LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The grisly psychological thriller 'The Crowded Room' now has its first three episodes available on Apple TV+. Tom Holland, best known for playing 'Spiderman,' is the star of the riveting drama. 'The Crowded Room' is based on the 1981 book 'The Minds of Billy Milligan' and is inspired by a true tale. It follows Danny Sullivan (Holland), a meek, antisocial youngster from Upstate New York, who was imprisoned following a shooting at the Rockefeller Center in 1979.
However, Holland was not the only choice to play Danny Sullivan, alias Billy Milligan, in the psychological thriller created by Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman. Movie stars including Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn, and Leonardo DiCaprio have all wanted to play Billy Milligan at different points in time. Eventually, the 'Spiderman' star made the cut.
Leonardo DiCaprio to appear in 24 characters
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play the lead role in the real-life tale of a man who was exonerated of rape and robbery after persuading a jury that he had 24 distinct personalities. Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, and John Cusack have all been rumored to have lobbied for the character of Milligan. All these A-list actors including DiCaprio would have been too old to play the part since Billy Milligan is supposedly young and Tom holland meets the age criteria.
Along with Jennifer Davisson and Alexandra Milchan, DiCaprio was also meant to produce 'The Crowded Room.' The hiring of Smilovic gives the adaptation of Daniel Keyes' factual book about Milligan, who had 24 personas, new life. Since 1997, DiCaprio has been considering taking on the role.
How Tom Holland made the cut to play Billy Milligan?
When Tom Holland started playing Spider-Man five years ago, his career took off. Unfortunately, his non-superhero ventures haven't earned much praise, including Netflix's 'Devil All the Time' (2020) and Apple's PTSD drama 'Cherry' (2021). But he hasn't given up on the grave drama, either. Now, he will play Billy Milligan, leaving behind other rumored A-list stars, the lead character in the first season of Apple TV+'s anthology series 'The Crowded Room.'
Holland is well-known for a number of roles, including Peter Parker in the 'Spider-Man' film series and Nate Drake in the video game 'Uncharted' most recently. Holland has been outspoken about how difficult it was mentally to play the part. In May, he acknowledged that exploring mental health on the show helped him achieve sobriety. And on June 7, Holland declared that he would be taking a year off from acting.
