What Tom Holland says is his 'favorite thing' about sobriety, plus overwhelming support and new non-alcoholic beer
January 1st will mark three years of sobriety for Tom Holland and the "Spider-Man" actor who recently launched an alcohol-free beer inspired by his journey, said the lifestyle change has brought with it some extracurricular bonuses.
Holland joined "Good Morning America" on Wednesday to discuss his new product BERO, as well as upcoming projects like his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but began by revealing that his golf handicap "came down after I got sober."
"One of my favorite things about my sober life is the 9 a.m. tee time with all my friends where I'm fresh as a daisy and I'm dragging them to the tee box," Holland said. "I love it. It's been fantastic."
More practically though, Holland explained that "one of the biggest things I learned after getting sober was how much I could handle and how more capable I am in certain situations."
"I think dealing with adversity and being on set -- sets are very busy places, they're very stressful -- I think back in the day I would have allowed it to stress me out a lot more. But since getting sober, I can really take it in my stride and get on with it and just enjoy everything about my day," he said.
Holland also said his partner Zendaya and others in his close circle showed him "an overwhelming sense of support."
"I really realized who my real friends were. I realized I had a lot of friends that the only thing I had in common was that I really liked drinking," he continued. "Enjoying a nightlife experience with them, without the pressure of having a drink, was really a beautiful experience. Even one of my best mates, who is a big drinker, has now decided to take a year off and see how it goes and I love having that kind of influence over people -- Hopefully BERO is something that will help him get through that."
While many celebrities have been made a mint hawking liquor, Holland bucked the trend with his newfound appreciation for non-alcoholic drinks and officially launched BERO that went on sale last week.
"This is my first step into the commercial world -- I have been developing it for well over a year now and it's been a passion of mine, from tasting samples to designing the can to building the brand," Holland told "GMA." "It's been awesome. I have absolutely loved it."
Holland first embraced the sober life after dipping his toe to ditch drinking for Dry January in 2022, which he opened up about to Jay Shetty on his podcast "On Purpose," calling it "the best thing I've ever done."
Despite a large influx in the category with lots of competitors on the NA shelf space, Holland said, "the thing I wanted to try and create with BERO is to mimic the experience of having a beer as much as possible."
"Taste is important, yes. But so much about drinking a beer is about that experience. So I really want to try to find a way to be on tap," he said. "I really wanted to create a lager that had a true foam. I wanted the carbonation to be accurate to the household names."
"Our brewmaster Grant Wood is an absolute genius. We would sit down together and try all of these different samples and try them against our competitors and hopefully create something really special," Holland said Wednesday. "I think what we've got is the most premium and truthful version of what a real beer should taste like."
According to the ad copy, BERO provides "not only exceptional flavor, but ... it is a brand designed to be aspirational and inclusive, aiming to honor all the best aspects of beer. It's made for discerning drinkers who want more from life, whether or not alcohol is part of the equation."
The line includes Kingston Golden Pils, named after Holland's hometown Kingston Upon Thames; Edge Hill Hazy IPA, named for Holland's school; and Noon Wheat, named in honor of Holland's beloved schnauzer.
ABC News' Stephen Iervolino contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this story was originally published on October 16, 2024 when BERO first launched.
