The Crowded Room’s Tom Holland Says Negative Reviews Have Been Like a “Kick in the Teeth”

Ever since his breakout performance as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Holland has been delighting fans in a variety of projects, though his latest TV series, The Crowded Room on Apple TV+, isn’t faring quite so well with critics, with Holland himself confirming his disappointment with reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the series sits at 31% positive reactions out of a few dozen reviews, though the audience score is much more promising, as it currently has a 91% positive reaction from viewers. Even in the face of those negative reactions, Holland is still keeping a positive outlook and attempting to respect those differing opinions.

“It was a kick in the teeth,” Holland revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in response to seeing initial reviews of the series emerge. “Rolling over, looking up the reviews, and then all of a sudden I was like, ‘Wow. That’s a bad review.’ Sometimes there’s a redeeming quality in there. There was nothing.”

He added, “There will be good ones. There will be. I try to have a healthy outlook on all that sort of stuff and respect everyone’s opinion.”

This isn’t Holland’s first non-Spider-Man project that falls short of expectations with critics, as Uncharted, Cherry, and Chaos Walking are all considered “Rotten” on the review aggregator. Even if the projects he’s taken on fall short with critics, his on-screen charm often shines through, with even the critical consensus of The Crowded Room reading, “The Crowded Room is furnished with undeniable talent and built on a promising premise, but the story runs in circles, resulting in an exhausting and often frustrating experience.”

While his adventures in the MCU have earned immense praise and strong financial performances, Holland pointed out how the actual work of bringing projects to life is what’s so rewarding about his career as opposed to focusing on critical reviews.

“The thing is, I love my job. I love my friends. I’m not worried about what people think,” the actor admitted. “The only thing I really care about is how I feel. And right now, I feel really happy and excited for people to see this show.”

Three episodes of The Crowded Room have premiered on Apple TV+ with new installments airing weekly starting on June 16th.

What do you think of the series? Let us know in the comments!