Greg Sestero
Gregory Sestero is an American actor, model, writer and producer, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room, as well as his memoir The Disaster Artist, about his experiences making the film. The book was adapted into a 2017 film.
Early life
Sestero was born in Walnut Creek, California. His mother is of French and Italian descent. He was raised in Danville, California, where he attended Monte Vista High School.At the age of 12, he wrote a sequel to the then-recently released 1990 film Home Alone with a leading role for himself. He submitted the screenplay to Hughes Productions and received a commendatory letter from filmmaker John Hughes.
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.
Career
Sestero's early acting work included minor roles in the television show Nash Bridges and the films Gattaca and Patch Adams. In 1999, Sestero was cast as the lead in Retro Puppet Master. He followed this with a one-episode role on the television soap opera Days of Our Lives.''The Room''
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. 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.Sestero has said that he made the film assuming no one would see it and that it would go direct to video. 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.
Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, called it "the Citizen Kane of bad movies", and Entertainment Weekly referred to Wiseau as "the Orson Welles of crap". Despite the poor showing, Sestero remained humorous and usually deflected much of the criticism of the film.
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.
This attention grew into what was dubbed The Rooms 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.
''The Disaster Artist''
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, Tommy Wiseau, and his experience of trying to become an actor. The book, titled The Disaster Artist, was released in October 2013.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." On February 11, 2015, The Disaster Artist audiobook, narrated by Sestero, was nominated for Best Humor Audiobook at the 2015 Audie Awards.
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, and James Franco starred as Wiseau and directed, for which he won a Golden Globe. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber wrote the script. New Line Cinema produced the film, and distribution rights were later acquired by A24. Shooting began on December 8, 2015. The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017 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.
Other works
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 Rooms original fans who helped propel the film to cult status.Sestero starred with NYC 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. The July 2010 edition of Diablo magazine labeled Sestero as one of the "Best of the East Bay Stars and Standouts."
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.
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. Sestero continues to model and has appeared in ads for Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Ralph Lauren, among others.
Sestero costarred in Dude Bro Party Massacre III 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.
Sestero teamed up with Wiseau again for the film Best Fiends, written by Sestero, inspired by a road trip he took with Wiseau in 2003.
He will collaborate with Wiseau for a third time on Big Shark, also written with Wiseau.