History Creator / TommyWiseau

-->-- Tommy Wiseau's script notes for ''Film/{{The Room|2003}}''

We only know his birth name, birthdate, and birthplace ''now'' thanks to Canadian documentarian Rick Harper, his 2016 film ''Room Full of Spoons'' and the lawsuit that Wiseau filed, supposedly in defense of his privacy, and which [[StreisandEffect spectacularly backfired]], forcing Wiseau to pay Harper about C$700,000. [[MysteriousPast By means unknown]], he made his way to California and sought to join the ranks of the Hollywood elite. The problem was that he proved to be completely unsuited for acting, but he nevertheless persisted in his quest for international fame.

* ImmigrantPatriotism: He loves America, to the point where he actively avoided revealing where he was originally from, only stating that he was from Europe in 2017; it took a lawsuit in order to confirm that he hails from Poland. It doesn't matter to him because he's American now.

* DoingItForTheArt: Where to begin? He financed ''The Room'' out of his own pocket--all ''six million misplaced dollars of the budget''--bought and shot it with digital HD and film cameras simultaneously[[note]]Standard Hollywood practice is merely to rent the cameras out and then return them at the end of filming, since cameras are ridiculously expensive, and tend to become outdated fairly quickly. No digitally-recorded footage appears, by the way--since Wiseau apparently didn't appropriately adjust the lighting for his digital footage, making it useless.[[/note]], had an exact copy built of the alleyway between buildings '''he already owned''' because he didn't like the way [[RealityIsUnrealistic the real alleyway looked]]...In short, Wiseau was going to make ''his'' movie, ''his'' way, and by God, [[GoneHorriblyRight he succeeded]]. As Greg and the rest of the crew discovered while working with him, Tommy is actually [[HiddenDepths independently wealthy]]--enough to comfortably finance the entire movie--and became a filmmaker just because he loves movies that much.

We only know his birth name, birthdate, and birthplace ''now'' thanks to Canadian documentarian Rick Harper, his 2016 film ''Room Full of Spoons'' and the lawsuit that Wiseau filed, supposedly in defense of his privacy, and which [[StreisandEffect spectacularly backfired]], forcing Wiseau to pay Harper about C$700,000.[[note]]Website/{{Wikipedia}} did accept this information for a while, but they have now removed all this information (save for the lawsuit) from their article on him out of a belief that the film isn't reliable enough as a source.[[/note]] [[MysteriousPast By means unknown]], he made his way to California and sought to join the ranks of the Hollywood elite. The problem was that he proved to be completely unsuited for acting, but he nevertheless persisted in his quest for international fame.

* ColdHam: His acting style is simultaneously overblown and nonchalant, somehow.

[[caption-width-right:300: [[Film/TheRoom Oh hai, TVTropes]].]]

-->-- Tommy Wiseau's script notes for ''Film/TheRoom''

That fame was eventually achieved via the 2003 independent film ''Film/TheRoom'', a passion project of Wiseau's that he [[CopiouslyCreditedCreator wrote, directed, produced, financed, and starred in]]. With incomprehensible dialogue, plot threads that appear and then disappear, and actors with varying degrees of enthusiasm, it was by all metrics a movie that had no business being shown in theaters. And yet, by the grace of the right {{Colbert Bump}}s, it became one of the most celebrated films of its time, [[SoBadItsGood albeit for none of the reasons that Wiseau intended]].

He would later be forced by aliens to play video games in the web series ''WebVideo/TheTommyWiShow'', direct, produce, write and star in the Creator/{{hulu}} series ''Series/{{The Neighbors|2015}}'', and play the villain Linton Kitano in ''Film/SamuraiCop 2: Deadly Vengeance''. In October 2016, it was announced that he and Greg would star in a comedy thriller film called ''Film/BestFriends'', with the release of Part 1 on March 30, 2018 and Part 2 on May 18, 2018. In early 2019, at a screening for ''The Room'', a trailer was released for a new film project, titled ''Big Shark'', which is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a shark attack in New Orleans]]. And this project appears to be genuine; according to Wiseau, the purpose of the teaser is to help Wiseau secure more funding. The film was supposed to come out in September 2019, but was delayed. It would later premiere in April 2023.

To recap, a filmmaker whose looks are most charitably described as "homely" and whose level of filmmaking knowledge makes Creator/EdWood look like Creator/FedericoFellini somehow managed to independently produce and star in a film [[AchievementsInIgnorance that still plays in screenings to packed houses over a decade and a half later and became the subject of a Golden Globe-winning biopic]].

[[caption-width-right:300: [[Film/TheRoom Oh hai, [=TVTropes=]]].]]

And that fame came in the form of the 2003 film ''Film/TheRoom''. With incomprehensible dialogue, plot threads that appear and then disappear, and actors with varying degrees of enthusiasm, it was a movie that had no business being shown to an audience. And yet, by the grace of the right {{Colbert Bump}}s, it became one of the most celebrated films of its time ([[SoBadItsGood albeit for none of the reasons that Wiseau intended]]).

Much of the TroubledProduction preceding the release of ''The Room'' -- as well as key details about Wiseau's personal life -- is recounted in the 2013 book ''Literature/TheDisasterArtist'' by the movie's co-star (and Wiseau's close friend), Creator/GregSestero. In [[Film/TheDisasterArtist the film adaptation]] of the book, Wiseau is portrayed by Creator/JamesFranco.

To recap, a filmmaker whose [[{{Gonk}} looks]] are most charitably described as "homely" and whose level of filmmaking knowledge makes Creator/EdWood look like Creator/FedericoFellini somehow managed to independently produce and star in a film [[AchievementsInIgnorance that still plays in screenings to packed houses over a decade and a half later and became the subject of a Golden Globe-winning biopic]].

He would later be forced by aliens to play video games in the web series ''WebVideo/TheTommyWiShow'', direct, produce, write and star in the Creator/{{hulu}} series ''Series/{{The Neighbors|2015}}'', and play the villain Linton Kitano in ''Film/SamuraiCop 2: Deadly Vengeance''. In October 2016, it was announced that he and Greg would star in a comedy thriller film called ''Film/BestFriends'', with the release of Part 1 on March 30, 2018 and Part 2 on May 18, 2018. In early 2019, at a screening for ''The Room'', a trailer was released for a new film project, titled ''Big Shark'', which is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a shark attack in New Orleans]]. And this project appears to be genuine; according to Wiseau, the purpose of the teaser is to help Wiseau secure more funding. The film was supposed to come out in September 2019, but was delayed.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard[=/=]StreisandEffect: He sued Canadian filmmaker Rick Harper in 2016 for supposedly violating his privacy in the documentary ''The Room Full of Spoons''. He lost the suit in 2020, which led to his birthdate, birthplace and original name to be revealed, officially confirming some of the speculations.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He sued Canadian filmmaker Rick Harper in 2016 for supposedly violating his privacy in the documentary ''The Room Full of Spoons''. He lost the suit in 2020, which led to his birthdate, birthplace and original name to be revealed, officially confirming some of the speculations.

* NoPronunciationGuide: As "Wiseau" is a [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign name of his own invention]]--a combination of his original surname of Wieczorkiewicz and the French word ''oiseau'' (bird)--its pronunciation isn't immediately clear. The commonly accepted pronunciation is "wiz-OH", but even Tommy himself isn't a hundred percent consistent on it; "wis-AH" and "WISE-oh" are also common.

Thomas Pierre "Tommy" Wiseau (born Tomasz Wieczorkiewicz on October 3, 1955) is a Polish-American actor and filmmaker who is perhaps one of the most enigmatic people in Hollywood.

We only know his birth name, birthdate, and birthplace ''now'' thanks to Canadian documentarian Rick Harper, his 2016 film ''Room Full of Spoons'' and the lawsuit that Wiseau filed, supposedly in defense of his privacy, and which [[StreisandEffect spectacularly backfired]], forcing Wiseau to pay Harper about C$700,000.[[note]]Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} did accept this information for a while, but they have now removed all this information (save for the lawsuit) from their article on him out of a belief that the film isn't reliable enough as a source.[[/note]] [[MysteriousPast By means unknown]], he made his way to California and sought to join the ranks of the Hollywood elite. The problem was that he proved to be completely unsuited for acting, but he nevertheless persisted in his quest for international fame.

To recap, a filmmaker whose [[{{Gonk}} looks]] are most charitably described as "homely" and whose level of filmmaking knowledge makes Creator/EdWood look like Creator/FedericoFellini somehow managed to independently produce a film [[AchievementsInIgnorance that still plays in screenings to packed houses over a decade and a half later and became the subject of a Golden Globe-winning biopic]].

* HiddenDepths: Clearly this guy is so wacky that he became a movie director because he couldn't hold down any other job, right? ''Wrong.'' Greg and many of the other crew were dumbfounded to learn that Tommy is not just comfortably well-off, he's '''[[ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount loaded]]''', and funded the movie out of his own pocket through a substantial fortune he amassed over the years in real estate, so he clearly has some talent in entrepreneurship to compensate for that which [[GiftedlyBad he lacks in filmmaking talent.]]

* DoingItForTheArt: Where to begin? He financed ''The Room'' out of his own pocket--all ''six million misplaced dollars of the budget''--bought and shot it with digital HD and film cameras simultaneously[[note]]Standard Hollywood practice is merely to rent the cameras out and then return them at the end of filming. No digitally-recorded footage appears, by the way.[[/note]], had an exact copy built of the alleyway between buildings '''he already owned''' because he didn't like the way [[RealityIsUnrealistic the real alleyway looked]]...In short, Wiseau was going to make ''his'' movie, ''his'' way, and by God, [[GoneHorriblyRight he succeeded]]. As Greg and the rest of the crew discovered while working with him, Tommy is actually [[HiddenDepths independently wealthy]]--enough to comfortably finance the entire movie--and became a filmmaker just because he loves movies that much.

To recap, a filmmaker whose [[{{Gonk}} looks]] are most charitably described as "homely" and whose level of filmmaking knowledge makes Creator/EdWood look like Creator/FedericoFellini somehow managed to independently produce a film [[AchievementsInIgnorance that still plays in screenings to packed houses over a decade and a half later and became the subject of a Golden Globe-winning biopic.]]

He would later be forced by aliens to play video games in the web series ''WebVideo/TheTommyWiShow'', direct, produce, write, and star in the Creator/{{Hulu}} series ''Series/{{The Neighbors|2015}}'', and play the villain Linton Kitano in ''Film/SamuraiCop 2: Deadly Vengeance''. In October 2016 it was announced that he and Greg Sestero would star in a comedy thriller film called ''Film/BestFriends'', with the release of Part 1 on March 30th, 2018 and Part 2 on May 18th, 2018. In early 2019, at a screening for ''The Room'', a trailer was released for a new film project, titled ''Big Shark'', which is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a shark attack in New Orleans.]] And this project appears to be genuine; according to Wiseau, the purpose of the teaser is to help Wiseau secure more funding. The film was supposed to come out in September 2019, but was delayed.

Surprisingly, Wiseau may also be JustForFun/OneOfUs. He's expressed interest in directing a major Hollywood blockbuster, notably throwing his hat into the ring to direct [[StillbornFranchise the initially-planned sequel]] to ''Film/FantasticFour2015'' before it was removed from Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox's filming schedule. More recently, he's offered to play in or direct movies based on Creator/DCComics, ''Franchise/StarWars'' and Creator/MarvelComics, even making an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjFxgHedgM audition tape]] for playing ComicBook/TheJoker.

* BerserkButton: He hates it when people try to uncover his mysterious past, going so far as suing people for revealing it. He liked the film version of ''Film/TheDisasterArtist'' far more than he liked [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist the book]], since the film focused solely on his filmmaking and kept his backstory an enigma, while the book compiled every bit of Tommy's life story Creator/GregSestero could recall. How he forgave Greg for writing it we can only guess--the book includes a scene of Tommy's berserk button being hit ''hard'' upon basically discovering that Greg's friends knew of Tommy's existence.

* DoingItForTheArt: Where to begin? He financed ''The Room'' out of his own pocket--all ''six million misplaced dollars of the budget''--bought and shot it with digital HD and film cameras simultaneously[[note]]Standard Hollywood practice is merely to rent the cameras out and then return them at the end of filming. No digitally-recorded footage appears in the movie, by the way.[[/note]], had an exact copy built of the alleyway between buildings '''he already owned''' because he didn't like the way [[RealityIsUnrealistic the real alleyway looked]]...In short, Tommy Wiseau was going to make ''his'' movie, ''his'' way, and by God, [[GoneHorriblyRight he succeeded.]] As Greg Sestero and the rest of the crew discovered while working with him, Tommy is actually [[HiddenDepths independently wealthy]]--enough to comfortably finance the entire movie--and became a filmmaker just because he loves movies that much.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Despite his desire to be a leading man, he's seemingly cultivated this for years, keeping his naturally brown and curly hair sleek, jet-black, and [[StringyHairedGhostGirl of ghostly length]].

* HiddenDepths: Clearly this guy is so wacky that he became a movie director because he couldn't hold down any other job, right? ''Wrong.'' Greg Sestero and many of the other crew were dumbfounded to learn that Tommy is not just comfortably well-off, he's '''[[ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount loaded]]''', and funded the movie out of his own pocket through a substantial fortune he amassed over the years in real estate, so he clearly has some talent in entrepreneurship to compensate for that which [[GiftedlyBad he lacks in filmmaking talent.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He sued the Canadian filmmaker Rick Harper in 2016 for supposedly violating his privacy in the documentary ''The Room Full of Spoons''. He lost the suit in 2020, which led to his birthdate, birthplace and original name to be revealed, officially confirming some of the speculations.

* MysteriousPast: It took an independent documentary '''and''' a lawsuit to even confirm his birthdate and real name. He refuses to answer questions about his past or any aspects of his personal life, to the point that Creator/JamesFranco expressed genuine surprise upon hearing Tommy admit the rather obvious tidbit that he's originally from Europe.

* RaginCajun: He has roots in New Orleans and, for at least as long as Greg Sestero has known him, has often attempted to pass off his inscrutable accent as Cajun, to the point of including the phrase "ragin' Cajun" in one of the blurbs on the original poster of ''Film/TheRoom''. While picking up English as a third language in New Orleans can be considered a piece of the puzzle for his odd accent, he doesn't sound remotely Cajun.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: You'd never in a million years buy this guy as a character if he wasn't a real person. If you've heard a strange story about him, not only is it [[TheTysonZone most likely true]], Greg Sestero can probably give you details that are even ''weirder''.
* ReclusiveArtist: He is a very reclusive person. Virtually nothing is known about him, even to those who know him personally. Greg Sestero, the one person who he did confide his life story to, stated it was the most tragic life story he had ever heard.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: Tommy's poor budgetary decisions during the production of ''The Room'' are the stuff of legend, providing a six million dollar budget, most of which was needlessly squandered, entirely out of his own pocket--''without'' creating any serious threat to his own personal finances. [[WhatExactlyIsHisJob Nobody's quite sure how he got all that money, either.]] Some people have speculated that he's somehow connected to organized crime, or even that the entire movie was just a giant money-laundering scheme, but Greg Sestero has dismissed these theories, on the very reasonable grounds that no significantly wealthy crime syndicate in the world would trust ''[[CloudCuckoolander this guy]]'' to take care of their finances.

* ReclusiveArtist: He is a very reclusive person. Virtually nothing is known about him. Greg Sestero, the one person who he did confide his life story to, stated it was the most tragic life story he had ever heard.