Perth Voice Interactive

THE ROOM is the worst movie ever made, a melodrama about a love triangle that is so bafflingly bad it’s gained a cult following and now draws big crowds to screenings across the globe 10 years after its release.

Greg Sestero, one of its “stars”, is coming to Perth to answer questions about the film industry’s biggest mysteries: Is this thing for real? What were they thinking? And what’s up with the truly bizarre director/producer/lead actor Tommy Wiseau?

“He’s got kind of this vampire-y exterior, but on the inside he’s this 16-year-old kid who never really grew up and believes he’s the next Marlon Brando,” Sestero says of his colleague. “Nobody’s going to tell him otherwise.”

When filming the horrifically bad movie, Sestero recalls “it was, to me, really funny”.

He says it was tough to keep a straight face while reading awful dialogue like “you don’t understand anything man! Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!”

“There was a couple of times I reached up to touch my face to hide a laugh,” he says.

“He’s got kind of this vampire-y exterior, but on the inside he’s this 16-year-old kid who never really grew up and believes he’s the next Marlon Brando,”

He wasn’t surprised when The Room sank without nearly a trace upon its release.

“When the movie was laughed off the screen I took it with a grain of salt,” he says.

“I never expected the movie to get me more work. I didn’t think even Daniel Day Lewis could have survived it.”

When a cult following started to pick up on the “so bad it’s good” aspect, Sestero was happy to see it gain a new life.

“I was in disbelief… the fact that the film has struck a chord with them and brought them entertainment is great.

“I was the first ‘fan’ of Tommy and this whole thing, and it was really interesting to see everyone’s reaction to it.”

Sestero’s now written a book, The Disaster Artist, with comedian Tom Bissell about the filming, praised by Huffington Post as “possibly the most important piece of literature ever printed” for its insight into the film’s genesis and its bizarre creator.

Sestero tracked down and interviewed cast members like Juliette Danielle who describes herself as “finally out of hiding from The Room,” having endured cringeworthy love scenes with Wiseau.

And Sestero remains in touch with Wiseau, who says he approves of “50 per cent” of the book.

The book has now been picked up for a movie—yes, a movie about a book about a movie—with James Franco directing, and some involvement from best-bud Seth Rogen.

“I think it’s going to be a really exciting new chapter for this phenomenon,” Sestero says. “When I started writing it, I saw it as the Ed Wood of our generation. I think James Franco and Seth Rogen will do a great job.”

Sestero hosts the documentary “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made” at Luna cinemas Leederville on July 14 at 7pm, followed by a screening of the original film at 9pm. Book at lunapalace.com.au

by DAVID BELL