Tom Holland has made a name for himself in Hollywood as one of the best actors to take on the Spider-Man mantle. There’s no denying he has been perfect for the role across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony’s Spider-Man movies, and fans are eager to see what’s in store for the beloved comic book character in the upcoming fourth Spider-Man flick. For good reason, many mostly connect Holland to Spider-Man and his portrayal of the iconic hero. However, the BAFTA winner’s other roles have proved that Holland is more than one character, and he never has to worry about being typecast; he genuinely can pull off any role he desires.
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The 2023 Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room is a great example of Holland’s far-reaching talent. The psychological crime drama inspired by the true story of Billy Milligan was divisive among viewers (the critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 33% while the audience score is a much more positive 92%). While there may have been a difference in opinion over the quality of the writing and pacing, though, one thing viewers collectively agreed on was Holland’s stunning performance as Danny Sullivan, a young man eventually diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder. His engaging take on such a complex character (including playing various personalities) earned Holland a 2024 Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series.
The Crowded Room was a reminder that Holland can rise to the challenge of any material he dives into for a role. Fans of the actor have known this for years thanks to his previous work in films that put Holland in the position to show what he has to offer beyond Spider-Man, and below you’ll find three of his best roles outside of Marvel.
Cherry
Based on the novel by Nico Walker, Cherry is a crime drama from 2021 directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo. Holland starred as Cherry, a former army medic living with PTSD whose life spirals out of control when he becomes embroiled in drugs and crime. The Apple TV+ film spans Cherry’s life from college, dropping out of school to enlist in the military, his time in Iraq, and then Cherry’s experiences post-war, particularly with a worsening opioid addiction. The story’s throughline centers on his relationship with college sweetheart turned wife Emily (Ciara Bravo), including how Cherry turns to robbing banks in order to pay for their drug addiction.
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Cherry allowed Holland to flex his acting abilities above and beyond what audiences may have anticipated the young star to be capable of. The character goes through severe ups and downs before going off the deep end. Holland plays every aspect of Cherry’s story convincingly; it’s heart-wrenching to witness the happy college student fall into addiction, struggle with PTSD, and succumb to extreme desperation to feed his and Emily’s habits. His story has to get worse before it eventually arrives at a hopeful place, and Holland makes Cherry’s journey believable from beginning to end.
The Devil All the Time
The Devil All the Time was inspired by Donald Ray Pollock’s book of the same name and directed by Antonio Campos, who co-wrote the screenplay of the 2020 Netflix movie with his brother Paulo. The Southern Gothic tale follows many characters between the end of World War II and the 1960s. The stories of these characters intertwine in unexpected ways, with most of them following profoundly dark paths and bleak, oft-surprising conclusions. The film boasts a star-studded cast that includes Bill Skarsgård, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, and Eliza Scanlen.
Holland plays the young adult version of Arvin Russell, son of Skarsgård’s increasingly disturbed Willard, who is never the same after serving in World War II. Every cast member in the ensemble delivers solid performances, yet Holland stands out among the rest. His is the role you remember when thinking back on The Devil All the Time and the reason audiences are willing to revisit such a heavy story more than once.
Edge of Winter
In 2016, Holland was in his late teens when he starred opposite Joel Kinnaman in the tense psychological drama thriller Edge of Winter, and the young star effortlessly held his own against the seasoned actor. Directed by Rob Connolly, who co-wrote the film with Kyle Mann, the story mainly follows a recently divorced father (Kinnaman) who takes his two sons (Holland and Percy Hynes White) to his cabin deep in the wilderness. The trio becomes stranded at the cabin thanks to a winter storm, and the brothers quickly realize their dad’s volatile behavior — spurred on after finding out his ex-wife and sons are moving to another country with their stepfather — is leading to inevitable violence and unpredictable desperation.
As Bradley Baker, the older of the two brothers, Holland does an excellent job portraying a teenage boy attempting to navigate complicated feelings regarding his dad while becoming increasingly terrified of what Kinnaman’s unhinged character is capable of. White makes for a great scene partner as the younger brother, Caleb, and the three actors raise the emotional stakes of a gut-wrenching movie. Released not long after principal photography began on Spider-Man: Homecoming, Edge of Winter showcased Holland’s innate ability to fully flesh out a character and make audiences emotionally connect with him instantly.
Cherry is available to stream on Apple TV+, The Devil All the Time is streaming on Netflix, and Edge of Winter is available to stream on Tubi for free.
