On Friday night, I attended the Love is Blind Tour at MADCAP Theaters. The tour is a showing of "The Room" with special guests Tommy Wiseau, director, writer and lead actor ("Johnny") and supporting actor Greg Sestero ("Mark").
Before I went to the movie, I had only seen the trailer, so that was my only point of reference. It's pretty absurd. All I could imagine was that the whole movie was going to be so ridiculous that it was actually funny. And it was, but it was also more than that.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Wiseau and talk to him about the film. First of all, he is an awesome person. He's eccentric, he's personable and he has an amazing outlook on life.
Before filming, Wiseau interviewed people about relationships, and he came out with a few ideas. "Three’s okay. It’s okay. You can have three friends for example, but if you refer to 'The Room,' it’s like a red flag. Don’t betray your friends," he said.
"And this is the biggest dilemma that we all have. You can graduate from Harvard University; you can graduate from Oxford, etc., etc. You know what? It’ll be the same thing. I don’t care how many diplomas you have on the walls, the same thing. Relationships are relationships. You know what I’m saying? It’s difficult sometimes," Wiseau said.
I appreciated his comments on relationships, because I do believe that sometimes we make things so much more complex than they need to be. Before talking to him about his creative process with the film, I hadn't thought about how the plot line was simply about things that happen in relationships. It might not be an award-winning movie or incredibly impressive in terms of major motion pictures, but it has a message.
“People can see it and people have fun with it. I always say, ‘You can laugh, you can cry, you can express yourself, but please don’t hurt each other,’" Wiseau said.
Sestero was also extremely kind. He might be a back-stabbing friend in the film, but in real life he is completely down to earth. Once somebody asked him to leave a personal greeting on their phone for them and he did.
“I always figure, go the extra mile for fans. They come here to have fun, so you’ve gotta go with the territory,” Sestero said.
Wiseau and Sestero seem like they treat people with respect, and they're sincere. They don't let their fame overpower and affect the way they treat people.
Go and see the film if you get the chance. Respect one another. And bring a few plastic spoons!
(The film typically runs at MADCAP the first Friday and Saturday of every month. Check the calendar listings for details.)
Hello and welcome! My name is Megan Mattox, and this is my film blog. I am a junior journalism major and a film minor. I’ve created this blog to let you, the students, know about film happenings that matter most to you. I want to tell you about film, because film is where it’s at. I’ll let you know what to watch, where to watch it and how to handle all of that excitement. Lights, camera, action! Feel free to e-mail me at mmattox@asu.edu. I love e-mails.
