Tom Holland’s gay sex scenes in The Crowded Room anger homophobes – but fans are leaping to his defence
Some homophobes responded with the hashtag "#notmyspiderman."
Tom Holland has had a variety of responses to his gay sex scene in the Apple TV+ series, The Crowded Room – including some that are just plain homophobic.
The psychological thriller series is based on Daniel Keyes’ 1981 non-fiction book The Minds of Billy Milligan.
That in turn is based on the real-life story of Billy Milligan, who was acquitted of a crime following a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.
The series follows Danny Sullivan (Holland) a man who was arrested following a shooting in New York City in 1979. Sullivan is based on Milligan.
In the series’ most recent episode, ‘Reunion’, Holland’s character is seen having anal sex with a man in a club’s bathroom stall. Another scene shows Holland as Sullivan performing oral sex.
Many responses were plainly homophobic, with some utilising the hashtag “#notmyspiderman.”
Thankfully, there were many people who took to Holland’s defence and countered the disgusting homophobia of others.
“You WILL be seated for SPIDER-MAN 4”
Some fans pointed out that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who have also played Spider-Man in the past, have also both played gay roles.
Maguire played a gay role in the 2000 film Wonder Boys. Meanwhile, Garfield won a Tony Award for the 2018 Broadway run of Angels in America.
One person tweeting in Holland’s defense also wrote: “He is an ACTOR. Stop being shocked.”
Someone else commented: “Tom Holland has been giving great performances in every role he is given.”
In response to people criticising Holland for taking an LGBTQ role and doing a gay sex scene, someone wrote: “You people are the absolute worst, you are slow, you are ignorant and you can never tell the difference between a character and a person. Your homophobia is out of hand.”
They also added: “I hope you realize your little outrage right NOW is fake and for engagement.” Perfectly capturing people’s faux outrage and calling it for what it is, they also wrote: “You WILL be seated for SPIDER-MAN 4.”
“It was a tough time for sure”
A synopsis for The Crowded Room reads: “A captivating thriller told through a series of interviews with curious interrogator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), Danny’s life story unfolds, revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a life-altering revelation.”
Holland decided to take a year off as a result of the duress the show placed on him. He also served as a producer on the show.
He told Extra: “It was a tough time for sure. You know, we were exploring certain emotions that I have definitely never experienced before.
He also revealed the show did “break me,” and he needed to have some time to himself.
The Crowded Room is streaming on Apple TV+.