10 Unbelievable Behind-The-Scenes Stories About The Room
9. The Original Mark Actor Was Fired On The First Day
The man who has profited the most from The Room isn’t Tommy Wiseau, but rather his co-star, Greg Sestro.
Sestro, who plays Johnny’s friend, Mark, in the film, not only gained cult status as a part of this movie, but also cashed in with his book, The Disaster Artist, an autobiography based on his time on the set of the movie.
The Disaster Artist served as a much-desired window into the backstage processes of The Room and was even adapted into a movie of its own in 2017 starring James Franco.
However, if original plans had gone ahead, Greg may not have even been in the film at all.
According to an interview with Greg in 2011, the actor claims that he originally only agreed to be involved in the film as part of the production crew. Greg knew Tommy from film school and wanted to do him a favour, but initially refused to act in the film.
This all changed after the first day of filming on the set. According to Greg, Tommy Wiseau was unhappy with the actor he originally hired to play Mark. This unhappiness led to Wiseau firing this actor after just one day of filming.
Wiseau then asked his old buddy to fill Mark’s shoes, which Greg agreed to.
Whilst this may have led to Greg’s big break, it proves just how volatile Wiseau was as a director on this movie. And if you think this is bad, then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.