INDIANAPOLIS — Simply put, "The Crowded Room" follows a young man (Tom Holland) arrested for his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. The story unfolds as the suspect shares his life story up to that point with an investigator (Amanda Seyfried) and how his mysterious past shaped him.
But the Apple TV+ limited series — created by "A Beautiful Mind" and "I Am Legend" screenwriter Akiva Goldsman — is anything but straightforward.
"'The Crowded Room' is an incredibly unique piece of work that I think is gonna really take audiences by surprise," said Holland, who also serves as an executive producer of the psychological thriller.
And Holland had nothing but praise for his Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated co-star.
"She was such a pleasure. She's a great actress and a good friend," Holland said of Seyfried. "It's pretty daunting starring down the barrel of well over 100 pages of dialogue in one room with one actress, and I'm so glad that we had Amanda because she did such a great job. She was a pleasure to work with. She made those scenes really fun when they could've been really tough."
"I really think we left everything out on the field, especially when we're working so closely together and developing this intense relationship that's warm and loving at times, but also really fraught with the threat of truth," Seyfried said of working with Holland.
Emmy Rossum, known for her roles in "Shameless" and "Phantom of the Opera," plays the suspect's single mother, who works two jobs to make ends meet.
"(She's) a caretaker in every aspect of her life with this incredible kid, this playful, infinite love for her child," Rossum said of her character. "Through a series of mistakes and decisions, that bond is shattered, and you watch as family secrets that run really deep that will be revealed over the course of the story impact their lives and ultimately lead to this crime."
Another important person in the suspect's life is his friend and roommate, Ariana, played by Sasha Lane ("American Honey," "Conversations with Friends").
"I think the true sense of how much can you really think that you understand someone if you haven't really been in their shoes," Lane said on the importance of telling this story. "Every person handles things differently, they respond to different things, and not everyone has the same tools as you may have to help deal with those things."
The first three episodes of "The Crowded Room" will be released Friday, June 9 on Apple TV+, followed by weekly releases leading up to the finale on Friday, July 28.