Best F(r)riends Interview: Tommy Wiseau Talks Real Dead Bodies Showing Up On Set
Nothing screams "realism" like having real dead bodies on set.
As part of our interview with Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero to celebrate the release of their upcoming movie (and first project together in 15 years) Best F(r)iends: Volume One, we asked the cult duo how they prepared for their roles, both of which are a far cry from the ones which made them famous in The Room. Apparently it included attempting to capture realism as much as possible, even when there were real dead bodies being carried out the set...
WC: How did you prepare for your role, Tommy? Were there any specific performances you were inspired by, or was it a very personal thing this time round?
TW: Yeah well you know [it was] based on the script and, as Greg mentioned, our trip, so I was aware of what he put in the script and, you know, I'm trying to pitch in my view about it. But definitely I was preparing, you know, firstly in the morgue. And I was aware - I didn't realise that we were actually on a real morgue, which was spectacular, because one look at the trailer will tell you that while we were filming we had dead body arrive on the set/real facility. So I was like, on the one hand I was happy because I always think realism in movie or any performance is much more important than anything else. All the special effects is hunky dory but at the end of the day people maybe relate to more realism than just a fantasy. So I was like [laughs] I was in this situation - and Greg, do you remember, the dead body arrive at the set?
GS: Yeah, it was in the middle of the scene [Tommy laughs] and the gate opens and the van comes in and we're all watching this body being taken out.
TW: And it's real story, that's what I enjoy. So to respond to your question, definitely, I was preparing, I was suggesting the costume from me, you know the wardrobe, which Greg approve, and there was a lot of, some of the staff on the setting, on the scene, I say "is it ok to do this way?". So it was really enjoyable, I enjoy everybody on that set and it was a good project to be part of. And I appreciate that people embraced that.
WC: I can't believe there was an actual dead body on set! Was that not just really ridiculously eerie?
TW: [Laughs] Yeah! It was real thing. Yeah, real, real thing!
GS: Yeah, because, we had found off the site that they also did real autopsies and so they were explaining to us, you know, all the different ways of doing an autopsy and I guess they had worked on, like, NFL players. And it was really fascinating and humbling in a lot of ways because you're really - you know, you're stressed and you're trying to get this scene right and then these bodies are coming in and it really gave you a lot of perspective on... on life.
It's not often that a real dead body turns up on a movie set, but it somehow makes sense that one would on Tommy Wiseau's latest weird and wonderful project.