The latest queer scene to cause a riot from angry bigots online amazingly stars Tom Holland in the Apple TV drama series, The Crowded Room.
If you’re not familiar with the show, Tom Holland is Danny Sullivan, the first person acquitted of a crime due to dissociative identity disorder (DID). The 10-episode thrilling series follows Sullivan, a character based on a real man named Billy Milligan, and the investigator (Amanda Seyfried) who attempts to put an end to his crimes. In 1975, Milligan was arrested for armed robbery and the rape of three people. The series follows a similar timeline to the actual events that transpired.
The Scene That Broke the Internet
So far, audiences have raved about Holland’s performance as Sullivan and admired his acting range. That is until they saw episode eight.
In the viral clip, Sullivan struts into a nightclub and finds himself erotically dancing with another man before disappearing into the bathroom for a quickie.
Unsurprisingly, homophones are angry at the actor for taking on an LGBTQIA+ role and are already disowning him as their Spider-Man. Funnily enough, Holland is not the only Spider-Man actor to play queer for TV.
It seems people have forgotten that Toby Maguire starred in Wonder Boys, where he played Robert Downey Jr’s lover, and Andrew Garfield played a queer man in Angels in America. But don’t worry; we have not forgotten (and never will).
Luckily, many users have been quick to defend the 27-year-old and remind everyone that he is an actor. He is allowed to act. And no, this scene is likely not revenge for his girlfriend Zendaya’s new sexy role in Challengers opposite Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. They are both doing their jobs and seem completely in love off-screen.
Who is Billy Milligan
Billy Milligan, born in 1955 in Miami Beach, endured tragedy and abuse that marred his life. When he was just four years old, his father’s suicide shattered his world. After his mother remarried and moved the family to Ohio, he faced physical and sexual abuse from his step-father. At 20, he served time in Lebanon Correctional Institution for rape and armed robbery. Subsequently, he faced another arrest for kidnapping, robbing, and raping three women on the Ohio State University Campus.
During his trial, he claimed that the crimes were committed by other personalities within him. Diagnosed with acute schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder, Milligan made history with a groundbreaking legal defense. He was the first person with dissociative identity disorder to be acquitted of a major crime through an insanity plea. He spent years in psychiatric hospitals, grappling with up to 24 personalities, until he was finally deemed no longer a danger to society. Later, he resided in LA, Las Vegas, and Ohio before passing away from cancer in 2014 at the age of 59.
See Tom Holland in The Crowded Room now on Apple TV. A new episode of the miniseries will premiere on July 21.
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