‘Disaster Artist’ author to appear in Petaluma

Movie made from writer-actor’s book is an Oscar nominee|

Greg Sestero always knew he had a great story to tell.

As a key actor and production insider on “The Room” – considered by many to be the “greatest bad movie” of all time – Sestero initially wanted to forget all about “The Room.” But when the film improbably became a massive underground cult hit - complete with midnight screenings and fans dressed up as characters from the movie - he began to imagine writing about his bizarre friendship with “The Room” director-star Tommy Wiseau, and the outrageous behind-the-scenes stories of how the bizarre, disjointed cult-hit film came to be. And from the beginning, he admits, his goal was for his memories to someday be adapted into their own movie.

“I wanted to write a first-rate book about the world’s worst movie,” he says. “I knew it could make a great movie, and I knew that movie could become an Oscar nominee. So I did my research. I studied non-fiction books that had been turned into successful films, and I used what I learned while writing “The Disaster Artist.””

Among the tomes he dissected were “Ed Wood: Nightmare of Ecstasy,” “The Pianist,” “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” and “The Social Network,” all of which have been turned into Oscar nominated movies. What he learned was that books based on true stories make the best movies when they are themselves cinematically structured.

“That,” Sestero reveals, “and that they all have great characters. You have to get wrapped up in the characters and relationships, rather than in all the historical details. In writing about “The “Room,” I learned, I shouldn’t try to write a quirky book about all the crazy things that went down on the set. “Ed Wood” was a great movie because it was about a wild, complicated character, and his struggle to make films while insisting on being true to himself. That was interesting to watch. In “127 Hours,” you get caught up in that character’s personality, his struggle to become a better person - and not just in the details of how he got his arm stuck under a rock.”

Clearly, Sestero’s research paid off.

Sestero is calling up from Paris, France, where he just appeared at a screening of “The Disaster Artist,” the movie, directed and starring James Franco (who also appeared in “127 Hours,” it so happens). The screenplay was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. The film was nominated for two Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture (in the Comedy or Musical category), and won a trophy for star-director Franco, in the same category. Though “The Disaster Artist” did score the one Oscar nomination for its screenplay, the film failed to capitalize on its Golden Globe momentum, likely due to badly-timed accusations of sexual inappropriateness leveled at Franco from a number of actresses he’s worked with. Regardless, the film has proven won plenty of fans, and has been especially well received in Europe, where Sestero says the film just played to an opening night audience of 3,000.

“This year I’ve been to Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Portugal,” Sestero says. “It’s been a little crazy. But it’s been extremely satisfying.”

And now he’s coming to Petaluma.

This Friday, Feb. 23, Sestero will appear at Copperfield’s Books, where the actor-author will greet fans and sign copies of the paperback release of “The Disaster Artist.” Raised in the Bay Area (Danville, to be specific), Sestero says he’s always loved Petaluma and Sonoma County, which he also fondly remembers from his time spent here as an extra during filming of 1997’s “Inventing the Abbots,” directed by Ron Howard.

“Petaluma’s awesome,” he says. “I love the downtown area, and I’ve loved Copperfield’s since the first time I walked in there. So this is going to be fun.”

One of the things that makes “The Disaster Artist,” the book, so compelling, is the strange relationship between Sestero and Wiseau, who comes off as a supremely difficult person to be friends with. When told that perhaps he should write a follow-up self-help book titled something like, “Top Tips on Surviving a Disaster Friendship,” Sestero laughs.

“The biggest thing about being friends with someone like Tommy is just staying positive,” he says. “Making “The Room,” I was put in so many situations where most people would have quit. It was difficult, sure, but for all his faults, Tommy has some pretty inspiring qualities too. I just kept going back to that.”

And now - impossible as it is to imagine for anyone whose read “The Disaster Artist” or seen the movie - Sestero has actually just made another movie with Wiseau. Titled “Best F(r)iends,” the comedy-thriller, to be released this Spring, was written by Sestero, and co-stars himself and Wiseau. Sestero will be showing a special “private” teaser-trailer of the film during his Copperfield’s appearance.

“I never planned to work with Tommy again,” he admits with a laugh. “But this was different. This was my project. This time, I got to enjoy Tommy as an actor, not as the producer director. And I have to say, this was a much more enjoyable experience.”

(Contact David at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)

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