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Greg Sestero

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Greg Sestero
Sestero in 2011
Born
Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
EducationMonte Vista High School
Occupation(s)Actor, model, author, filmmaker
Years active1997–present
Notable work

Greg Sestero is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room, as well as for his well-received memoir The Disaster Artist, detailing his experiences making The Room, which itself was later adapted into a 2017 film.

He also appeared in a minor role as James in the 2020 Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Early life

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Sestero was born in Walnut Creek, California. His mother is of French and Italian (Sicilian) descent.[1][page needed] He was raised in Danville, California, where he attended Monte Vista High School.[2]

Sestero has said that he wrote a sequel to the then-recently released Home Alone at the age of 12, titled Home Alone 2: Lost in Disney World, which included a leading role for himself alongside Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister.[1][page needed] He submitted the screenplay, along with a provisional poster, soundtrack suggestions and a request for a cross-promotional deal between 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Pictures, to Hughes Entertainment, and eventually received a commendatory letter from John Hughes. Sestero credits Hughes' gesture with inspiring him to pursue a professional acting career.[1][page needed][3]

During his junior year of high school, Sestero began modeling, working in Milan and Paris for designers such as Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferré. He returned to the United States to focus on acting, enrolling in the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. His signing with Hollywood agent Iris Burton prompted his eventual move to Los Angeles.[1][page needed]

Career

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Sestero's early acting work included minor roles in the television show Nash Bridges and the films Gattaca (1997) and Patch Adams (1998). In 1999, Sestero was cast as the lead in the horror movie Retro Puppet Master. He followed this with a one-episode role on the television soap opera Days of Our Lives.[4]

The Room

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Sestero's best known role to date is as Mark, the best friend to Tommy Wiseau's character Johnny, in the 2003 cult film The Room. Sestero met Wiseau at an acting class in 1998 held by Jean Shelton.[1][page needed] Wiseau told Sestero that if he was able to raise the funds to make the film, he would hire him as his co-star; Sestero arrived on set, only agreeing to work behind the scenes and help Wiseau with auditions and casting. However, Wiseau wanted the original actor cast as Mark out of the film, and formulated an elaborate plan to replace him with Sestero.[1][page needed]

Sestero has said that he made the film assuming no one would see it and that it would go direct to video.[3][5] The film was immediately lambasted by critics and fared very poorly at the box office. In Sestero's book, The Disaster Artist, he revealed that Wiseau had sent a copy of the film to Paramount Pictures to gain wide distribution and was denied by the studio within 24 hours (the typical response time is two weeks).[1]: 209–210 

Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, called it "the Citizen Kane of bad movies",[1][page needed] and Entertainment Weekly referred to Wiseau as "the Orson Welles of crap".[6] Despite the poor showing, Sestero remained humorous and usually deflected much of the criticism of the film.[7][8]

Greg Sestero poses with fans prior to a midnight screening of The Room in 2024

The film quickly began to receive attention from audience members because of its poor production values rather than in spite of them; it soon became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the United States. Audience members typically arrive wearing wigs resembling their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater.[1][page needed]

This attention grew into what was dubbed The Room's 2010–2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, and the film was screened in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Australia, France, and India, among other locations. Sestero appeared at many of these events, posing for photographs with fans and often addressing them before the screenings.[9]

Sestero will appear in a remake of The Room that will be released digitally at an unspecified date; originally, it was set for 2023, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original’s release.

The Disaster Artist

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Main articles: The Disaster Artist and its film adaptation

In June 2011, it was announced that Sestero had signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to write a book based on his experiences making The Room with Tommy Wiseau. The book, titled The Disaster Artist, was released in October 2013.[10][11][12]

On November 23, 2014, The Disaster Artist won Best Non-Fiction at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The judges praised the book, stating "The Disaster Artist is not only a hell of a good read, it will make a great film if ever adapted. It's equal parts Ed Wood, American Hustle and demented Citizen Kane—with a dash of Monty Python thrown into the mix."[13] On February 11, 2015, The Disaster Artist audiobook, narrated by Sestero, was nominated for Best Humor Audiobook at the 2015 Audie Awards.[14]

In 2014, Seth Rogen's production company, Point Grey Pictures, acquired the rights to a film adaptation of Sestero's book. In the film, also titled The Disaster Artist, Dave Franco played Sestero,[15] and James Franco starred as Wiseau and directed,[16] for which he won a Golden Globe. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber wrote the script.[17] New Line Cinema produced the film, and distribution rights were later acquired by A24.[18] Shooting began on December 8, 2015.[19] The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017[20] and began a wide theatrical release on December 8, 2017.

In December 2017, The Disaster Artist made its debut on the New York Times Bestseller List for Paperback Nonfiction.[21]

Other works

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In 2006, Sestero appeared in the television series Fashion House and had an uncredited role in Accepted. In 2010, he appeared in Miranda Lambert's music video "White Liar," which won the Country Music Television and the Academy of Country Music award for best video and song of the year; the video was also nominated for best video at the 2010 Country Music Association awards. Later that year, Sestero was featured in the 5-Second Film End Zone, directed by Michael Rousselet, one of The Room's original fans who helped propel the film to cult status.[1][page needed][6][22]

Sestero starred with comedians Jason Saenz, Nick Turner, and Travis Irvine for a sketch comedy video in which Sestero turned into the "new" Jason Saenz via jaw surgery.[23] The July 2010 edition of Diablo magazine labeled Sestero as one of the "Best of the East Bay Stars and Standouts."[24]

In July 2011, Sestero teamed with comedian Patton Oswalt in You Got Mail, a 5-Second Film that features Oswalt as a mailman and Sestero waiting for his suspicious delivery.[25]

On November 12, 2013, Sestero made a cameo appearance on an episode of the Nostalgia Critic internet review show, which had previously reviewed The Room, reprising his role of Mark.[26] Sestero continues to model and has appeared in ads for Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Ralph Lauren, among others.[7]

Sestero costarred in Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015) from the creators of 5 Second Films. The film also stars Patton Oswalt and Andrew W.K. The film premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival on June 13, 2015.[27]

Sestero teamed up with Wiseau again for the film Best F(r)iends (2018), written by Sestero, inspired by a road trip he took with Wiseau in 2003.[28]

He collaborated with Wiseau for a third time on Big Shark,[29] which had its world premiere on April 2, 2023 at Cinema 21 in Portland, Oregon.[30]

In October 2020, Sestero guest-starred as Jack, the fiancé in The Haunting of Bly Manor, the follow-up to Netflix's successful Haunting of Hill House.[31] In 2020, he also starred in the horror comedy film Cyst, which premiered at FrightFest in 2020. He also wrote, directed, and starred in a cultist-themed horror film in early 2020, and in October 2020 said he was writing a UFO film in which he would star alongside Wiseau.[32]

Sestero's directorial debut, Miracle Valley, premiered at Salem Horror Film Festival in October 2022. The film is about an obsessive photographer and his girlfriend who are invited to a desert getaway in search of an ultra-rare bird. There, their relationship is soon threatened by a sinister force, causing them to face demons from the past, present, and future.[33]

Personal life

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Sestero lives in Southern California.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Gattaca Gattacan Citizen Uncredited[34]
1998 Patch Adams Jaime Uncredited[35]
1999 Retro Puppet Master Young André Toulon
EDtv Roach Uncredited[34]
2003 The Room Mark Also line producer and Assistant to Mr. Wiseau
2004 Homeless in America Himself Documentary
Also executive producer and line producer
2006 Accepted Frat Guy Uncredited[34]
2009 Alien Presence Ash
The Pit and the Pendulum Alicia's Boyfriend
2015 Dude Bro Party Massacre III Derek
2017 The Disaster Artist Casting Agent Cameo[36]
Best F(r)iends Jon Kortina Also writer and producer
2019 Lukewarm Christian Himself Cameo[37]
2020 Cyst Bill
2022 Miracle Valley David Also writer and director[32]
Infrared Geoff
TBA The Room Returns! Chris-R Remake of the 2003 film[38]
TBA Forbidden Sky [32]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2000 Days of Our Lives Jules 1 episode
2006 Fashion House Model 2 episodes
2013 The Blessed Ignorance of Men Fr. Mark Pilot
2020 The Haunting of Bly Manor James 2 episodes

Web

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 How Did This Get Made? Himself Episode: "The Room: Director's Edition"[39]
2013;
2018–2019		 Nostalgia Critic Mark, Himself, Tommy Wiseau Episode: "Dawn of the Commercials", "The Most HATED Nutcracker Movie Ever Made", "Best F(r)iends"
2014 Shut Up and Talk Himself Talk show
2018 Nerdist Presents Batman "Tommy Wiseau's The Dark Knight"[40]
2019 Rhonda: The Birth of a Queen Himself Cameo[41]
SpaceWorld Drogol (voice)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Greg Sestero; Tom Bissell (October 2013). The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made (First Hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1451661194.
  2. ^ Hicks, Tony (March 14, 2017). "Franco's Disaster Artist has many Bay Area connections". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Kozlowski, Carl (August 27, 2009). "'The Room' to Improve". Pasadena Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  4. ^ Greg Sestero at IMDb
  5. ^ Heisler, Steve (February 23, 2010). "The Room's Greg Sestero, best friend extraordinaire". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Collis, Clark (December 12, 2008). "The Crazy Cult of 'The Room'". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1026. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Hicks, Tony (October 5, 2010). "'Worst movie ever' — 'The Room' — is best move of Alamo actor's career". The Mercury News. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "Five questions with Greg Sestero from the Room". Popgun Chaos. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Room Official Movie Site". Theroommovie.com. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  10. ^ Collis, Clark (May 26, 2011). "Greg Sestero memoir The Room". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  11. ^ "CNN Entertainment (extended cut)". YouTube. CNN. February 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  12. ^ Turner-Dave, Kieran (February 15, 2013). "Understanding 'The Room': An interview with the stars of 'the worst movie ever made'". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "2014 Winners - 7th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards" (PDF). Los Angeles Press Club. 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  14. ^ "20th Annual Audie finalists announced in thirty categories" (PDF). Audio Publishers Association. February 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 12, 2015). "Scott Haze, James Franco Discuss Their New LA Theater, Upcoming Projects (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  16. ^ Fischer, Russ (May 8, 2014). "James Franco Likely to Play Tommy Wiseau in 'The Disaster Artist'". /Film. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  17. ^ Fischer, Russ (September 8, 2014). "'The Fault in Our Stars' Screenwriters Scripting 'The Disaster Artist'". /Film. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  18. ^ McNary, Dave (May 15, 2017). "James Franco Comedy 'The Disaster Artist' Gets Award-Season Release From A24". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 29, 2015). "James and Dave Franco's 'The Disaster Artist' Headed for New Line". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  20. ^ "The Disaster Artist (Work-In-Progress)". South by Southwest. 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  21. ^ "Paperback Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - The New York Times". Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  22. ^ Collis, Clark (July 30, 2010). "Greg Sestero from 'The Room' stars in new '5-Second Films' comedy short". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  23. ^ Turner, Nick (October 2010). "Here You Have It Folks! The Brand Spankin' New Jason Saenz!". Yourfreecomedy.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  24. ^ Crooks, Peter (June 22, 2010). "Best of the East Bay - Stars & Standouts". Diablo Magazine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  25. ^ Collis, Clark (July 13, 2011). "Patton Oswalt and Greg Sestero team for five-second movie. Watch here!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  26. ^ Walker, Doug (November 12, 2013). "Nostalgia Critic: Dawn of the Commercials". Channel Awesome. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  27. ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (June 25, 2015). "'Dude Bro Party Massacre III' Enlists Andrew W.K. for "Bizarre" Slasher Film Send-Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  28. ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 12, 2016). "'The Room' Director Tommy Wiseau and Star Greg Sestero Reunite for New Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  29. ^ Russian, Ale (February 7, 2019). "The Room's Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero Are Back with a Shark-Attack Movie". People. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  30. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (March 23, 2023). "Tommy Wiseau Unveils His Follow-Up Film to 'The Room' With 'Big Shark' Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  31. ^ "Greg Sestero On His Cameo in THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR". Nerdist. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  32. ^ a b c Gelmini, David (October 28, 2020). "Exclusive FrightFest Interview: Greg Sestero Talks CYST". Dread Central. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  33. ^ "Greg Sestero's Directorial Debut to World Premiere at Salem Horror Fest". 30 July 2021.
  34. ^ a b c Bacher, Danielle (October 4, 2013). "Remembering 'The Room'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  35. ^ Sestero, Greg (October 22, 2013). "My epic turn in Patch Adams". Twitter. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  36. ^ Florio, Angelica (December 1, 2017). "'The Disaster Artist' Post-Credits Scene Makes One Of The Best Jokes In The Movie". Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  37. ^ Thorne, Reace (June 23, 2019). ""Lukewarm Christian"". Yuzoogle Productions.
  38. ^ Housman, Andrew (April 14, 2023). "The Room Remake Starring Bob Odenkirk Was Shot In A Single Day". SlashFilm. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  39. ^ Paul Scheer; June Diane Raphael; Jason Mantzoukas. "How Did This Get Made Episode 23: "The Room: Director's Edition"". Earwolf. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  40. ^ Nerdist Presents. "Tommy Wiseau's "The Dark Knight" (Nerdist Presents)". Nerdist's YouTube channel. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  41. ^ Laughing Clown Productions. "RHONDA - The Birth of a Queen (2019) Mockumentary Film"". Laughing Clown Productions's YouTube channel. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
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