Tom Holland was spotted looking somber as he exited New York's Spring studio where the Tribeca Festival was held. This is the Spider-Man actor's most recent public appearance after his highly anticipated Apple TV series, 'The Crowded Room' got a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Holland was casually dressed in a grey shirt, white jacket, and jeans that he paired with a blue hat. The British actor avoided the cameras as he exited the event amid bad reviews for his latest project. The 27-year-old was in the Big Apple promoting his new Apple TV+ show, which he stars alongside Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, and Sasha Lane.
After years of playing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Holland was excited to showcase his acting talents in the psychological thriller. However, after watching the first three episodes, critics didn't feel the series was worth the hype.
What Is Tom Holland's 'The Crowded Room' About?
Holland plays a young Danny Sullivan in Apple TV+ The Crowded Room, who is loosely based on Billy Milligan. The 10-episode series is based on the 1981 novel The Lives of Billy Milligan, about the first man to ever be acquitted of serious crimes because he had multiple personality disorders.
In the fictional series, Holland's Danny is arrested and accused of orchestrating a 1979 New York shooting, but things aren't as they seem. While in custody, Danny's traumatic upbringing comes into question as he is interrogated by Amanda Seyfried's character Rya. As the mystery unfolds throughout the series, we see how Milligan's childhood and those around him impacted his Dissociative Identity Disorder diagnosis.
While doing promotional interviews for The Crowded Room, Holland admitted that playing the criminal greatly impacted his mental health. He even considered drastic measures to eliminate the character from his mind.
"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."
The Spider-Man Homecoming actor added that it took him a long time to recover after playing the role. Despite Tom's difficulties during filming, critics had mixed reactions regarding the series.
'The Crowded Room' Gets Review Bombed By Critics
After the first three episodes aired on Apple TV+, Holland's fans flooded Twitter with great reviews. Many praised Tom's acting as raw and authentic, while other viewers praised everything about the show, from Holland's acting to the music and 70s costumes.
Even with all the praise, The Crowded Room couldn't escape critics' reviews that were far from what fans expected. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave the series a 27% rating, while fans gave it a 91% audience score. Most criticisms were for the show's writing which viewers described as so thin with lazy dialogue that couldn't hold people's attention.
One of the site's top critics said about Hollands' series,
"The show can't seem to figure out if it wants to be a shocking crime drama or the earnest treatise on the stigmas surrounding mental illness, and as a result, it ends up as neither."
Tom Holland isn't the first actor to get bad reviews from critics, so like many others, he will survive the bad press. He will also have a lot of time to reflect on the series during his 1-year break from acting.
