Tom Holland announces break from acting after last role took a toll on his mental health

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By Kim Novak

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Tom Holland has revealed he is taking a break from acting after a recent project took its toll on his mental health.

The actor, 27, is currently starring in the Apple TV+ miniseries The Crowded Room, a dark psychological thriller, which he also produced.

He stars as Danny Sullivan, a young man who is arrested on suspicion of committing a serious crime and whose troubled psyche slowly comes to light during interviews with interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried).

However, taking the lead role in the emotionally-intense drama following a jam-packed two years as the leading man Spider-Man: No Way Home and Uncharted has left Tom in desperate need of some time off. 

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Tom stars in The Crowded Room. Credit: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Tom explained that he is now looking to take a year off to recharge after the gritty thriller took so much out of him emotionally.

He told ExtraTV: "I'm now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was. I am excited to see how it turns out, and I feel like our hard work wasn't in vain."

Tom admitted that the role was a taxing one due to the emotional intensity of the character he was portraying each day.

He explained: "It was a tough time for sure. You know, 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 problems that come with any film set, just added that extra level of pressure.

"But I really enjoyed it, I loved the learning curve of becoming a producer. I'm no stranger to hard work, I've always lived by this idea that hard work is good work. And I really enjoyed it.

"But then again, the show did break me. There did come a time where I was sort of like, 'I need to have a break.'"

Tom jetted off to Mexico to "lay low" for a week after the project wrapped, but admitted he wanted to have an extended time off from work now he is able to take a proper break.

The Crowded Room is based on Daniel Keyes' 1981 non-fiction book, The Minds of Billy Milligan, the central character having been arrested for various crimes before later being acquitted after pleading insanity following a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.

The character had claimed during his court case that several of his alternate personalities had been the ones to commit his heinous crimes, and he was not aware that they had happened.

Tom previously told Entertainment Weekly: "Learning about mental health and the power of it, and speaking to psychiatrists about Danny and Billy's struggles, has been something that has been so informative to my own life.

"I hope that people will feel educated about the powers of mental health, the struggles, [and] our incredible abilities to survive."

The Crowded Room will premiere on AppleTV+ on June 9.

Featured image credit: Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty Images