A few years ago, I arrived at an audition for a sitcom and it was utter chaos. The German writer/director looked like a genuine axe murder, and acted like one too, hustling actors in and out of his set, forcing them to read for roles they didn’t have prepared. And his “sitcom” script had all the charm of a German axe murder. Before my turn came up, I left. It was the only audition I’ve ever walked out on.Now, Tommy is the (albeit ironic) toast of the town, thanks to the new movie The Disaster Artist, which chronicles the making of his horrible film. And there he was, Sunday night, on-stage with James Franco, after James won the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy. As he tried to grab the mic, James was having nothing of it.
It turned out the German was Tommy Wiseau, the infamous writer/director/star of the best/worst film ever made: The Room. (Killer review here.) This movie is so bad it’s shown like the The Rocky Horror Picture Show to packed, mocking audiences in Los Angeles at midnight screenings. I highly recommend attending one – it’s a real rite of passage in LA.
It’s funny to see Tommy is still whacked out of his mind. But, he was king for a night. And that’s fun, and cool, and quite a rush. Good for him.
By the way: I didn’t walk out of his audition because I was scared. I left because it was the worst script I ever read, was obviously never going to be made, and I don’t let anyone abuse me. That said, I hope he enjoyed his night. Good for him.
