Emmy Rossum joins Tom Holland in new Apple TV Plus series – as his mother

Emmy Rossum and Tom Holland
(Image credit: Showtime/Netflix)

Emmy Rossum has joined the cast of The Crowded Room, an Apple TV Plus series co-starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried. Rossum, 35, is set to play the mother of Holland, 25.

Apple describes the series as a "seasonal anthology" that "will explore inspirational stories of those who have struggled, and learned to successfully live with, mental illness."

The series is inspired by the award-winning biography The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes. Holland stars as a man named Danny Sullivan and Rossum will play Sullivan's mother, who is described as "always looking for a man to fulfill her dreams of salvation." 

It's unclear whether this will be in flashbacks or present-day scenes, as Rossum, is only 10 years older than Holland, but fans aren't happy with the age gap.

"Emmy Rossum is playing Tom Holland’s MOTHER?! Thanks I hate it," said one Twitter user. "This woman hasn’t aged a day since she was 18 and she’s playing his mother??" wrote another.

Kornel Mundruczo, who previously helmed the Netflix movie Pieces of a Woman, will direct. Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of A Beautiful Mind, is writing and executive producing, and Holland is also on board as an executive producer.

Rossum is best known for playing Fiona Gallagher for nine seasons of the US version of comedy-drama Shameless between 2011 and 2019. She's also starred in movies like The Day After Tomorrow and The Phantom of the Opera.

While we wait for The Crowded Room to arrive on Apple TV Plus, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best TV shows of 2021.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.