Tom Holland's co-star Emmy Rossum defends her casting as his mom despite 9-year age gap

Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland and Emmy Rossum feature in the Apple TV+ show The Crowded Room. Rossum plays the role of Holland's on-screen mother despite having less than ten-year age gap between them. The Shameless actress opened up about the experience and defended the casting choice. 

Rossum spoke with Entertainment Tonight and said that when she received the script, the casting choice made sense to her. She talked about her character Candy, saying, "She is a super young mom, she's almost a child in her own right when she becomes pregnant at age 16." In real life, The Day After Tomorrow actress is 36 years old, while Tom Holland is 27 years old. 

(Emmy Rossum at the premiere of The Crowded Room in New York | Image: 21metgala/Twitter)

Rossum also commented on what compelled her to play the role of Candy in The Crowded Room. She said that bond between the mother and son and, 'the closeness and everything that they're grieving in later episodes' is what drove her to choose the role. The internet has been largely divided over her playing Holland's mother despite a 9-year age difference between them. 

Tom Holland sheds superhero charm in psychological thriller The Crowded Room

Tom Holland's most popular role is certainly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Debuting in 2016 as Spider-Man in Captain America: The Civil War, Holland is synonymous with being the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger. However, the actor embodies a totally different character in The Crowded Room. 

(A still from The Crowded Room featuring Tom Holland | Image: FilmCodex/Twitter)

The Crowded Room is a limited 10-episode series which features Tom Holland as Danny, who is central to a New York City shooting in 1979. He gets interrogated by Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), who deeply examines his past. Several moments from Danny's upbringing are then revealed, which leads to a shocking truth. The Crowded Room also features Sasha Lane, Lior Raz, Thomas Sadoski, Will Chase, Jason Issacs and Christopher Abbott. The Crowded Room will be released on June 9, 2023.