Greg Sestero Presents The Room and Big Shark at Screenland Armor

On July 9, 2017, my life changed forever. I attended my first screening of Bedroom in Los Angeles, hosted by Tommy Wiseau. It is a 2003 film that was written, directed and starred by Wiseau. He lives in the pantheon like Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from space and is considered the worst movie of all time.

At these screenings, people throw spoons and shout lines as they go. It’s an incredible theatrical experience and that’s what made me fall in love with this movie. To me, it’s a perfect movie. Greg Sestero, who starred in Bedroom, wrote a book about this horrible experience called The Disaster Artist. It was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film in 2017, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. Sestero also narrates the audiobook, which I recommend because he can do a perfect Tommy Wiseau impression. Wiseau claims to be a “typical American guy” from New Orleans, but he has a very pronounced Eastern European accent.

He kissed The rooms The film has achieved cult status and now claims that it was always intended to be a dark comedy. This is clearly not the case. Wiseau paid for the film to run in theaters for two weeks so that it could qualify for the Oscars. Greg and Tommy worked together again on the film written by Sestero, Best Friends Part 1 And Part 2 in 2017 and 2018. They are reunited again for Wiseau’s long-awaited film sequel Bedroom In Big shark.

Sestero will be at Screenland Armour on July 25 for Q&A screenings of Bedroom And Big shark. It’s part of a tour he has going on and we were lucky enough to catch up with him before he leaves for his European dates.

The pitch: The last time I saw you was at Screenland Armor. You were there with Bedroom and your movie, The Valley of Miracles.

Greg Sestero: That’s right, yeah.

I really enjoyed this movie and I know people can watch it on Tubi now, they should. You’re currently working on another feature film that you also wrote and directed. Can you tell us anything about it?

Yeah, so The Valley of Miracles actually, it just came out yesterday on a special edition Blu-ray, which is awesome, and it’s available on Amazon Prime and Tubi. It was a really fun screening at the Armour Theater. I feel like the Kansas City audience really enjoyed it and really got it. Now I’m going to work on Forbidden skywhich is an alien abduction movie, and on July 25th we’re also going to show a special teaser at Screenland when I’m there.

Oh fuck yeah. So you’re done filming already?

We have some pictures, but we’re going to talk about it and surprise the crowd.

So what was it like working with Tommy again as a director on Big shark? I know you worked together again after Bedroom on Best friendsbut you wrote it and someone else directed it. What was it like working with Tommy Wiseau again on the directorial?

Yeah, it’s all over the place. I mean, really, every day is a surprise, it’s an adventure, and it shows on the screen. I worked really hard to get the Kansas City premiere. I told Tommy how great the Screenland Armor Theatre was, and how great the audience was. So that’s going to be the Kansas City premiere. I think it’s going to be a great time. The audience will really like it.

Now, did Tommy shoot the trailer before the movie came out?

We did a concept trailer a few years ago, and then it ended up evolving into the movie that you’re going to see. And the cool thing about it is that the version that’s going to premiere on July 25th is a completely different version. It hasn’t been shown yet, so it has Tommy Wiseau’s special effect in it.

Oh fuck, yeah, this is exciting. I can’t wait. Why doesn’t Tommy want to come to Kansas City?

He hasn’t been traveling as much lately. He usually only travels to a few cities, but I’ve made it clear to him that the spirit is there. Hopefully one day I can get him to come. We’ll come play football in Kansas City, because it’s a pretty awesome football town.

Yeah, people like football here. So how’s it going? Big shark comes to you. Did Tommy come to you with this concept?

So we did Best friends and Tommy loved that experience. Lionsgate picked it up and put it out. And then he came to me and said, “We’ve got to make another movie.” So he had some great ideas for movies, but Big shark That was the one he wanted to do next.

I know in the past he’s said he just wanted to be an actor. He didn’t really want to write or direct again. Did he ever want to do another movie? What made him want to direct again after that? Bedroom?

I think it was a good break. And then, like I said, we did Best friendswhich was a completely crazy experience. We filmed everywhere. And then I think we were in London, and he said to me, “We have to make a film called Big Shark.”

He was right and I’m glad you did. So what made you want to make your own feature film?

In writing Best friendsI learned a lot. And then, when I wrote The Valley of MiraclesI thought it was the perfect movie to make. I live on a ranch, we’re going to film, I visualized every shot. I thought if there was ever a time to do the writer, director, actor, producer thing, this was the movie to make. I also love horror movies. So it was a really fun challenge to take on everything.

Yeah, there were some pretty cool death scenes in it. The Valley of Miracles.Those movies looked really fun. We can tell you’re a horror fan.

We got to do practical effects, which is my favorite. So I was really excited that it turned out that way, and also The Valley of Miracles with a crowd, it was really fun to see the reactions. I’m a big, big believer in practical effects.

Now you write and direct your own stuff, so I guess you probably don’t, but do you ever feel pigeonholed by Bedroom? Did you ever feel like it was holding you back from other opportunities in the entertainment industry?

No, because at the time I did it Bedroom Nobody knew who I was. I had made a film called Retro Puppet Masterwhich I enjoyed, but, Bedroom That’s what really gave me a break. It introduced me to a lot of great people and without that, you don’t have a chance to do anything. You have to be in something that people see. So obviously writing that book was my biggest contribution and it got turned into an Oscar-nominated movie and introduced me to a lot of artists like Bob Odenkirk and Seth Rogen and James Franco. So, yeah, give me a chance to do what I love to do, and that’s all you can really ask for.

Yes, absolutely. And I love seeing you appear in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Haunting of Bly ManorWhat was it like working with him?

Yeah, that was another example. I would never have had the chance to meet Mike Flanagan. He’s a big supporter of Bedroom and he loved The Disaster Artist book, so working with him was amazing. We’ve stayed in touch and hope to work together again soon. Bedroom It’s something you would see and you wouldn’t know how to take that as an actor on your resume, but oddly enough, it’s really taken me to a lot of cool places.

Do you have any plans to work with Tommy again in the future?

Yeah, we have some surprises, I hope. And you know, alien movies, shark movies, and who knows what’s next.

Do you have any places you like to visit in Kansas City when you’re here?

Adam from Screenland introduced me to Kansas City BBQ, which is the best of the best, and just walking around town. I would love to check out the football stadium. I am definitely a Chiefs fan. They are my second favorite team, so having the chance to spend a little more time in town would be fun.

You can find more information on Bedroom And Big shark screenings at the Screenland Armor Theatre on July 25th at the attached links.