Tom Holland announced he is taking a year-long break from acting due to the stress from his emotionally challenging performance on The Crowded Room, as well as the demands that came with his role as executive producer on the upcoming AppleTV+ mini-series.
“I really enjoyed it, but then again, the show did break me,” Holland said in an interview with Extra. “There did come a time where I was sort of like, ‘I need to have a break.’… I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was.”
The 27-year-old, who is best known for portraying Spider-Man in the Marvel films and action hero Nathan Drake in the Uncharted franchise, portrays Danny Sullivan in psychological thriller The Crowded Room. His character is arrested after a 1979 shooting in New York City and discusses the factors that led to the incident with an interrogator, played by Amanda Seyfried. The show begins streaming on Friday.
Although he said he enjoyed the experience of making the series, Holland said it was a difficult role and an exhausting process. “It was a tough time, for sure,” he told Extra. “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.”
Holland has discussed the challenges of this production before. After nine months of filming, Holland told Entertainment Weekly last month it took some time for him to recover from the “mental aspect” of the shoot and that he had trouble detaching himself from the role.
“I was seeing myself in him, but in my personal life,” Holland said. “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.”
Holland told Extra that he asked for some time off during the grueling shoot on The Crowded Room and that he “disappeared” and spent some time on a Mexican beach to recuperate. “I am excited to see how it turns out, and I feel like our hard work wasn’t in vain,” he said.
Despite his plans for an acting hiatus, Holland has a couple projects in his future.
Holland has been in talks to again portray the titular Marvel superhero in Spider-Man 4, but it will likely be a long time before production on that film begins, as producer Kevin Feige said as recently as February that the script hadn’t yet been written. The ongoing Writers Guild of America strike has further delayed the production.
Additionally, Holland previously announced he would star as Fred Astaire in a biopic about the legendary dancer and actor, but it’s not clear where production of that film currently stands and when filming would begin.
The British actor has discussed the possibility of a professional hiatus before. In December 2021, Holland said he was “having a midlife crisis at 25” and suggested he might take a break from acting. He has also made remarks in the past that he might try other professions, like carpentry, something he briefly trained in and enjoyed.
“I don’t even know if I want to be an actor,” Holland told Sky News. “I started acting when I was 11, and I haven’t done anything else, so I’d like to go and do other things.” He also told GQ magazine: “I definitely don’t think I want to be an actor for the rest of my life.”
Holland has been candid in discussing his sobriety and mental health in the past. Last month he revealed he has been sober for 16 months, and last year, he released an Instagram video announcing a mental health break from all forms of social media.
“I have taken a break from social media for my mental health, because I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming,” Holland said in the video. “I get caught up, and I spiral when I read things about me online, and ultimately, it’s very detrimental to my mental state, so I decided to take a step back and delete the app.”
Holland has also said he hoped The Crowded Room would help viewers have more respect and sympathy for people experiencing mental health problems: “I hope that people will feel educated about the powers of mental health, the struggles, [and] our incredible abilities to survive.”
Watch The Crowded Room on Apple TV+
The first three episodes of The Crowded Room debut on June 9 on Apple TV+. The 10-episode limited series was created by Akiva Goldsman and stars Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Sasha Lane, and Will Chase.
Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.
![a teenage boy holds golden trophy above his head with one hand](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/owen-cooper-accepts-the-outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-news-photo-1757950768.pjpeg?crop=0.651xw:0.875xh;0.0561xw,0.0517xh&resize=360:* "Owen Cooper accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award for "Adolescence" during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025")
