We're 5 actors from cult film, THE ROOM, ask us anything!

Do any of you still have contact with Tommy Wiseau?

I haven’t seen Tommy in a very long time. I’m sure if I ran into him again, he’d have something nice to say and a hug to give...he always does.

That would be Tommy right there. My son was a dealer at an expo where Tommy made an appearance. When my son found out, he had someone watch the booth and made a mad dash to find Tommy and found him to be endearing and charming, loving every moment of contact with his fans.

Before meeting Tommy, my son bought a poster, which Tommy was more than happy to sign and let him take a picture of them together. He then gave (gave!) him a signed football and some other smaller things he signed. My son is in his late 20s, but he giggles about it every time he talks about it.

That's really sweet - good to hear it!

I'm no longer in contact with him. Any other Room actors here in contact with Tommy?

This is for everyone (except Kyle) but were there ever any points where you almost quit the film?

The first scene we did with me was the "chocolate is the symbol of love" scene. I got a call from Greg asking how fast I could get the set, within 45 minutes, we were shooting that scene. After we shot it, I looked around and was like, WTF is this?? But it was too late, my scene was in the can and I'd been raised to "stick with my commitments" - haha. Damn integrity. Guess the integrity didn't cover appearing in bad movies...oh well.

So, you're saying you should be committed....

to an insane asylum? Probably

Has your careers been affected by The Room? If so, how, for the better or worse?

I mean, it hasn't helped my career really - although it did give me tons of fodder to create a series - The Room Actors: Where Are They Now? and creating that has not only been cathartic and healing for me but also given me a chance to direct for the first time. And directing that has led to other opportunities, so indirectly, wait perhaps... yes then! Most folks have see the show, but if not, here's a link. www.theroommockumentary.com. If you want more episodes, we're doing a Kickstarter now: www.kck.st/2t1s5MI

How did you feel toward Tommy at the time, and how do you feel toward Tommy now?

I like what Greg Ellery said in response to this. Yeah, so many folks out in LA have great scripts that never get made. And there are talented people who fall by the wayside, never get a break and leave LA with their tails between their legs -- but they are seriously talented. It's really unjust. So when you have someone like Tommy who buys his way into Hollywood...well, it's easy to be upset/bitter. So I get what Greg was feeling and I can totally relate. But on the other hand, Tommy did work hard to make his dream come true and with grit, determination and yes, a HELL OF A LOT of money, he made it happen - that's kinda cool. And he's a true one-of-a-kind character.

I met Tommy and Greg at a screening a few years ago. I was struck by how personable and happy Tommy was. Does he understand the film is being mocked at screenings?

BTW Juliette on Facebook several years ago helped me locate some of the filming locations so I could see them on a visit to San Francisco. Thanks!

I think he understands on some level, but he's in pretty solid denial about it. Apparently, there was some person on Reddit leaving messages a few weeks ago about our Room Actors web series, saying it was mocking Tommy but the comments were very clearly coming from Tommy himself. (And have since been deleted). And if you watch the series, www.theroommockumentary.com - it's really about us not Tommy at all. So yeah, he is super happy that James Franco made a film about his movie - and with good reason. But there's a level of denial that's still there.

How does Tommy Wiseau smell?

Hey everyone! I don't know - I never got a good whiff. Anyone else get a whiff of Tommy?

How often do you get recognized in public?

Have you ever attended a live screening of The Room?

I got recognized around the time The Disaster Artist came out a few times, but truly not that often. When I'm in filmmaking circles, I get recognized more often because The Room is so popular amongst filmmakers. There are so many film schools that use it in their curriculum now - so crazy!

In L.A., I get recognized quite a bit. The same goes for when I'm at places with lots of fans, like college campuses or conventions. Oddly, people say I look pretty much the same.

I've been to a few screenings, when I have friends who've never seen it and want to watch it. I always suggest seeing it with a crowd.

You look exactly the same Kyle!!

What were your thoughts on opening night as the credits began to roll?

I thought "I have to avoid Tommy at the after-party" because I'm a shitty liar and I didn't think I could give a fake compliment to him about the film.

So what happened at the after party? Were you able to force out a lie or did you avoid him?

I successfully avoided him!!

What compelled you guys to take the roles?

Struggling actor motto: take every role you get. If I had to offer advice to struggling actors now, I'd say: be discerning. It's a different world now though - you can pick up a good camera and create something amazing yourself that looks high quality. You couldn't do that back in 2003.

How's your sex life?

What are your thoughts about so many sex scenes in the first 30 minutes of the film?

The fact that he even resorted to recycling the same sex scene always gets me. And of course, Tommy's choice to put the sex scene in the first 5 minutes is always a shock every time I see The Room. Whenever I take a new person to see The Room, I go through the shock all over again when I look at their faces and their reactions. We have no idea who the characters are at all yet...it's truly ridiculous and hilarious.

Did The Disaster Artist live up to your expectations?

Yes - I thought James Franco was dead-on as Tommy. It was darkly hilarious and captured the book really well. I was glad they focused on the Tommy-Greg friendship and were essentially kind to the other Room actors. I did think they were very good to Tommy.

Did you get paid for The Room?

Why was the movie called The Room?

Yes, we got paid, but not much. It was like $100/day or something. I don't know for sure, but I think it was called The Room because it mostly took place in one room. Tommy never explained it and like most things with The Room...there was probably no solid rhyme or reason behind.

What was the most true-to-life part of THE DISASTER ARTIST? How about least?

Um, I think the friendship between Tommy and Greg was portrayed pretty accurately. I wasn't there in those private moments between them obviously, but it seemed pretty dead on based on the book. Least accurately...not much to be honest. The portrayal of the Room premiere wasn't accurate. People didn't chant Tommy's name there and laugh super loud. People were definitely laughing, but it was more of a stifled type of laughter. The chanting of Tommy's name came at later screenings when it started to get the cult following, so they compressed time for dramatic/climatic purposes and it works for the film - but it's not accurate/realistic.

When filming the room, what was the most memorable day on set for you guys?

Shooting the party scene that appears at the end of the film. When they shot that fight between Tommy and Greg, I seriously could not stop laughing. It was hands down one of the funniest things I had ever witnessed. When I see the final film and I'm not crying with laughter in the background, I feel like - I deserve an Oscar. Haha=

At what point in the process did you realize that this was going to be a historic "film"?

When EW did their 5 page spread about it and I saw it had all these famous fans. I had been buried in life stuff like...popping out a kid and not even noticed that it had gotten this huge cult following.

How is your life after The Room ?

I went to film school at UCLA and got an MFA in screenwriting. Bought a house, had 2 kids - regular stuff! The Room didn't play a big role in my life - then I created my series, The Room Actors: Where Are They Now? back in 2015 and it became a bigger focus for me just to get it out there, go to festivals with it, etc. It was super rewarding and healing for me to make something really positive and fun out of my experience with The Room and if I hadn't created the show, I believe I would feel powerless in the face of the cult fandom and the fact that we're wrapped up in being associated with a "bad movie." It allowed me personally to reclaim a little dignity and get some redemption after appearing in The Room. www.theroommockumentary.com and www.robynparis.com

Did anyone think this might be their breakout role or did you know it was a small project for Tommy's sake?

Small project... I thought it might give me some decent footage for my demo reel, but never thought it would lead to anything.

Have you ever had an existential crisis where you felt that your legacy would be confined to The Room? If so, how did you work through that?

Yep. Definitely still dealing with that now. Haha - again, it's why I created the series - the Room actors: where are they now. to give us a chance to redeem ourselves.

Did you know the movie was going to be shit when you were filming it? Or was it only when you saw the final, complete version of the film did you realize the movie was bad?

Yeah, I think we all knew it was bad. But at the premiere, it became clear that it was some next-level, superstar bad. It truly was hilarious, even when we saw it that night. After the screening, my husband and I were literally crying with laughter, quoting lines to each other. We woke up the next day and kept quoting lines. It was something special even back then.

Thanks so much for joining us today! We loved answering your questions and will continue to revisit this post over the next few days to answer anything else we missed. I'm officially signing off now and I think most of The Room actors have already left. If you haven't seen it yet, watch our series: www.theroommockumentary.com. To follow us: www.facebook.com/theroomactors, for more episodes, visit www.kck.st/2t1s5MI. We love (chocolate) Room fans. Thanks again!!!

This is a question for each of you:

What was your best and worst memory of working on this film?

Thank you so much for doing this!

Worst memory - Tommy told me I had to get airbrushed out every day because I had ugly freckles... it was a problem I never knew I had. Best memory - laughing hysterically with the rest of the cast at all the crazy Tommy shenanigans.

Is there anything any of you would have done differently given the chance to relive the experience of being in The Room??

I would have totally loved to play my original role of Michelle. Robyn, would you go back in time and switch with me?

Hahaha (Tommy laugh). Very funny Juliette. You make me laugh so hard. (Tommy voice).

So that’s a no?

I wish we could both play Michelle and no one would have to play Lisa. Pick your worst enemy - ok, that person should play Lisa.

Whats ur openion about Greg? Is he like tommy or polar aposite personality?

Greg is great - I'm definitely a fan.

Hey guys, hope you're all having a great time. I just have one question....

How's your sex life?

Not as good as Tommy's in The Room.