Tom Holland has expressed that it’s been difficult promoting the series The Crowded Room after it was “horribly reviewed.”
In the Apple TV+ series, which currently has a 31 percent critics rating on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the actor plays Danny Sullivan, who is arrested for his involvement in a New York City shooting. The non-fiction novel The Minds Of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keys inspires the series.
Speaking to Unilad, Holland compared promoting the critically-maligned series to supporting football team Tottenham Hotspur, who have never won the Premier League.
“I think being a Tottenham fan is somewhat like being in The Crowded Room,” Holland said. “It has taught me resilience. Tottenham have never won anything, and supporting them is incredibly difficult.
“It’s no secret that my show has been so horribly reviewed, but I’m here today to promote the show and I’m still here. So I’m very resilient.”
Holland, who stars in the series as Danny Sullivan, a young man who gets arrested for his involvement in a 1979 shooting in New York City, told Unilad he’s focusing on a specific message.
“The message of the show, which can speak to so many different issues, is that asking for help should be something that we as a society celebrate,” Holland said. “It’s an act of bravery. Standing up and asking for help is not something you should be ashamed of, and I hope that this show can represent that in a truthful and authentic, and most importantly, sensitive way.”
He continued: “If we can somehow make people feel empowered by saying, ‘I’m not feeling good, I really need some help,’ then we’ve done what we set out to do. I think it carries a really important message and I think ultimately it’s going to be educational and entertaining.”
Earlier this month, Holland shelled out gratitude to fans who supported the show despite the criticism while appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark.
“I would like to say a massive thank-you to my fans, and the people that have seen the show, because we’re at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes,” Holland said. “I feel so grateful that I have a wonderful community of people that support me and are there for me, so I’m honored and really excited for the rest of the show to come out.”
