The Disaster Artist
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| Author | Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction, memoirs |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
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Publication date
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October 10, 2013 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, Audiobook |
| Pages | 288 pp |
| ISBN | (hardback edition) |
| OCLC | 830352130 |
| LC Class | 2013008798 |
The Disaster Artist is an award-winning 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Sestero reveals the troubled development and production of the 2003 cult film The Room while detailing his own struggles as a starving young actor and his relationship with the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. The book focuses on the difficulties and odd experiences Sestero had behind the scenes and his unlikely friendship with Wiseau. A film adaptation, The Masterpiece, is being developed by Seth Rogen with James Franco directing, producing and starring as Tommy Wiseau along with Dave Franco as Greg Sestero.
Sestero, an aspiring actor, first encounters Wiseau in an acting class. Sestero is at first perplexed by Wiseau's over-the-top acting technique, his unusual physical appearance, his unidentifiable accent and his eccentric behavior, which includes a fascination with all things American and a refusal to discuss his past. At the same time, Sestero admires Wiseau's genuine enthusiasm for both life and acting. The two form an odd but affectionate bond as Sestero begins to learn of the many contradictions of Wiseau's personality.
As Sestero slowly accrues more acting credits, Wiseau begins to grow jealous and schemes to earn similar acknowledgement (such as earning a SAG card by producing and starring in a commercial for a company he himself owned). After viewing The Talented Mr. Ripley for the first time, Sestero is struck by how similar Wiseau is to the title character. When Wiseau watches the film, instead of recognizing himself, he becomes obsessed with creating a movie as powerful with similar themes. The result is the screenplay for The Room, which includes a character, Mark, named after actor Matt Damon (whose name Wiseau had misheard).
Backed by a seemingly endless, mysterious supply of money, Wiseau develops, produces, directs and stars in The Room, despite having no knowledge of filmmaking. On-set relationships are a disaster: Wiseau's camera set-up requires two full crews to operate, actors and crew storm off the set, scripts are rewritten in the middle of scenes, sets are broken down only to be rebuilt and re-shot the following day, and at the last possible moment, Wiseau convinces Sestero to join the crew as one of the principal actors, in spite of the role already having been cast. By the end of shooting, the cast and crew, convinced that the film will never be seen, lose their enthusiasm, resulting in lackluster performances and technical blunders that are never corrected.
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