After experiencing all three stages of production with the producer/director/writer/actor Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell co-wrote the novel The Disaster Artist, documenting the ongoing behind-the-scenes insanity on Wiseau's The Room.
Paired with the cult status that the film had eventually earned, the book was elevated to the mainstream, earning the attention of James Franco, who would end up adapting the the novel into a film, directing said film, and even portraying the enigmatic filmmaker himself.
That said, though, there are plenty of details surrounding The Room that are almost too bizarre to believe. Everything from futuristic vampires and aggressive farting to Matt Damon played a role in developing Wiseau's vision (for better or worse). It's a faulty foray into filmmaking, and can hardly be compared to any other film that has ever been produced, but that's exactly where its cult status stems from.
I f you're planning on seeing Franco's adaptation of the novel (which has gotten Wiseau's personal seal of approval), keep reading to discover 15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Room.
Flying Cars & Vampires
As if The Room couldn't be any stranger than it already is, Tommy Wiseau once had other ideas in of where the plot could potentially go. He had already gone all in on green screens and faulty post-production audio recording, but when he was toying with the screenplay, he played around with the idea of incorporating some sci-fi and supernatural elements into the story.
An original concept included characters Johnny and Mark having an argument, which then resulted in Johnny - who was inexplicably revealed to be a vampire (that would explain the sunglasses, pale skin, and lack of basic football knowledge) - getting into his car and... flying away. Thankfully, co-star Greg Sestero convinced him that this wasn't a great idea. Though, then again, maybe the supernatural angle would have actually made some sense out of all the madness.
$300k for a single billboard promo
If you want to sell a movie, your marketing game needs to be on point. Even Tommy Wiseau (questionable though his logic may seem) understood this; so much so that he was willing to cough up a pretty penny in order to let the world (or LA, at the very least) know about his film, The Room. That said, his approach was questionable at best. Instead of reaching out to investors, he reached into his own pockets, paying for a billboard that cost him $5,000 a month.
What's more, however, is the fact that the billboard's shelf life was hardly minimal. He paid to keep it standing for five years, meaning that he put a grand total of $300,000 into a single billboard. You can argue that it ultimately paid off, considering that it's still being discussed, but still... this is a prime example of risky investments.
"I did not hit her"... 32 times
There are quite a few perfectionists in Hollywood. The late Stanley Kubrick was famous for indulging in take-after-take during a single scene before he was satisfied, and David Fincher is another director who isn't afraid to film up to 50 takes before moving on to another scene. When it comes to creating art, everybody's different. Even Tommy Wiseau.
While filming The Room, Wiseau apparently had so many issues with the "I did not hit her" scene that it took a frustrating 32 takes before the crew got what they needed. This is even touched upon in James Franco's The Disaster Artist, where he recreates the failed attempts of Wiseau trying his darnedest to make this scene work. The dialogue is awkward and stilted, but he deserves some credit for trying.
A No Farting Policy
Every job has rules when it comes to workplace etiquette. There are simply things you're not allowed to do when you're on the clock, and for the most part, they're not often things that are especially difficult to temporarily give up. And while the same sort of rules essentially applied to the production of The Room, there was one rule about which Wiseau was especially adamant: no farting.
No matter how badly a cast or crew member's stomach might have ached, and no matter how poorly one's bottle of Gas X may have fared, farting was a giant no-no. As it so happened, though, someone on set did end up farting during the production, and Wiseau erupted into a tirade of gaseous objection, calling the deed, "Disgusting as hell!"
"If the jeans go, I go!"
Sex is a no-pants dance. Though it's an activity that offers unique experiences for all sorts of couples, there is one fairly universal rule that tends to stick: nudity is necessary. However, while filming The Room, actor Greg Sestero kindly objected to this, insisting that he not remove his pants during filming. To each their own.
This led to the awkwardness that was the sex scene between Mark and Lisa. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Sestero said, "‘Uh, that’s not going to happen with me.’ So, luckily, he made the exception so I could have my jeans on.” It's hard to say whether or not his lack of jeans would have improved the scene, but any sense of added realism to this movie would have done wonders. The jeans simply add to the madness.
The Room Meets "Eyes Wide Shut"
Actors need motivation when filming a scene. It's technically possible for someone to simply assume what is going in with their character and to aimlessly read their lines, but the results are going to be next-level awkward. So, as strange an experience as watching The Room may be, Wiseau did at least attempt to give his actors something to work with in of motivation.
It just so happens that the motivation was questionable at best.
For Juliette Danielle, who played Lisa, Wiseau recommended that she watch and study Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. That said, though, he didn't go into detail as to why he wanted her to watch the movie. If anything, it could explain the overall confusion in the film (if that helps).
Why The Dialogue Is So... Off
One of the most enjoyable parts of watching The Room is experiencing the lunacy of sound. The dialogue appears to be coming out of actors' mouths, but something is off. It feels distant. Removed. Alien, almost.
However, there is an explanation for this after all.
Due to issue with audio recording on set, Wiseau was forced to resort to one line every filmmaker tries their best to avoid: "We'll fix it in post." A solid chunk of dialogue in The Room is ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording), a process that allows actors to re-record their dialogue over a scene in post-production. While the process itself might be helpful in some circumstances, using it often causes the film to suffer from a lack of realism (not that The Room has to worry about that).
Actors had to be on set at all times
Film productions may seem chaotic, but they're usually meticulously controlled. Everyone has a role to play, not a single dime is wasted, and if you're not needed on a particular day, then you're simply excused from the day's schedule.
As it turns out, though, Tommy Wiseau never got that memo. Instead of allowing actors a day off on days where the schedule didn't need them, he insisted they appear on set—just in case. If Wiseau felt inclined to use an actor in a scene in which they didn't originally appear, he had the luxury of having them on standby.
Sure, it may have cost him more money on an already limited budget, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Did it pay off? That's subjective.
Based On The Book And Play That Never Happened
You might want to sit down for this one, but The Room wasn't always going to be a movie. Once upon a time, before Wiseau wised up and turned his precious creation into a full-on production, he had other ideas. Originally, The Room was going to be a stage play. However, from there, inspiration took hold of Wiseau and his ideas evolved.
While writing The Room as a play, he eventually switched gears and rewrote it as a novel. When the process of trying to get it published failed, he eventually came to with the fact that this story simply had to be seen to be believed. So, the tides turned, the process transformed, and audiences now have the pleasure of witnessing Wiseau's creation whenever they feel so inclined.
Busting The Bank
The Room looks fairly cheap, yeah? There is an overall lack of imagination or general finesse to the production, acting choices, direction, etc., which makes sense considering how low its budget must have been.
As it turns out, though, The Room was actually a fairly expensive movie to make, with a $6 million budget. What's more, the money didn't come from outside investors. Oh, no. Just like the billboard, the budget's money came straight out of Wiseau's pocket. He packed the film to the brim with every penny he could get his hands on (which turned out to be a lot), but he still managed to make a movie that didn't really do its budget justice.
But maybe this was a blessing in disguise. The Room isn't just a cult-favorite, but a cult-favorite that'll likely show up at the Oscars— assuming The Disaster Artist earns some deserved nominations.
