Tom Holland in a dark suit being interviewed at a press event, with a yellow microphone visible in the foreground and a blurred crowd behind him.
Eloisa Sanchez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
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A Journalist Told Tom Holland That Talking About His Own Sobriety Helped Her Dad Stop Drinking

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During a press interview for “The Odyssey,” a Brut. journalist passed Tom Holland a message from a colleague:

“…the associate editor asked me to ask you this — you helped her dad stop drinking. She just wants to thank you so much. It has changed her life, it has changed his life, and she just wanted to give some love towards you. Her name’s Jamie, she said hi.”

“Oh wow. Oh, no way, wow! Oh, man! Thank you so much you’ve made my day. Thank you. I really appreciate that. Wow, thank you, thank you.”

The exchange happened July 20 at the Odyssey press junket, with Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway sitting alongside Holland when the message landed. Brut. journalist Camille Guinevere Smith delivered it on behalf of the outlet’s associate editor-in-chief, Jami Male, whose father stopped drinking after hearing Holland talk about his own recovery.

Tom Holland speaking with media at a Spider-Man: Brand New Day fan event in Mexico City
At Aztlan Feria de Chapultepec in Mexico City, Tom Holland speaks with members of the press during the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” fan event on July 20, 2026. Photo by Eloisa Sanchez / Getty Images.
Tom Holland at the Shanghai premiere of Spider-Man: Brand New Day
At the Shanghai premiere of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ on July 24, 2026, Tom Holland was in attendance. Photo by VCG / Visual China Group via Getty Images.

Holland’s sobriety started with a Dry January in 2022, after holiday drinking made him realize how dependent he’d become. He kept going, hit a full year in January 2023, and has been open about the process ever since, including in a widely shared conversation with Jay Shetty. He later founded BERO, a non-alcoholic beer brand.

“When one person shares the story of their struggle, it shows others that they are not alone,” Male wrote on Instagram. She said Holland spent less than 10 minutes talking about how he came to terms with his alcoholism and gave people like her dad “a success story to resonate with and a little more hope during a difficult process.”

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