Image via Complex Original
"Oh, hi, Tommy!"
If you're a fan of "so bad it's good" movies, chances are you've seen The Room. Often referred to as the "Citizen Kane of bad movies," the no-budget film is a tour de force of awfulness that deftly maneuvers around dead-end subplots, glaring narrative inconsistencies, and the notion that women are inherently evil. The man behind the movie, in every possible sense, is Tommy Wiseau, who directed, produced, wrote, and starred in this bedazzled sack of cinematic horse shit. Which, for better or worse, has evolved into a cult classic since its 2003 release.
Though it's been over a decade since The Room's premiere, the film's buzz has yet to die. Lead actor Greg Sestero, who played the role of Mark, co-wrote the 2013 non-fiction book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, which details the making of Wiseau's non-masterwork. Also, a slew of other stars from The Room have successfully funded over $30,000 on Kickstarter to produce a mockumentary astutely titled The Room Actors: Where Are They Now?
If you, bad movie lover, still aren't a part of The Room's ever-growing fan base, now's the time to embrace the delusional insanity of one Tommy Wiseau. Here are 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Man Behind The Room.
The $6 Million Budget
The Room is by no means a visual masterpiece, but the budget managed to reach well into the millions. A large part of the unbelievably high price tag was Tommy's insistence on buying not one but two sets of camera equipment. He shot simultaneously in both 35mm film and high-definition video. Wiseau also decided to build sets that easily could've been shot on location; all of the rooftop scenes were bafflingly shot outdoors on a green screen. He's notoriously tight-lipped about the source of his cash flow, insisting that he financed the movie entirely by importing and selling Korean leather jackets.
The Room was Originally a Play
Tommy Wiseau originally wrote The Room as a play, which eventually evolved into a 500-page book. The play part may explain why Wiseau insisted on every actor having an understudy, a practice that;'s largely unheard of in movies. Wiseau unsurprisingly couldn't find anyone willing to publish his masterpiece, resulting in a 99-page script adaptation. In 2011, Wiseau revealed that he's still scheming ways to get The Room to become a Broadway production.
The Neverending Billboard Ad
One of the few methods of promotion Wiseau used for The Room was a massive billboard overlooking Highland Avenue in Hollywood. The billboard, which featured Wiseau's pale, lumpy face scowling into the horizon, stayed up for over five years, costing Tommy in the neighborhood of $300,000 total. As usual, Wiseau refused to reveal the source of his seemingly bottomless pockets.
Wiseau Believes The Room Lowered America's Crime Rate
In an enlightening interview this October with Gawker, Wiseau revealed that he truly believes midnight showings of The Room helped make America a less dangerous place:
"Screening The Room midnight eliminated crime in America...look at how many young people—you been young, I mean we still young, whatever—go in the street, you know, walking on the street, nothing to do, go see The Room, have fun. Let's assume you don't see The Room, you don't have The Room, you walk on the street, grab the rock, and by accident you hit somebody, you know? Accident happen, get 'em arrested, go to jail, whatever. Instead you see The Room. So high probability crime, high probability...you know what I'm saying?"
Clear as crystal, Tommy.
Tommy Takes the Stairs
When it came time to film The Room's outdoor scenes of Johnny running up the stairs of Lisa's apartment, Tommy neglected to get an outdoor filming permit that's required in San Francisco. According to Sestero in The Disaster Artist, Wiseau would film at random houses without the owners' permission, resulting in police questioning several times. They only managed to get a few full shots, which explains why the same stair shot is used several times. It also begs the question: How would you react if you opened your front door and Tommy Wiseau was jogging up your stairs?
Wiseau is Extremely Fartaphobic
Though Wiseau is completely fine with showing the world his wizened ass-cheeks in The Room's uncomfortably long sex scenes (YOU ARE MY ROSE YOU ARE MY ROSE YOU ARE MY ROSE), he's disgusted by the gasses that escape them. When a crew member farted on set, he exploded, saying, "Please don't do this ridiculous stuff—it's disgusting as hell." He's also been know to refuse valet service for his silver Mercedes-Benz, solely out of fear that someone will fart on his leather seats. Seriously.
Wiseau Wanted to Include a Vampire Flying Car Scene
Tommy Wiseau has long been fascinated by vampires, which isn't surprising because he basically is one. In The Disaster Artist, Sestero wrote about how he had to talk Tommy out of including an extension of the Chris R. fight scene where Johnny's Benz would ascend from the rooftop and fly into the night sky, exposing that Johnny is actually a vampire. How Tommy's mind envisioned this fitting into the plot, we may never know.
Wiseau Clashed with Tim & Eric
Wiseau originally collaborated with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheimer of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as a guest producer on a segment titled “Tommy.” When Wiseau started production on a new sitcom called The Neighbors, in which he plays a landlord to a weird-ass cast of tenants, Tim and Eric signed on to help produce the show, but were pushed away by Wiseau. “Tommy wanted more help to make it and we wanted him to do what he does in a vacuum without any assistance from professionals,” Heidecker told GQ.
Wiseau apparently wanted more creative help from the duo, while they just wanted to assist with the business side of things.
The Room Has Its Own Gift Shop
Neglected your Christmas shopping so far? If you visit the The Room's official website's store, the first product that appears is a three-pack of undies described as “SPECIAL BRIEFS designed by Tommy Wiseau; with secret PACKET” in boxers, briefs, or even boxer briefs. There’s also a Tommy Wiseau bobblehead that garbles quotes like, “You are tearing me apart, Lisa!” and “Oh, hi, Denny!”
James Franco is Making a Disaster Artist Movie
James Franco is one of The Room's many celebrity fans, as seen in his VICE review of The Disaster Artist. After reaching out to Greg Sestero about his memoir, Franco was given the green-light to film an adaptation of the book. Franco's production company, Rabbit Bandini Productions, is producing the film, with Seth Rogen serving as an additional producer. James' brother, Dave Franco, got Tommy Wiseau's blessing to play Sestero, while James Franco himself will possibly tackle the role of Wiseau. Franco also hired The Fault in Our Stars and 500 Days of Summer screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber to adapt the script.