I was in New [music] York and I was
having a really hard time with the job
just because of how taxing it was, the
emotional capacity that I was having
[music] to get through every day.
And
I decided to delete my Instagram because
I just felt like I was so addicted
[music]
to this kind of false version of my life
that it was just taking over. I would be
on set working, I'd come and sit in
[music] my chair and just scroll,
scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll and it
was
it was becoming a problem. I was just
obsessed with it and I was obsessed
[music] to find out what people were
saying and how people what they thought
about me.
So I decided to
make an announcement, [music] which
unfortunately we have to do, and say
that I'm taking a break from social
media and I and I tried to position
myself
>> [music]
>> and say like I'm taking a break from
social media because I feel like my
mental health will benefit from it. And
the thing that really upset me is the
press ran [music] with that and they
tried to make out that I was having this
mental breakdown. If I was having a
mental breakdown, that's not for you to
report on. They they they took the story
in the wrong direction and they they
painted again this negative light on
mental health [music] rather than saying
oh, he's doing it, it's okay that he's
doing it, so we should all feel okay to
do it too. They [music] were saying oh,
look, he's not the perfect
happy-go-lucky kid you think he is. He's
having a nervous breakdown in New York.
Like the the message of our show is that
asking for [music] help should be
something that we celebrate.
>> Yeah. If you're struggling, if you need
help,
if you feel bad and you wake up and and
you go to a friend, a therapist, a
[music] teacher, an employee, or a
colleague, you can say I'm really I need
some help. That should be something that
we give you a pat on [music] the back.
Like I would love to help you.
I'm I'm delighted that you asked me.
Yeah, it doesn't have to be a
professional.
>> Yeah.
>> [music]
>> I go to my friends a lot and and, you
know, some friends are better than
others in certain situations. I've got
some friends that are very much like
pull your socks up and get on with it
and then other friends who are like come
here and have a cry on my shoulder, but
like it it varies. So I I just really
hope that that's what the show can do is
[music] is sort of paint this positive
picture of asking for help is something
to be proud of.
>> Well, that's a great message and and I
think we all we all need to hear it. And
I want to go back a little bit because
you
decided to take a break from acting.
[music]
>> It's only a break from acting because
I'm an actor.
It's not like the acting itself. I just
have been so lucky that in my life I've
been working so much. I just wanted to
take a break. I just wanted to be in one
place for a while. I wanted to be with
my friends, be with my family,
>> [music]
>> move into my house.
So, it wasn't necessarily
oh my god, I need to have a break from
acting cuz it's [music] too much. I just
needed to have a break from traveling
and and working and and also, I've done
so much of my growing up on the road. I
needed to do a lot of growing up at
home. Paying my water bill, paying my
council tax and sorting out my bins and
all that sort of stuff that they don't
teach you at school, which I think there
should be a lesson. I think there should
be a lesson at school that's called
life,
which is like laundry, basic cooking,
like
I didn't realize [music] you have to pay
for your water. I just thought that was
a luxury of living in England that the
water comes out of the sky and then it
comes out of your tap. I was so behind
on my water bill. I didn't realize. I'm
up to date now, don't worry.
>> [laughter]
>> So, yeah, I just wanted to take this
break and it's a shame again talking
about the press and how they can spin
things [music] and that they kind of ran
with this idea that yes, the show did
break me and yes, it was difficult, but
I could have gone back to work. I was
always planning on taking [music] this
break after this job.
>> I've definitely walked away from a lot.
>> Mhm.
>> And I think had I not walked away from
certain situations, let's just put it at
that, I would be a very different person
today.
>> Mhm.
>> I've been really good at keeping [music]
in touch with my friends, keeping my
family close, listening to the lessons,
[music]
not getting caught up in the Hollywood
hype. Like I really am a massive fan of
making movies, but I really do not like
Hollywood. It is not for me. The
business [music] really scares me. I
understand that I'm a part of that
business and I enjoy my kind of
interactions with it, but that said,
[music]
I am always looking for ways to kind of
remove myself from it, to kind [music]
of just live as normal a life as
possible. But yeah, I definitely think
it has been an ongoing thought,
which is don't lose yourself. I've seen
so many people come before me and lose
themselves, [music] and I've had friends
that I've grown up with that aren't
friends of mine anymore because they've
lost themselves to this business.
And
>> [music]
>> I just am really, really keen to focus
on what makes me happy, which is my
family, [music] it's my friends, it's my
carpentry, my golf, um the charity that
my mom runs. Like that is the stuff
[music] that makes me really happy, and
that's the stuff that I should protect.
My relationship is the thing that I keep
most sacred. I don't talk about it.
>> [music]
>> I try my best to keep it as private as
possible. We both feel very strongly
that that is the [music] healthiest way
for us to to move on as a couple. So I
do try to keep as removed [music] from
it as possible. Like you'll never see me
at an award show I don't have to be at.
I'm never going to a red carpet event
that I'm [music] not in the film of, you
know. I don't want the attention when I
don't need it. I love the spotlight. I
love the pressure that comes with it.
There's a quote from Billie Jean King
that's on the
um
stand at her stadium in New York that
says pressure is a privilege.
And that is so true. Like, oh my god,
feeling pressure on a daily basis in
[music] the capacity that we feel is
such a privilege. I love feeling
pressure. I feel like I thrive under
pressure. The best golf I've ever played
in my life is when there are cameras
around and people are watching. I just
think that that is a really amazing
thing to be able to experience. [music]
So I enjoy it while I can, and then when
it becomes a bit much, I kind of become
a bit of a recluse and I disappear. I
come back to Kingston, I play golf, I
play tennis, I hang out with my friends
and my family, do the pub quiz, and
and and sort of stuff.
>> Yeah.
>> Um so yeah, so it is something I
actively try to do. As I get older, it
only gets easier.
>> Yeah.
One of the things that you mentioned
[music] recently was that you gave up
drinking about a year and a half ago.
>> Yes.
>> And you said it was the hardest thing
you ever did.
>> Yes.
>> And I wanted to know what was so hard
about it for you. Why was it so hard?
>> It's interesting. I I didn't one day
wake up and say I'm giving up drinking.
I just
like many Brits had a very, very boozy
December. Christmas time, I was on
vacation. I was drinking a lot. And I've
always been able to drink a lot.
I think I get my genes from my mom's
side in that thing. Like I can I can
drink.
And I decided to just give up for
January. [music] I just wanted to do Dry
January. And
all I could think about was having a
drink.
It's all I could think about. I I was
waking up thinking about it. I was
checking the clock, when's it 12?
And it just really scared me. I just was
like, wow, maybe
maybe I have a little bit of an alcohol
thing. So, I sort of decided to punish
[music] myself and say I'll do February
as well. I'll do 2 months off.
If I can do 2 months off, then I can
prove to myself that I don't have a
problem.
2 months go by
and I was still really struggling.
I felt like I couldn't be social. 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. And [music] I
started to really worry that maybe I had
an alcohol problem.
Um, so I decided that I would wait until
my birthday, which is June 1st. [music]
I said to myself, if I can do 6 months
without alcohol, then I can prove to
myself that I don't have a problem.
>> [music]
>> And by the time I had got to June 1st, I
was the happiest I'd ever been in my
life.
I could sleep [music] better. I could
handle problems better.
Things that would go wrong on set that
would normally set me off, I could take
it in my stride.
>> [music]
>> I had so much such better mental
clarity. I felt healthier. I felt
fitter. [music]
And I just sort of said to myself like
why why am I
enslaved this drink? Why am I so
obsessed by the idea of having this
drink? [music]
And I would look back and recognize that
I would go to events for for work and
>> [music]
>> you know, I can't enjoy myself until
I've had a few beers.
And I just
felt so much pressure. I'm happy to say
like I was definitely [music] addicted
to alcohol. Not shy away from that at
all. Anyone that has a beer every day is
probably got a little bit of a problem.
But yeah, you're right. I would drink
and drink and drink and drink and then
you would just reach that moment where
you're like, "Wow, I shouldn't have had
that last beer." And you wake up the
next day and you have a terrible
headache and you're suffering. I I
bought one of those rings that will tell
you about your sleep.
>> Yeah, Oura Ring.
>> Yeah, and it was amazing cuz I couldn't
sleep. I was like, "Why can't I sleep?
I'm working 14 hours a day. I'm doing 2
hours in the gym. I'm eating really
healthily and I can't sleep. What's
[music] wrong with me?" I bought this
ring and it was booze. It just it was it
completely [music] affected my sleep.
And since I've given it up, I can sleep
anywhere.
>> [laughter]
>> You know? It's also interesting as well
going on nights out and having a great
time as the sober person and [music]
then getting to that point in the night
where people start, you know, spitting
in your ear and everyone's like, "I love
you, man. I love you so much." And
you're like, "Yeah, brilliant. I love
you, too. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm
going to bed."
But I love being that person now. I love
seeing my friends on the golf course at
8:00 a.m. in the morning feeling fresh
and ready to go. And they're sort of
crawling out their car and So yeah, so I
I I'm
over the moon to be sober. [music] I
love it. I really asked myself like,
"Why do you drink? Why are you
drinking?" And a lot of the time my
answer would be to feel more comfortable
in a social environment.
>> Yeah.
>> And I just put myself
in those environments and just would
force myself to be there. I'd force
myself to hang out [music] and and go to
a club or go to a bar or go to a dinner.
But then after a while I sort of was
like, "Mate, you got to pull your socks
up here and you can't just live in your
house all the time. You've got to go out
and enjoy yourself, and [music] and if
you're only enjoying yourself because
you're drinking, then you really do have
a problem. But I think it's different
for everyone. I had a great support
system. Jack is one of my best mates,
and we travel all over the world. He
doesn't drink, and doing it with him was
was a really
helpful experience for me. My brother is
always on the road with me. He was very
supportive. [music]
And yeah, I just really set my mind to
it. I was like, "I really want to do
this. I want to prove to myself I can do
it."
>> Yeah.
>> And then once I felt the health benefits
and started [music] really feeling like
my full self,
>> Yeah.
>> I was like, "Oh my god, this is this is
the best." But do you not drink?
>> I haven't drank for 17 years.
>> No way. Congratulations. That's amazing.
>> Yeah, it's it's incredible.
>> Wow.
>> of the best feelings in the world.
>> I was really [music] lucky that like my
life changed slowly.
I started when I was really young, and
then I had about 10 years before the
Spider-Man thing happened.
>> [music]
>> The Spider-Man of it all was the That
was the big turning point of where like
everything changed. And I was lucky that
[music] I had those formative years to
sort of grow up, make mistakes, learn
about set life, learn about the world of
movie making,
>> [music]
>> and then Spider-Man happened. But it
definitely was a steep learning curve,
for sure. Especially when I was like
really young.
>> [music]
>> Maybe I was even 19 when I was shooting
Civil War.
And
you know, [music] I was a die-hard Well,
I am a die-hard fan of the studio.
I felt like I sort of won some [music]
competition and was allowed to like be
on set for the day. But then when I had
to take my mark and do my scene with
Downey, it was a really overwhelming
experience, and I'm [music] very
grateful to Downey because when I did my
audition, my audition was like eight
pages of dialogue. It was a long scene.
>> [music]
>> I was told by my agents to learn the
lines exactly.
And that was kind of like
a bit of [music] advice, but also
because I'd been really lazy earlier in
self-tapes, and I would rewrite things
[music] and and change it so it fit my
mouth better.
But they said in this instance, you have
to learn it perfectly.
And then when we did my first take with
Downey, [music]
he just started improvising
and changing everything in the script,
which kind of gave me license to kind of
follow him.
So in that
scene, [music] I just kind of followed
his lead and and we improvised and we
did a bunch of stuff and I thought after
that audition, I was like, "Oh, I've
definitely got this. Like [music] that
went so well." But what he did which is
so great and so sweet is when I got to
set, my scene had been cut down
significantly from what I'd done in the
audition to now
a page and a half [music] or maybe even
two pages.
And we start shooting the scene and
Downey piped up and was like, "Where's
all the kids' lines gone?" [music]
And the Russo sort of said, "Well, look,
you know, this is already a 140-page
script. Like we [music] can't um spend
too much time on this."
And Downey was the one that was like,
"No, no, no, you're going to want to
spend some time [music] on this. Like
let's shoot the whole thing from the
audition. You can always cut it, but
you'd want to have it."
And they used all of it.
>> Yeah, that's cool.
>> And I think that's really cool and I'd
love to one day do that. If I would be
lucky enough to somehow bring Miles
Morales into
my Spider-Man universe and into the MCU,
I'd love to
to do for a young kid what Downey did
for me.
When I signed my contract
for Spider-Man 1,
I signed a six-picture deal. I was 18
years old.
I was more excited than I'd ever been
about anything [music] ever.
And for the last 10 years, I have been
at the beck and call of Marvel and Sony.
And proudly so, it's been
the best experience of my life.
I'm now at a juncture where
I can say no.
And now that I've been afforded that
power, [music]
I am struggling to
figure out what is the right thing
[music] to do.
The learning curve that I'm on right now
is dealing [music] with that new sense
of power, making sure that I don't abuse
it,
but making sure that I do the best thing
for [music] me
rather than for the studio.
And really the best thing for the
character.
I don't want to make another movie for
the sake of making it, but I want to do
it for the right reasons. [music] And
now I am
navigating and figuring out what [music]
having that kind of power means and that
responsibility.
>> Yeah.
>> And I'm by no means complaining. It's a
wonderful [music] place to be,
but it is something that keeps me up at
night and I'm constantly thinking of
like, is this the right thing to do?
Am I going to do justice to the
character?
Am I going to do justice to the fans?
I definitely don't want to just make a
movie for the sake of it,
>> [music]
>> cuz that's not what Spider-Man
represents. I owe everything to the fans
of [music] of Marvel and and myself.
They've been so kind and generous to me.
Like after Civil War came [music] out, I
felt like Civil War was my audition to
the world.
Like I'd gotten the part of Spider-Man.
I did the film [music] with the Russo
brothers and that came out and that to
me felt like my will you embrace me as
Spider-Man? And they did and I'm so
grateful [music] that they did.