Tom Holland’s behind-the-scenes story about getting drunk before a Marvel screen test with Robert Downey Jr. is not sitting well with the internet.
For years, the 30-year-old actor has been open about his drinking problem and how he eventually decided to stay sober, even launching his own brand of non-alcoholic beer called Bero.
But some netizens poked holes in his boozy tales, saying there’s “something very fishy about the Tom Holland alcoholic storyline. I’m not buying it.”
Highlights
- A recently resurfaced interview clip of Tom Holland sparked an intense debate about his sobriety.
- The actor shared a behind-the-scenes story about getting drunk before a Marvel screen test with Robert Downey Jr. in the video.
- “Something very fishy about the Tom Holland alcoholic storyline. I’m not buying it,” one commented online.
- Holland's non-alcoholic beer brand Bero recently launched a line of shandy-style drinks so that Zendaya could have something to drink from the brand's catalog.
Tom Holland’s story about getting drunk before a Marvel screen test is not sitting well with the internet
Image credits: Todd Williamson/Getty Images
A past interview clip of Tom Holland recently resurfaced online, in which the actor recounted a career-defining moment that cemented his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The video, taken from the actor’s 2024 interview with Rich Roll, showed the 30-year-old star talking about how he went through his hotel’s minibar the night before a screen test with Robert Downey Jr.
Image credits: Rich Roll
“When I did my first screen test with Downey, the night before, I had polished off the minibar. And Marvel found out about that…” he said.
The Spider-Man: Brand New Day star said somebody from Marvel had asked the hotel and found out he was intoxicated the night before his screen test.
“Still got the job though,” he proudly said.
Critics claimed there’s something “fishy” about the British star’s “alcoholic storyline”
While Holland has spoken on multiple occasions about his past drinking problem, netizens aren’t fully believing the alcohol part of his story.
Many claimed the stories were being played up, brushing them off as typical experiences of a 20-something-year-old.
“‘I drank the whole minibar’ - Guy who never drank before,” one snarked, while another said, “Bro every one has that phase in their 20s. I know I did and I know plenty of people that did, it’s not that serious.”
“Poor guy suffered from normal guy syndrome,” one commented online
Image credits: timbutterly
“Flat out. He isn’t not now and never was an alcoholic. He may have had a mild drinking problem; the fact he could just stop without any physical dependency or self means he wasn’t an ad**ct,” read one comment online. “Alcoholics don’t drink socially. Alcoholics start their day lit and stay lit all day.”
Another said, “Maybe Tom Holland was an alcoholic or whatever but there’s just nothing compelling or interesting about an alcoholism journey that ends in your early 20s.”
“Oh it’s all just free mass media promo for his NA beer company my bad get the bag lil bro,” one commented online. “No disrespect”
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“His entire personality revolves around him having some mild consequences from drinking too much and then deciding to ‘quit,’” wrote another.
Others came to Holland’s defense, appreciating him for possibly recognizing a problem and tackling it before it got too late.
“Would you prefer he live the tragic tale of young celebrity that couldn’t get sober and di*d before 40?” one asked. “But then you’d probably post about how bummed you are that he died. Cause that’s how fucking twisted you chronically online kids are.”
Image credits: Tom Holland
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One sarcastically said, “Trying to keep being miserable and refusing to get help with an ad**ction because I have to make my character arc more compelling when I finally try to change.”
“Recognizing you have an ad**ction and then finding a way to treat it is something to be celebrated no matter what age you are,” wrote another.
The Marvel hero took up the Dry January challenge in 2022 and has never touched alcohol since
Image credits: BERO
Holland said his commitment to sobriety began after he participated in Dry January, a popular trend of challenging oneself to abstain from alcohol for 31 days.
After having a “very, very boozy Christmas” in 2021, he took up the challenge in January 2022. But he said all he could think about at the time “was having a drink.”
“It really scared me,” he said on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast. “I just was like, ‘Wow, maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol thing.’”
Image credits: Jay Shetty Podcast
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Holland said drinking was “something that was ultimately really getting in the way of my professional life.”
“Being an actor and living your life on the big stage can be really stressful,” he told USA Today in April. “And I think that alcohol, for me personally, really compounded that issue.”
Holland launched his own non-alcoholic beer brand, Bero, in 2024
Image credits: BERO
Once he cut the booze out of his life, he said he was starting to feel more like himself and woke up with a clear head every day.
“I just feel so much more confident in myself as who I am as a person,” he added.
Image credits: BERO
The action hero jumped on the non-alcohol trend by launching his non-alcoholic beer brand Bero in 2024.
Recently, Bero released a line of limited-edition shandy-style drinks inspired by two very important women in his life.
The actor released a line of shandy-style drinks so that Zendaya could have something to drink from Bero's catalog
Image credits: Zendaya
“The shandy was kind of my mum’s idea,” he told Forbes in an interview published on June 1.
“Zendaya, bless her, has never been a drinker, so she’s never drank beer,” he continued. “She didn’t love the beers we have on sale.”
Image credits: Tom Holland
Since Zendaya has never been hooked onto beer, Holland pushed the release of the shandy drinks to make sure his wife could enjoy Bero’s products as well.
“The idea behind the shandies was to create something authentic at the company that Z could enjoy,” he added.
While reflecting on his four years of sobriety, Holland said he felt lucky to see his career having “blossomed in a really lovely way.”
“I really love what's happening and what I have to come in the future,” he told USA Today. “And I don't know how much of that would've come to fruition had I still been drinking.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day starring both Holland and Zendaya will be hitting the big screen on July 31.
“The comments section is being full of alcoholics in denial is unsurprising,” one commented online
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