Emma Laird, best known for playing Iris in the crime series Mayor of Kingstown, has joined the cast of Apple TV+‘s The Crowded Room.
Laird will star alongside Tom Holland, who plays Danny, a young man with multiple personalities, and Amanda Seyfried, who stars as his clinical psychologist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Laird will play Danny’s high school girlfriend, the only one to recognize his heart and talent.
Sasha Lane (Loki) and Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) have also been added to the cast, alongside the previously announced Emmy Rossum (Shameless), who will portray Danny’s mother.
The series is helmed by Akiva Goldsman and will be directed by Kornél Mundruczó. Designed as an anthology series highlighting the true and inspirational stories of those who have struggled and learned to successfully live with mental illness, the 10-episode first season is inspired by Daniel Keyes’ non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan.
Billy Milligan was the first person in U.S. history acquitted of a major crime by pleading multiple-personality disorder. Hugo Award-winner Keyes first published the novel in 1981, with a sequel, The Milligan Wars, published in 1994.
Laird plays a leading role as Iris in the Paramount+ crime thriller Mayor of Kingstown opposite Jeremy Renner and Dianne Wiest. The series was recently renewed for a second season. Her previous credits include the short films From Life (2018) and In Conversation With a Goddess (2019).
Reacting to the news of her casting on social media, Laird said, “So excited to announce I’m joining @tomholland2013 @mingey and more in this wonderful cast for The Crowded Room. What a talented bunch of creatives there are bringing this one to life.”
Production on The Crowded Room is expected to begin in New York in March.
The Crowded Room, TBA, Apple TV+
