Actor Greg Sestero, co-star of “The Room,” gave a Q&A and live commentary at an Amherst Cinema screening of the cult classic Sunday night.
Many fans waited outside Theater One at the cinema for nearly half an hour, while some met Sestero outside before the screening. Some were dressed in Tommy Wiseau’s iconic baggy suit from the film and others wore merchandise referencing memorable moments and quotes from the movie. George Myers, programmer of Amherst Cinema, introduced Sestero and commenced the event at 7:15 p.m.
Myers recounted the first time he watched the movie and revealed that Sunday was the fourth time “The Room” had screened at Amherst Cinema in Sestero’s appearance. After Myers asked how many people had not seen “The Room” before, nearly half of the audience raised their hands. Myers recalls being led to the film by curiosity, similar to how newcomers are for screenings of the movie nationwide today.
“The Room” (2003) is a cult-classic independent film written, directed and produced by Tommy Wiseau. The movie focuses on a love triangle between best friends Johnny (Wiseau) and Mark (Sestero), and Johnny’s fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle). Wiseau’s creative over this semi-autobiographical movie led it to become the beloved movie it is today through his repetitively awkward writing, surreal production and bizarre plot.
At its release, critics panned “The Room” as one of the worst movies ever produced. Now, “The Room” is a film defined by its awkward writing and poor production. Following years of surging popularity of “The Room,” Sestero released his memoir “The Disaster Artist,” which was later adapted into an A24 movie directed by James Franco in 2017 starring James and Dave Franco, Seth Rogan and Alison Brie.
Before the screening, Sestero asked three audience members to perform a brief script reading from a memorable scene of the movie in front of the theater. The theater erupted with laughter as the fans struggled to perform the awkward scene.
Showings of “The Room” often revolve around chaotic rituals of throwing spoons at the screen, shouting during specific scenes and making jokes over the movie. At Amherst Cinema, the audience followed the tradition and excitedly watched the film, laughing through each of the queues. Sestero watched the movie with fans and made comments with a microphone.
After the screening, the audience erupted in cheers. Sestero and Myers then began the Q&A where Sestero responded to fans’ questions and comments about the film. He discussed his experiences with Wiseau behind the scenes during production and the differences between the story in “The Disaster Artist” (2017) and the reality of the production behind “The Room.” Most questions concerned Wiseau’s secretive lifestyle and mysterious personality.
The final question in the Q&A asked for advice for individuals who find themselves on a different path of life than they expected. This was in regards to Sestero’s own unexpected journey, as he had moved to Hollywood over twenty years ago with the expectation of becoming a respected actor in more substantial films. Sestero explained that “The Room” taught him not to be a follower.
“You really want to carve out your own path. ‘The Room’ pushed me into what I loved to do, which was storytelling,” Sestero said. “Embrace what you’re doing, don’t think about doing something else. I regret that we didn’t shoot more.”
After the movie, Sestero sold merchandise, scripts of the movie and physical copies of his directorial debut “Miracle Valley,” which was released in 2021.
Crissy Saucier can be reached at [email protected].
