Tom Holland Takes On His Darkest Role Yet In The Crowded Room
Tom Holland takes on his darkest role yet as Danny Sullivan in Apple TV+’s The Crowded Room. The 10-episode limited series follows his arrest after being involved in a New York City shooting in 1979. Told through a series of interviews by Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), Danny’s story unfolds. Elements of his past are revealed and lead to a life-altering revelation.
Like many psychological thrillers, this limited series is extremely intense and requires viewer’s focus. Between alternating timelines and the frequent introduction of new characters, keeping track of details and the truth is difficult. The past that Danny shares as his truth, may not be as reliable as you first thought.
Tom Holland both starred and executive produced the series. This role showed the Marvel superhero’s range and ability to divert from his more innocent and mainstream characters. This much darker role has been the topic of some backlash for the actor, given the majority of his following coming from his time playing Spider-Man. AppleTV+ advised viewer discretion and gave strong content warnings before each episode, but many fans believed the role was too inappropriate for the actor and that he should stick to more PG productions.
This series is a psychological thriller and covers various dark and complex experiences. That being said, it touches on an aspect of humanity that productions of this nature neglect. Mental health has been a widely discussed topic in the media for the past few years, but many disorders and diseases don’t get the same compassion and care as others. While this series is entirely fictional, many details are drawn from real life events.
The exploration of how our minds can find ways to cope with trauma is baffling. Some people are able to process the bad things that happen to them in ways we deem ‘normal,’ but that is not the case for everyone. Seeing Amanda Seyfried’s character be able to express compassion and understanding for someone who did something objectively bad shows that mental health is still a field that is to be studied and that not all conditions can be seen at first glance.
The Crowded Room is a compelling and binge-able limited series that has you hooked until the very end. Holland and Seyfried shine in their roles, bringing a very heartbreaking story to life.
The Crowded Room is streaming now on Apple TV+.
