“Director: It’s not going to happen for you. Not in a million years.
Wiseau: What about after that?”
– from The Disaster Artist.
James Franco has been nominated for a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his work in The Disaster Artist. The film has also received two Golden Globe nominations—one for Best Actor (Franco) and Best Picture.
The Disaster Artist is for all the people who have ever nurtured a lifelong dream only to have it callously stomped on by an insensitive dolt or in our film character, Tommy Wiseau’s case, more than a decade of doors slamming in his face.
James Franco made the decision to direct and star in the breakout film, after reading Greg Sestero’s, “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.” Franco told Alissa Wilkinson in an interview on Vox.com that he was intrigued. “I already had most of the backstory of “The Room,” so I was already sold. I was so into it just because the story behind it was so amazing.”
The book’s primary focus is on Tommy Wiseau, director and star of the cult classic film, The Room, who, of late, seems to have taken on the title of Patron Saint of the downtrodden Hollywood filmmaker.
Wiseau’s personal story certainly hit a nerve with Franco and the two have been making the rounds in the late-night talk show circuit.
In a most loving film tribute, Franco embodies Wiseau’s character in The Disaster Artist without judgement or artifice. In fact, Franco so values Wiseau’s privacy that he let some of Wiseau’s secrets stay that way. Franco told Jimmy Kimmel that two things remain unknown: Tommy Wiseau’s age and manner in which he raised $6 million dollars for The Room. Kimmel managed to get Wiseau to answer a third question, which was about his country of origin— Louisiana by way of Europe.
The beauty of Franco’s sentiment is that he creates something “poigniant and charming,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have raved about Franco’s authenticity in his portrayal of Wiseau and there certainly is an element of destiny involved in the film’s creation. “This is the story,” says Franco, “I was born to tell.”
Judging by the awards nominations both Franco and the film are receiving, Franco’s birthright might just lead him to a winning streak.
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