There are so many twists and turns in 'The Crowded Room': Tom Holland

The words ‘Tom Holland’ and ‘spoilers’ can immediately illicit snickering. There are compilation videos on ‘YouTube’ of the Spider-Man star accidentally revealing too much about the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. His slip-ups and near-giveaways have become a running joke among his co-stars and filmmakers. The actor found himself in familiar territory with his new twisty, surprise-laden series ‘The Crowded Room’ now streaming on ‘Apple TV+’ and said by comparison, keeping quiet about ‘Marvel’ is a piece of cake.

“With ‘Marvel’, it’s all about the villain, the costume, the locations and the end result. They’re relatively easy to keep those things a secret. I know that sounds stupid coming from me because I spoil everything, but with ‘The Crowded Room’ there are so many twists and turns in this show that people won’t be expecting. It really is a puzzle,” Holland said in a recent interview.

The limited series takes place in 1970s New York with Holland as Danny, a young man arrested in connection with a crime. His accomplices are nowhere to be found and an investigator assigned to the case (played by Amanda Seyfried) conducts a series of interviews with Danny to piece together his involvement.

Holland and Seyfried filmed their scenes - out of order - ‘for almost three weeks straight’ in an interrogation room.

“It was sometimes confusing. I needed to know exactly where I was in the process with Danny, how much we knew or how much the audience knew and how much (Seyfried’s character) Rya knew,” she explained. “It was tricky.”

Tom Holland described his work on ‘The Crowded Room’ as ‘the hardest job I’ve ever had’, but equally probably the most rewarding.

“Danny is an exhausting character. Going to those places daily, having that haircut and shooting on the streets of New York, was tough. It was not an easy show to make,” he said, adding that watching the result made him ‘happy that I dug my heels in and stuck with it’.