You know that moment when you're just doing your job, answering press questions, maybe talking about your latest movie, and then someone drops a bombshell that makes you question everything? That's pretty much what happened to Tom Holland recently.
During an interview for his new film, "The Odyssey" (with Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway casually sitting by), a journalist named Camille Guinevere Smith took a slight detour from movie questions. She told Holland that his candid story about sobriety had directly helped her associate editor-in-chief's father stop drinking. Holland, by all accounts, was genuinely blindsided and touched. Anne Hathaway even gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder, which, if you think about it, is a pretty high-tier pat.
Jami Male, the aforementioned associate editor-in-chief, later took to Instagram to elaborate. She explained that Holland's openness about his own battle with alcohol provided her father with a tangible success story — a beacon, if you will, in a very dark time. Because sometimes, seeing someone else make it through is exactly what you need to start your own journey.
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Start Your News DetoxThe Spider-Man's Sober Journey
Holland's path to sobriety started, as many do, with a "Dry January" back in 2022. He quickly realized his relationship with alcohol had become a little too… cozy. So, one month turned into two, and by January 2023, he was a full year sober. He told Food & Wine in October 2024 (yes, the future, because time is a flat circle and also publishing schedules are weird) that he felt "fantastic" and "free."
Which, naturally, led to him launching his non-alcoholic brand, BERO. Because apparently, once you conquer a personal demon, the next logical step is to build an empire out of it. And honestly, good for him.
Holland talked about BERO on "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" (because of course he did). He created it because he missed the social ritual of going to a bar and having something other than a sad lemonade. He wanted options. And apparently, so did his wife, Zendaya.
Now, Zendaya, according to Holland, "has never drank." So while she was proud of BERO, she wasn't exactly clamoring for a non-alcoholic beer. That's when Holland's mom, the true visionary here, suggested shandies — half beer, half lemonade. BERO now offers grapefruit, lemon-lime, blackberry yuzu, and elderflower shandies. Because even a Spider-Man needs a way to get his wife to enjoy his non-alcoholic beverage line.
It’s a pretty remarkable full circle: from personal struggle to public triumph, to creating a brand, and then, unexpectedly, finding out you changed someone's life just by being honest. Not a bad day at the office, all things considered.
