Fans of the cult classic independent film The Room have the chance to say, “Oh, hi Mark” to Mark, played by actor Greg Sestero, at Normal Theater on Nov. 8.
Sestero recalled that he started his creative projects around the age of 12 after seeing the movie Home Alone.
“I just sat down and started writing a screenplay about Kevin McCallister getting lost in Disney World, getting on the wrong plane and meeting his long-lost best friend, who now lived at Disney World,” Sestero said.
In the screenplay, the bad guys were janitors who were trying to take over the castle, and Kevin McCallister and his friend would have to defend the park and ride every ride.
Sestero sent his screenplay to John Hughes, writer and producer of Home Alone, and was excited to receive a letter back from Hughes.
“I never quite had something I was just thrilled to get out and do,” Sestero said. “And so writing and movies became my passion.”
Sestero said now he enjoys going to screenings of the movies he stars in, including The Room and Big Shark — the two movies he will be presenting at Normal Theater.
Working with Tommy Wiseau
Both movies were written and directed by independent filmmaker Tommy Wiseau, Sestero’s longtime friend who he met in an acting class.
“The cinema gods were like, ‘They meet in the acting class, and they're gonna make this movie that won't be accepted by Hollywood, but years later, it will be a movie that has brought a lot of people together,’” Sestero said.
Wiseau is described by many — including his Disaster Artist colleague James Franco — as a “mystery” because of vague personal details and where he got the $6 million budget for independent film The Room.
Wiseau’s elusiveness is part of what still attracts audiences to the film over 20 years later.
The Room
The Room was popular in Los Angeles a few years after its release in 2003, but became a sensational cult classic after Entertainment Weekly coined it as “so-bad-it’s-freakin’-awesome.”
Sestero said The Room draws people in an unorthodox way. There’s no computer-generated imagery or elaborate costumes, just a simple setup with a relatable story.
The movie opens with a love triangle between Wiseau’s character, Johnny, Sestero’s character, Mark, and actress Juliette Danielle who plays Johnny’s fiancée Lisa.
“I think in some weird way people connect to it,” Sestero said. “It's a very human story that you can tell has a lot of passion, it's really going for it, and I think that's something we can all relate to.”
Over two decades later, the movie has done something right, according to Sestero. Fans continue to show up to screenings and throw spoons at the screen and shout.
“Any filmmaker would see that as a success,” Sestero said.
Big Shark
Before The Room, Sestero will present his more recent endeavor with Wiseau, Big Shark.
Similar to The Room, Sestero said it’s a crowd-participation movie.
“You want to yell out things. It's just a movie that works very well with the crowd. So especially at a place like the Normal Theater, where the energy there, people are rooting for movies there,” Sestero said.
Big Shark is a comedy-action film about three firefighters trying to protect New Orleans from a big shark.
“Tommy is always entertaining and has innovative ideas,” Sestero said.
Big Shark and The Room will be playing at Normal Theater at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, as part of a double feature. Before the films, Sestero will give an introduction and bring fans on stage to read some scenes aloud. Sestero will show clips from upcoming projects and hold a Q&A session. Merchandise and signed books will be available. Tickets are available at the Normal Theater website.
