Few films have achieved the rare feat of being so bad they’re good, but The Room sits firmly in that hall of fame. Directed by the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau and starring Greg Sestero, the 2003 cult classic is a staggering misfire in acting, editing and scriptwriting – and yet, it’s precisely that sincerity in failure that makes it unforgettable.
As a film, The Room is less a coherent drama and more a surreal spoon-filled experience, stitched together with misplaced intensity and nonsensical dialogue (‘You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!’). Still, it has found a second (and third, and fourth) life in late-night screenings, fan shout-alongs, and pop culture references that refuse to die.
Over two decades later, self-described ‘The Room survivor’ and author of The Disaster Artist Greg Sestero continues to ride the wave of The Room’s accidental brilliance.
In this interview, he reflects on the film’s lasting legacy, the passion of Australian fans, and the projects he’s cooking up now – including a mysterious alien abduction flick.
‘Oh, hi Mark!’ 5 questions with Greg Sestero: quick links
Watch the video of this interview on ScreenHub’s TikTok, YouTube or Instagram accounts.
The Room is considered to be one of the best-worst movies of all time. What is it about it that still resonates with people?
Greg Sestero: The Room‘s an incredible story that came out over 20 years ago, and I think it’s a movie unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. The first 15 minutes of this movie will change your life.
Honestly, it’s a movie I didn’t think anybody would ever see, but it’s so original and so different, and it goes so hard in what it’s trying to do, that you can’t help but root for it.
What stands out to you about Australian fans of The Room (compared with fans in other countries)?
Sestero: I love them so much. Their unbridled enthusiasm at every screening is just contagious. And while other audiences might come with more of a mocking sensibility, Australian fans come to celebrate this movie. They root for the underdog. And if you ever get a chance to see the room with an Australian crowd, it’s up there. It’s one of the best.
Watch the trailer for The Room:
Any word on what’s happening with The Room remake (The Room Returns!) starring Bob Odenkirk?
Sestero: For one day, we did a shoot of the classic scenes of the room with Bob Odenkirk, and it’s just a tribute to celebrate the uniqueness, and the beautiful chaos, that is The Room. And I think anybody who gets a chance to watch those scenes, it’ll be a really great reward for fans for supporting the movie for so many years.
If you could go back and visit young Greg on the set of The Room, what would you say to him?
Sestero: If I could visit young Greg on the set of The Room, that would be quite epic! But I think young Greg was in really good shape to handle The Room, because I had met Tommy four years before he made The Room, and I was a big fan of the character, the madness.
When you are making something that you don’t think a lot of people are going to see, there’s no pressure on it. So therefore, you’re way more open to experiencing the nature of what you’re doing. And I think, had I known that this movie would have screened around the world for 20 years, I probably would have given a little bit more passion towards the role, as opposed to observing it.
And therefore, I think my performance in the movie helps with the the absurdity of it. So I think young Greg had it figured out, and I think he’s good to go.
I think my performance in the movie helps with the the absurdity of it.
What’s one piece of advice you have for young, aspiring actors who want to find their place in the screen industry?
Sestero: The industry is an amazing thing. What I love about it all these years later is: we don’t know anything.
You can get all the best screenwriters, the best directors, the best actors, and put that movie out, and people will watch it and move on – and not be compelled by it. We have no idea what that formula is.
So, the advice I would give is: when you make a project, make sure it’s coming from a sincere place. Make sure the passion is sincere. You’re not trying to just make a movie to get a reaction. Make sure your intentions are sincere, and make sure you’re making something original. Because nowadays, people really want something that they haven’t seen before.
We all have a story within us that will speak to an audience, and it’s just about tapping into your uniqueness.
when you make a project, make sure it’s coming from a sincere place.
Any new projects you’re currently working on?
Sestero: Yes. Speaking of crazy original ideas, I have been working on a project called Forbidden Sky. It’s about a real life alien abduction.
For over five years during the pandemic, I lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere that was supposedly a place that had a lot of UFO activity, and so I’ve been working on this story. It’s about a radio host/ conspiracy theorist who used to be an actor on a very bad sci-fi TV show, who now is in the role of his life.
I studied movies like Galaxy Quest, The Truman Show – movies that really spoke to me back in the 80s and the 90s. So, that is what I’m working on now, and hopefully it’ll be here sometime next year.
You can see The Room at one of the regular screenings happening at Cinema Nova in Carlton, Victoria, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne, Sydney, and many other cinemas around the country. It is not currently available on streaming.
