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Credit: Marvel Studios/Sony PictuersTom Holland has had a rough couple of years, and the actor finally decided to share with the world what has been happening.
Holland’s career skyrocketed once he was chosen to be the MCU’s Spider-Man. After fighting alongside Iron Man against Captain America and other Avengers in Captain America: Civil War (2016), it was clear that the MCU would have a bright future with Spidey. After a few movies with Marvel, Holland branched out and starred in other franchises, such as playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted franchise, and now Holland is getting some attention for his role in the Apple TV series, The Crowded Room.
Working with both Sony and Marvel Studios , Holland still has plans to don the Spider-Man suit again as Spider-Man 4 is in early development, with rumors that Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be needed for both Avenger movies. The actor is ready for the challenge but admitted that he wasn’t in the best spot to be a role model for children years ago.
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While he was starring as Spider-Man, Holland admitted in a recent podcast that he had just started to realize that he had a drinking problem and how that affected him:
“All I could think about was having a drink. It really scared me, I just was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing.’”
Related: New ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff in the Works at Sony as Marvel Dusts Tom Holland
Holland started off by going sober for one month and realized just how much he wanted to drink. Then, it turned into a huge obstacle when it hurt his social life not to drink. After a year and a half of being sober, Holland feels way better, admitting that he thinks more clearly now:
“[I was] the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I could sleep better. I could handle problems better. Things that would go wrong on set, that would normally set me off, I could take in my stride. I had such better mental clarity. I felt healthier, I felt fitter… I just sort of said to myself, like, ‘Why? Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink?’”
Even though Holland feels better now, it’s good that he has recovered. Disney strives to have influential stars like Tom Holland be seen as good role models. Having an actor like Holland seen as an alcoholic would’ve been terrible. Kids look up to the actor, and while the pressure to succeed must be high for the actor, any mistake could’ve led to another actor taking the role due to Disney wanting to keep Spider-Man’s image intact.
Do you think Marvel would’ve recast Spider-Man if Holland stayed an alcoholic? Let Inside the Magic know what you think!