The Spider-Man star, 26, shared the personal milestone during a Tuesday, May 9, interview with Entertainment Weekly while promoting his upcoming Apple TV+ series, The Crowded Room. Holland told the outlet that working on the show — in which he plays an antisocial young man arrested after a shooting — prompted him to reexamine his own mental health.
“Learning about mental health and the power of it, and speaking to psychiatrists about [the characters] Danny and Billy’s struggles, has been something that has been so informative to my own life,” he said, noting that he’d become better at “recognizing triggers” and stressors, such as social media.
Although the project positively impacted his mental well-being in some ways, the Uncharted actor added that the heavy subject matter weighed on him at times.
“I’m no stranger to the physical aspects of the job doing the whole action-movie thing. But the mental aspect, it really beat me up and it took a long time for me to recover afterwards, to sort of get back to reality,” he admitted.
Holland recalled one moment when he felt a need to distance himself from his character after nine months of filming.
“I was seeing myself in him, but in my personal life,” he explained. “I remember having a bit of a meltdown at home and thinking, like, ‘I’m going to shave my head. I need to shave my head because I need to get rid of this character.’ And, obviously, we were mid-shooting, so I decided not to. … It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
Although the U.K. native didn’t specify what substance he is abstaining from, he previously quipped about wanting to take a break from alcohol during an April 2020 virtual appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. When asked whether he was having any issues with his three roommates amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, Holland replied, “Not really ‘cause we’re drunk all the time.”
The Marvel star continued: “I actually said this weekend that I was going to stop drinking for a week, I was going to have a week off. And then literally Monday morning, Ryan Reynolds sent me a case of gin.” Holland then held up a bottle of the 46-year-old Deadpool actor’s Aviation gin.
The BRIT School alum has had girlfriend Zendaya by his side throughout his sobriety journey. After years of dating speculation, the costars made their Instagram debut in September 2021. “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your [sic] up xxx,” Holland captioned an Instagram mirror selfie of the pair at the time. Zendaya, 26, later commented, “Calling now♥️.”
Last month, the duo traveled to Mumbai together for the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, although they walked the red carpet separately. In February, Zendaya, 26, shared photos via Instagram of her glamorous look for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards. Holland left three heart eye emojis in the comments section of his girlfriend’s post.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2022 that the couple’s relationship seems “serious and permanent.” The insider continued: “They’re both in settling-down mode and are absolutely planning for a real future together.”
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