It’s hard to watch “The Room” without being left with some questions. Perhaps they are tearing you apart.
Tommy Wiseau has heard them all. In countless media interviews and question-and-answer sessions with fans, the creator and star of the cult-classic 2003 film has tried to deliver answers. Occasionally, those answers have even made sense.
The film’s bizarre performances, gaping plot holes and apparent production errors have both baffled viewers and earned it thousands of passionate fans. The wide release on Friday of “The Disaster Artist,” which details the making of “The Room” and stars James Franco as Mr. Wiseau, is likely to spark even more interest in the whole phenomenon.
Whether you’ve been to countless midnight screenings or you have no idea what this story is talking about, here are Mr. Wiseau’s explanations for the things a viewer might wonder.
So, “The Room.” What’s up with that?
We’ll begin with the biggest question of them all. Mr. Wiseau was asked about the meaning of his masterpiece in an interview with CNN, and he got pretty philosophical about it.
Continue reading the main story“The Room” is relationships. The room is you and me and everyone in America. That’s basically what “The Room” is. I always say, you can laugh, you can cry, you can express yourself, but please don’t hurt each other.
Why is it called “The Room?”
In an interview that was included as a DVD extra, Mr. Wiseau said the title had “a special meaning” to him.
At the time, I thought about a special place, a private place, a place where you can be safe. And it’s not a room, but it’s the room. I thought and I think that a lot of people would relate to it. So the room is a place where you can go, you can have a good time, you have a bad time, and a safe place.
Where is Mr. Wiseau from?
Mr. Wiseau has long been evasive about his background, and his accent is hard to peg. In a 2008 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said he spent time living in France, New Orleans and the Bay Area. He addressed the question again recently in an interview with The Times.
It’s not important, and No. 2, it’s a personal question. Long story short, I grew up in Europe a long time ago, but I’m American and very proud of it. Do you have any questions about the movie?
Where did he get his money?
Mr. Wiseau paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for an infamous billboard advertising “The Room” that stayed up in Los Angeles for years, and he has said he funded the $6 million movie through his leather-jacket and real estate businesses. But he has offered few details beyond that.
Fans have filled in the gaps with various explanations, some more likely than others. Much like the time Senator Ted Cruz denied being the Zodiac killer, Mr. Wiseau disputed the fan theory that he is D.B. Cooper, the notorious aircraft hijacker who escaped a flight in the 1970s with $200,000 in cash.
“Uh … neowww, but what people speculate is incorrect referencing,” Mr. Wiseau wrote on Reddit. “Not familiar with that. Looking right now, they are wrong, let’s put it that way.”
Who was that dog in the flower shop? Was he a professional actor?
Hi doggy. Turns out, his name was Freddy.
“I love dogs,” Mr. Wiseau said on Reddit. “And by the way, that was a real dog, from the owner of the flower shop! And I want to clarify this, the dog made $100. The dog was under contract.”
What’s the deal with the spoons?
Framed pictures of spoons show up frequently in the movie, prompting fans to yell “Spoon!” and throw plastic spoons during screenings. The raucous audience participation is reminiscent of another era’s midnight darling, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Mr. Wiseau explained the spoons, sort of, in the CNN interview, speaking with Greg Sestero, his co-star.
Mr. Sestero: I’d like to know, and I’m sure a lot of people would like to know: What is the significance of the spoons?
Mr. Wiseau: Let me ask you a question before I answer your question, O.K. What do you have first, what kind of spoon did you have? Plastic, or what kind of spoon?
Mr. Sestero: I kind of stuck to the traditional silver spoons. I grew up with a silver spoon.
Mr. Wiseau: O.K., before silver, what was it?
Mr. Sestero: Um, I don’t do plastic, so I’d have to go, way back, I’d have to say wooden spoons.
Mr. Wiseau: That’s correct, the wood spoon. O.K., we didn’t have to rehearse this, but you know about it. Now, in today’s society, if you look, a plastic spoon, look at how far we go. But the same time, the symbolism, to respond to your question is, plastic’s very harmful for your body. But at the same time, if you look at the plastic, what we made in America let’s say 10 years ago compared today, two different things.
Mr. Sestero: That’s right.
Mr. Wiseau: Today you can eat from plastic spoon and you will not get a certain allergy, for example. I’m familiar with that. Why I’m familiar, because I studied this. As you know, I studied psychology.
Mr. Sestero: Oh I was just going to say that.
Mr. Wiseau: Ha ha ha. So again, this is symbol, is also survival as well. Think about it. What we can do, how we can improve, this is again, this is one of our tiny little things in “The Room” where people can connect together. You can ask me other questions, it’ll be the same thing. We can write a book about it, you know what I’m saying?
So, that answers that.
Why was Chris R such a menace?
No one knows. But someday we’ll find out more about the drug-dealing neighborhood scoundrel, Mr. Wiseau promised on Reddit: “Yes, eventually we will find out about Chris R,” he said.
As for why poor Denny was mixed up with such an unsavory character, Mr. Wiseau said: “The reason for it was because he want to sell it, he want to make money you know?” Got it.
How come some scenes were out of focus?
Mr. Wiseau, who shot the film in both 35 mm and digital simultaneously, has maintained that some of the scenes were blurry on purpose. From Entertainment Weekly:
EW: I just want to be clear on this. You deliberately shot some scenes out of focus?
Mr. Wiseau: Oh yeah, absolutely.
EW: And why would you do that?
Mr. Wiseau: Because, you see, let’s assume we did everything perfect way. You will be asking this question? No, no.
EW: You are right, though. Were it a perfectly-made mediocre film, we would not be having this conversation.
Mr. Wiseau: Exactly right. So, you see, you have to understand that you have to plan. I was involved 100 percent with postproduction. You have to screen dozen of times. It’s a very complex process. If, let’s assume, like you say, “Oh, you know, it’s just an accident,” we would catch this. I say, “No, we’ll leave it that way.” Because I approve everything, for your information. I have to approve all the films and I was very closely working with the DP and the others.
Why did the characters play football in tuxedos?
Because it’s fun. Mr. Wiseau addressed this in the DVD interview.
I think people should realize that playing football without any gear, and a special big huge field, it’s fun. So you can play football in tuxedos, you can play football three feet apart, and the idea is to have fun. So I would recommend to anyone to try it.
