one table in that one room.91Ƶ
91ƵAmanda is so talented, she91Ƶs so professional. She91Ƶs able to keep it light when it91Ƶs dark,91Ƶ he said. 91ƵThere were certain times in that room where we were both just losing our minds, just scenes after scenes, after scenes after scenes. We were just a great team.91Ƶ
Holland describes the job as 91Ƶthe hardest91Ƶ he91Ƶs had so far and says halfway through filming he 91Ƶwas counting down the days that I could take this year off and have some time to myself.91Ƶ
91ƵDanny is an exhausting character. Going to those places on a daily basis, having that haircut, shooting on the streets of New York, it was tough. It was not an easy show to make,91Ƶ but says watching the end result 91Ƶwas so rewarding. I91Ƶm happy that I dug my heels in and stuck with it.91Ƶ
He also served as a co-executive producer for the first time, which helped him to finally understand what the job entails.
91ƵI spent the first 15 years of my career on set being like, 91ƵWhat do all of these people do? They91Ƶre all just sitting there.91Ƶ But having been a producer now myself, it is one of the most stressful things I91Ƶve ever done. You91Ƶre shooting in a car and the car breaks down and all of a sudden you91Ƶre trying to figure out how to get a new car or how to turn the scene into a walking scene and all that sort of stuff.91Ƶ
Since beginning his performing career at 11 in 91ƵBilly Elliott the Musical,91Ƶ in London91Ƶs West End, Holland says his formal education has been 91Ƶsomewhat non-existent91Ƶ so he appreciates the learning opportunities he gets from working.
With 91ƵThe Crowded Room91Ƶ Holland says 91ƵI learned a lot about myself. I learned about my capabilities as an actor. I learned about things that I can put up with. I feel like I91Ƶm much more capable at dealing with adversities and fighting against things that are going wrong on set. I learned a lot about mental health. I learned a lot about the power of the human mind and the amazing things we can do to protect ourselves, to heal and to survive.91Ƶ
91ƵAlicia Rancilio, The Associated Press