Tom Holland got emotional during the press tour for Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey” after learning his sobriety journey inspired a fan’s father to quit drinking.
The “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” actor has long been open about his past struggles with alcohol, saying going sober was the best decision he ever made after realizing he had become “enslaved” to drinking.
The turning point came after he attempted a “Dry January” challenge in 2022 but found himself unable to stop thinking about alcohol. What began as a one-month commitment ultimately became a life-changing decision to quit drinking altogether.
When Tom Holland decided to give up alcohol in hopes of leading a healthier life, little did he know his honesty would one day inspire others to do the same.
As part of the press tour for “The Odyssey,” the 30-year-old actor sat down for an interview with Brut America alongside co-stars Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon, where he was surprised with a heartfelt message from a fan.
The show’s associate editor-in-chief had asked the interviewer to thank Holland for inspiring her father to quit drinking.
“The associate editor-in-chief asked me to ask you this: you helped her dad stop drinking. She just wants to thank you so much; it has changed her life, it has changed his life, and she just wanted to give some love towards you,” the host read aloud in front of Holland, Hathaway, and Damon.
“Oh wow,” the trio reacted in unison before Holland replied, “Thank you so much, you made my day.”
A ‘Dry January’ Changed Holland’s Life
The “Uncharted” actor has been candid about his past struggles with alcohol, revealing he decided to quit after realizing how “enslaved” he had become.
Speaking with Jay Shetty on his self-titled podcast in 2023, Holland explained that his sobriety journey began after a “very, very boozy Christmas.”
When the new year arrived, he committed to a Dry January challenge, pledging to avoid alcohol for a month. However, he quickly realized how difficult it was, admitting he constantly thought about having a drink.
The experience frightened him.
“I just was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing,’” he recalled.
Holland Says Sobriety Made Him Happier Than Ever
That realization motivated Holland to continue beyond January, although he admitted the process remained difficult, especially given England’s strong pub culture.
“I felt like I couldn’t be social,” he said. “I felt like I couldn’t go to the pub and have a lime soda. I couldn’t go out for dinner. I was really, really struggling.”
He continued:
“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?’”
Holland then raised the challenge again, setting himself a six-month goal. By the time he celebrated his 27th birthday on June 1 that year, he said he had become the happiest he’d ever been.
“I could sleep better. I could handle problems better,” he said. “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.”
He later admitted: “I’m happy to say it — I was definitely addicted to alcohol. I’m not shying away from that at all.”
The Marvel Star Reflects On His Heavy Drinking Days
Last month, Holland offered another candid reflection on his past drinking habits, revealing he could finish an entire hotel minibar.
He shared the story in a GQ profile alongside co-stars Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson, as well as director Christopher Nolan.
During the interview, Pattinson remarked that Holland had packed his “crazy years” into the period most people experience them before joking that he had stretched his own into adulthood.
“I’m like, ‘I’m going to be 22 till I’m 39.’ But it’s weird. I feel like everyone from his generation is very… They’ve got quite sensible,” Pattinson said.
Holland disagreed, saying “wild” wasn’t the right word to describe his experience because it often felt lonely.
“I had my times, but I wasn’t necessarily the nightclub-going person as much as I could sit at home in my hotel room and finish a minibar and go to work the next day,” he said. “So my version of wild was very, I guess, un-Hollywood.”
He added: “I was always pretty sensible. I just drank too much.”
Tom Holland Opens Up About Dyslexia And Self-Doubt
Holland, who made his stage debut at age 12 in “Billy Elliot: The Musical” before landing his first live-action film role in “The Impossible” four years later, has overcome more than alcohol addiction.
He was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven, and his parents invested heavily in helping him manage the condition.
“It held me back, and I had trouble reading and writing, but if you look at some of the great creatives, they’re all dyslexic,” he previously told The Times.
The actor has acknowledged that he still struggles with dyslexia at times, something fans have occasionally noticed on social media.
In his 2021 GQ Man of the Year profile, Holland also admitted he used to be a chronic people pleaser who found it difficult to stand up for himself.
“As a kid, a lot of my confidence was really fake,” he said. “But, really, inside I was, ‘Oh, my God, I’m f-cking terrified.’”
The “Spider-Man” star explained that his fear of being disliked often stopped him from asserting himself, crediting Marvel co-star Elizabeth Olsen with teaching him an important lesson.
“‘No’ is a full sentence. ‘No’ is enough,” Olsen told him.