Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Greg Sestero on The Worst Movie Of All Time "THE ROOM" - 20 Years Later

Episode Date: October 6, 2021

Today's guest is Greg Sestero. Greg is an actor, writer, director and the bestselling author of the book "The Disaster Artist" about his role in the cult classic "The Room" with Tommy Wiseau. He joins Chris Van Vliet at his home in Los Angeles to reflect on "The Room" 20 years after making it, his interesting relationship with the film's writer/director/star Tommy Wiseau, how being part of that movie changed his life, dealing with fans, some of the crazy plot points, making his directorial debut with his new movie called "Miracle Valley" and much more! If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.  For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://chrisvanvliet.com Follow CVV on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All systems are gathered. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Blaine! Welcome back to another audio adventure on Insight. I'm Chris Van Vleet. Thank you so much for being with us, my friends, as I get to talk to one of the stars of one of my favorite movie experiences of all time, The Room. And, yes, I said movie experiences because that's exactly what it is.

If you've seen the 2003 film The Room, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's become like a rocky horror picture show type of thing where you go to midnight screenings, dressed up in costumes, you throw things at the screen. It's just so much fun. Here's the thing. The movie itself, you saw the title of this podcast, the movie itself is not good. In fact, it's been called the Citizen Kane of Bad Movies. And that's exactly why this movie is so good and why the experience is so good. Sometimes you're laughing with the movie.

Other times, a lot of times, actually, you're laughing at the movie. Greg Sesteros stars in this film. He wrote a book about his experience called The Disaster Artist, which became a best-selling book and also an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film with James Franco, Dave Franco, and Seth Rogan. Perhaps you've heard of it. Perhaps you've seen it. That's an amazing film.

The Room is also an amazing film, but just for other reasons. And I mentioned it during this interview, but I think it's the movie I've seen more than any other movie, which is crazy to think about that. Such an honor to have Greg in my house to chat about the room and also his new film called Miracle Valley, which he stars in. And it's also his directorial debut. So congrats to him on that. You can find Greg on social media. He's at Greg Sesterro. And our fan of the week is Thomas Graham, who says, the best.

CVV is the best. He asks such great questions, and it always feels like two friends just hanging out. Well, thank you for that, Thomas. Appreciate that. Thank you for leaving the review on Apple Podcasts. I read one out on every episode. So if you have a few free minutes today,

in fact, you could do it right now. If you have a few free minutes right now as you're listening to this, open up the Apple podcast app and leave a few words on there. I'd be so appreciated. And speaking of two friends hanging out, I feel like Greg and I became best friends during this interview.

You'll see what I'm talking about. What a guy. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome. The star of the room, Greg Sestero. Oh, hi, Greg. Oh, hi, Chris. This is so great. Thank you so much for coming to my place.

I'm glad to be here. I have had years and years and years to think of all the questions to ask you about the room because at all honesty, I've probably seen the room more than any other film ever. Really? How many times are you at? I think I'm about 15. Okay. I'm at like five.

No, what do you mean? I've seen it with like a crowd mostly five times. I've only, I've never watched it more than that. So when you go and do an appearance, you just kind of introduced the phone? I'm like in the bar. I'm having dinner.

I'm having drinks. I'm like walking around town and then I have a time. I show up just as Johnny's tearing apart the bedroom. So you can do the Q&A afterwards. So I can do the Q&A. And I can listen in on a little bit at the end. But yeah, I got the routine down.

I'm not there for like a frame of the movie. Is it that you don't want to see this film or is that you don't watch any of the stuff you're in? I usually tap out around like, you know, 10 times seeing it with the crowd and then I figure out there's something else to do, socialize, catch up with friends. But the room was really unique because I saw it at the premiere. So I had all the behind the scenes footage and the rough cut. Wow. Right when we finished filming. I took it to my family.

They're like, what have you been up to for this past few months? You've been really quiet. I was like, sit down, let me show you. So we put in the foot, we put in the dailies, and there's me in the car on the phone. My brother's trying to be, like, supportive. He's like, oh, shit, looks like a real movie. Yeah.

And then I start talking, and my mom's like, I see why you're not booking. And then we start getting into the fight scenes where Johnny and Mark are grabbing each other, and my dad loses it. Like, he normally would not care about this, but he said it reminded him of Seinfeld, and he wanted to watch more.

So we watched until 1 a.m. all the outtakes. They loved it. They thought it was insane. So that was fun, and I knew what it was. Now, when it came time for the premiere, Tommy had filled the theater with, like, 300 people expecting the next streetcar name Desire. And that was here in L.A. That was on, yeah, it was on Fairfax, Beverly,

which is now like a homeless shelter. But at the time, there was a spotlight out front. All these people thought they were getting a good film. So I walk in there, and then the logos come on, and people are laughing. Oh. And I was like, oh, no. Now it's real.

Now I can't, like, just turn it off and escape. And so the sex scene comes on. And then people are like, you start to hear laughs. You start to hear groans. And I'm like, I think I'm going to peace out and hang out in the lobby. So I walked out and went into the lobby. And people started coming out a few minutes later, just shaking their heads. And this one guy looked at his friend and he's like, dude, I'll never get hard again.

That should be on the movie poster. So at that point, you know, I peeked back in and there's so much laughter. I mean, even at the premiere, the crowd was eating it up. Like, there's something about that movie that just takes you in and every moment gets a reaction. And after 20 years, how many movies can you say that about it? Yeah. The first time I saw it was in 2009.

I saw it in Toronto, which is my hometown. And my buddy's trying to describe this to me. He's like, it's so bad, it's good. It's so bad it's going to be enjoyable. And I'm like, I don't know, man. Like, what are we doing here? And it's kind of like your experience where people are laughing at this, you know, what you were just describing there.

They're laughing at it. And then, like, halfway through the movie, you start laughing with it. And you're, like, experiencing the movie, like, as a whole, basically. Everybody in the theater is, like, having the best time, it feels like. It wins you over. Yes.

At one point, you're just like, dude, I'm all in. You're either Team Johnny or Team Mark. I feel like you start to get blown. away by how insane it is like when Johnny does the tape recorder and he's hiding at the staircase and you're just like he's in his own house but he's creeping around like he's never

been there before and then the never ending tape the spoons it just starts to win you over to where you're in such disbelief you're willing to see where it goes and I think there's a shift in the audience that it becomes so immersive that I've never seen anything

like it. How do you explain it to somebody who's never heard of the room? Well, now I have the good fortune of saying, watch the disaster. Which is great, yeah. It's like, yeah, it's just, you know, an award-winning film that'll give you a warm-up. You don't need to maybe watch the room after that.

If they really love it and they want to find it, I'm like, that's on you guys. But I did my part, you know, by contributing to getting the disaster artist made. But I think, you know, if you get the disaster artists, I think people seek out the room. Like, I noticed after the disaster artist came out, so many people were hungry just to find the room,

and you can't get it anywhere. Right, but you can't watch the room, like on your couch, you know, in front of your TV. It's not the same. And I've tried doing that. In fact, one Christmas, I gave all of my friends the DVD of the room is like a nice gift. And then we never watched it because it's not the same to watch it at home. I was also surprised that people would watch the disaster artist and had never seen the room before.

I think that was really the goal. I mean, when I wrote the book, it was like, you know, we worked with Simon & Schuster. And the goal was for someone to read this story who has never heard of the room, doesn't like bad movies, doesn't really care. about bad movies. And so it was more of a nonfiction novel that we were going for. And therefore, much more of a character story. So of course, the first scene in the book is Tommy pulling up to the valet of an incredible restaurant and him unwilling to let the valet park his car because he's scared they're going to fart in his seat. So right there you go, this is a character I want to see how he operates in life. Yeah. And I feel like you got closer to Tommy than anybody else because

he's such an enigma. We don't know where he's from. We don't know how old he is. We don't know where he got his money from. And you kind of scratch the surface of that in the disaster artist. Yeah, he's such a unique mystery. And I love, you know, in cold blood is probably my favorite book, Zodiac. I've always been into solving riddles and mysteries. And he's somebody you can't solve. The more answers I get, the more questions it creates. And then I came to a point where I just, I love the mystery. I don't really need to know more. When anybody, somebody, you know, they ask me, where's he from? Where do you get his money? I'm like, hey, you know what? I think it was retail or real estate. And they're like, but how did that happen? I'm like, I don't know. It's probably

better just to not know. I both read the disaster artist and I also listen to the audio book. And the audiobook's like a thousand times better because you're telling us the story. And your Tommy was own impression. So good. I'm sure people tell you that all the time. Yeah. Well, I mean, I grew up speaking French. It was my first language. And then my mom's from France. So I travel to Europe a lot and then i meet tommy who had such a peculiar accent peculiar way of speaking and acting that um i was just like it was so it was just pure comedy i mean nobody in the class really got him at the point at that point i was all in i was like the first fan and then we would talk on the phone for hours when i first moved to l a because i was auditioning for stuff he was in san francisco we

both were you know in different phases of our lives but we talked on the phone for hours and i could take his soak in all his expressions. You know, he'd say, I just love the way you'd say, you know, no Mickey Mouse stuff. May I stop? I stop you right now. Like, it was just these really funny little phrases he would use. And then I'd start quoting them back to him.

Yeah. And he'd say, change the disc. My God, so boring. It was just, it was pure entertainment. We'd walk around Sunset Boulevard and he'd tell me, you know, tell me, stand up straight. What's wrong with you? I shouldn't be slouching.

you should be telling me this, and then you have this fit of rage and throw his keys on the ground, and then just start laughing. And I was like, I mean, if you have the right sense of humor, he's just such a lovable oddball that it's so much fun. But when you meet him for the first time, you must be like, what is up with this guy? Yeah, I mean, I did admire his passion in the acting class that he would argue with the teacher because she was really difficult on everybody. And it was finally refreshing that somebody who just stood up and was like, no, you're not right. And so I found that really charming and in an odd way.

And, you know, obviously he looks, you know, he's got like Pirates of the Caribbean look going on there, Halloween costume. And I just thought, I was drawn in. I mean, if you like, you know, you like weird stuff and you're open to cool experiences, he was a gold mine. I feel like in Hollywood, he would have kind of like been relatively speaking normal. But you met him in San Francisco. Yeah, I met him in San Francisco. You're right. Because you come down here, people are like, oh, that's a cool look.

Yeah, or like, yeah, you fit in because you don't fit in. Yeah, are you modeling for like Fangoria Magazine or, and so, so it was bizarre because, so we struck up this friendship. And again, I was just intrigued. I didn't care so much about acting. I was just intrigued to get to know him. And then we had this like bromance for like 10 days. We road tripped everywhere.

I would drive his fancy car. He would sleep 90% of the time. And we go to all these cool places. And then he's like, look, you know, class is over. So what do you do? You want to be actor? You don't want to be actor. And I was like, yeah, I want to move to L.A.,

but it's not easy. I mean, you know, it's like, you come down here, it's a new place where are you going to live? He's like, I have a apartment in Los Angeles empty. You know, you come right. You charge you $200. And I'm like, it almost was like,

I mean, I had gone out for this part in San Francisco that I didn't get that I thought was like going to be the break. It was this movie with Cleo Duval. I was going to play the love interest. Didn't get it. It was ready to give up. And then I meet Tommy.

And he was almost. like the key to go to L.A. Because he's like, now I got this apartment. It's yours if you want it. And so I was like, yeah. I mean, I'll at least check it out. And he's like, no, I don't force you. It's okay.

And so my mom flipped out because she's like, you're going to go to L.A., which she didn't want me to do. And then she's like, you're going to go to L.A. with this guy. And so she meets him and, you know, he's like, hi, how are you doing? And then she's like, oh, how old are you? First thing, my mom's like straight to the point.

He's like, oh, you know, I'm Greg Gage 28. And then she's like, I'm, you know, looking at your eyes are all red. You didn't sleep. What did you do all night? Oh, you know, work. And then my mom's like, okay, you're going to go for one or two days, no sex. And then he's like, I thought he'd be like, oh, yeah, no worries. And I'm sitting there.

And he goes, well, we all do. And I was like, oh, great, this is going to be great. So we get down to the apartment and it's nice. I mean, we come in. There's no furniture. There's like a couple of business cards pinned up against the wall. And what part of town is this? This is like West Hollywood.

It's a great area. I mean, it was like, you know, right off Sunset Boulevard, there's a pool, and there's one bed. You know, so, you know, I slept on the floor, and then he takes shower. He's singing Aladdin, a whole new world. And I'm like, I could, I could make this work. And then he's like, somebody's chicken. I was like, it's cool, man. We'll edit that out.

And then I will just, like, live here. And then I ended up 18 days later. came back, moved in, and I swear I plugged in my fax recorder machine thing, because that's what we had back in the late 90s. Yeah. Four minutes later, I get a call from a great agent that I'd send my head shots to. It was almost like, boom.

It was like things started happening that anything were possible. And it was really all thanks to, you know, that chance Tommy gave me. Meeting Tommy is probably like the turning point for your acting career, for better, for worse. Yeah. I mean, 20 years later, you can go, it was great at the time. Yeah. You know, at the time, you don't know. I mean, we're coming down.

You want to be in Dawson's Creek. You want to be in the shows that everybody's talking about. You don't want to be in a parking lot, making a movie with your buddy, shooting on two cameras. But to be honest, like 20 years later, it went beyond just a role.

Like the room taught me so much, introduced me to so many great people. And it's brought me around the world. I mean, I've traveled all over Canada. I've been to almost every state in the U.S. All that would have never happened. And it's a movie that people genuinely, you know,

they love. So it was a really hard road. You had to have a lot of patience. But in the end, I think a lot of things were meant to be, you know, for sure. So at what point did you start to lean into it? Because not all of the actors that were part of it want to embrace what it became. I was never embarrassed of it. I mean, it wasn't a movie.

I was going to go show like dates and stuff. Be like, hey, I'm in this movie. I did use the postcard once in a while. Like he gave me a ton of postcards. He's like, yeah, promote room. It was free at that time. You go see it for free the last Saturday of every month. So if I saw like, you know, a cute girl, I'd be like, hey, just want to invite you to this thing and hoping that they would never, they just be like, oh, hey, and we start talking.

And so there's this girl from South Africa and she was at a Starbucks and I gave her the card. And she looked at me and we started talking. And then later, she's like, she called me the next day. She's like, you know, in her accent, I'm so sorry to tell you. I looked at the website, man. That movie looks like, shit. And I was like, we don't have to, you don't have to go see it. But so it started screening and people started showing up.

And people from USC film school started showing up. They loved it. They were quoting it. So I showed up to witness it and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. They were quoting the lines. They were like, they were treating Tommy and I as if we were De Niro and Pacino. And so it was like, I knew what it was, but it was still pretty fascinating to see this level of interest. So I was intrigued at that point and I'd show up and Tommy was really like pushing it.

And then it wasn't until like 2009 that there was an entertainment weekly article that was released. And it talked about celebrity fans, it being studied in universities, the spoons, and like how much it had built up. Yeah. And so that's when I was like, okay, there's something here. Probably not going to be future acting work, but there's something here. And that's when I was like, what can I do with this opportunity? But what made you decide to go, all right, I see this for what it is and I'm going to lean into this. I think it was just the love of the fans.

I mean, they would show up and stay till 2.30 in the morning wanting photos, having questions. And I was in Boston with Tommy for like the first time doing like a live appearance. And that's where I got the idea to do the book. Because I was like, if you guys love this movie so much, wait until you know the story behind it. I mean, they're like, oh, did you audition for this? I was like, no, dude, I knew Tommy four years before we ever made it. We were roommates. And they're like, wait, what?

And then I was like, okay, that's all I'm saying. And then I figured not only is it the story behind the making of a bad movie, but it's a super great look at underdog success stories. Tommy and I were opposites in every conceivable way. And we connected because we both wanted to make movies. And 23 years later, you know, we're still in each other's lives. So there's a lot of things people can relate to, you know, starting out. Do you guys still keep in touch a lot?

Yeah. I mean, we haven't tossed the football together in a while. I have a football right here. I know. That's a good one. Is that a pro one? I don't know. It's a good.

We're about the right distance away, right? Yeah. Yeah. Good size. Yeah, that's the normal. Yeah, no, he still, you know, get the text, the selfies, you know, he's very much still Tommy. And he lives in L.A.? Yeah, somewhere like L.A. San Francisco.

Oh, wow. The thing I was so impressed by with the disaster artist is you had this incredible recollection of everything that happened. Were you making journals at the time? Like, how were you able to remember everything? I mean, it was such a visceral experience that I told stories about. it for so many years. And then I had all the behind the scenes footage so I could step in and watch scenes and then actually quote dialogue of what was happening. And so I interviewed all the

actors, but I had, yeah, it was an experience you could never forget because there were just pillars in moments that happened that you were like, how do you explain this? How do you ever forget this? And for people that might not know, you weren't originally supposed to be in the film. You weren't originally supposed to be Mark. You were just going to be helping out behind the scenes. and then you basically got talked into doing it, kind of. Yeah, I read the script, and I was like, this is beautiful. I will help you make it, but I probably won't be in this. And he's like, well, you big mistake, your choice.

And so I helped him cast it. We found another mark. One of the rules was Mark had to show his ass, too. I was like, okay, so glad I'm not in this. And then we're ready to make the movie. It's the night before filming. We're driving on Santa Monica Boulevard. and we had an epic fail moment with these girls

that came up to us in the restaurant because they walked up, they were cheery, and they had wine, and Tommy's like, so what you girls do besides drink? And I was like, okay, this didn't go well. So we're driving on Santa Monica Boulevard. He starts screaming and we're laughing, having a good time, and then he sees me laughing,

and I had this beard at the time, he's like, my God, right there, you look just like Spartacus. I was like, Spartacus have a beard? No. He didn't. But he's like, you have to do this project. You have to play Mark. The biggest mistake you ever made, you don't play Mark.

And I was like, something came over me and I thought, hey, I'm going to be on set all day anyway, helping out. Maybe I should just do it. And then, of course, he could see he kind of had me. And he's like, well, we get you a new car. What about that? And I'm like, shit, he's got me. So, but it was that feeling I got like, I should do it. And I don't know if it was a combination of feeling free,

having the beard and thinking it was cool or whatever. And so I told him, like, reluctantly, sure, but the big problem was somebody was already cast. So we're showing up the first day of filming. Yeah. And they're like, Mark's, you know, Greg's going to do scenes as Mark. And everyone was like, okay, sure. And so the other Mark and I were both doing the same scenes

while he's filming the other Mark on digital and me on film. film. And it lasted about an afternoon before everybody found out. So the first day was everything you'd expect. Man. And Lisa wasn't originally like the Lisa that was in the film? No, she was Michelle. So Julia was playing Michelle. And so she came in one day and she's like, you know, I'd like to start auditioning for Lisa. And Tommy's like, my God. She's like exactly like Lisa. She's vicious. And I think That's so good It's like he's here

She was the She was the reason the movie got made Because nobody wanted to play Lisa Nobody's willing to do the nudity No one was willing to make out with Tommy Wow She was the only one to go for it Do you still keep in touch with her at all?

Yeah, she's in Texas now Super nice You know Everybody in the cast was really cool Who is the person that when you go to these Q&As Or just when you interact with fans Who do they think had the best performance in the film? I mean, I guess you would say it's Chris R.

You know, he's just yelling, where's my money? Where's my money, Danny? What's the R stamp for? We don't know. He's gangster. That's bottom line. You know what? The thing with the room is you can't really ever talk about acting because you're saying

stuff you would normally never say. So when we're on that rooftop scene, Tommy and I'm like, you think girls like, she like guys do? And we're saying all that. What makes you say that? Yeah. And then I'm like, you know, people are very strange these days. I mean, you can't really call that acting.

We're surviving that dialogue. Like, I feel like when I was saying it, I was, you know, just trying to just exist and do it justice. But there's a moment where I look off camera and I roll my eyes and shake my head, like, great character saying this is just so ridiculous. I can't believe I'm here. It ended up in the film. Like, at 138 in that scene, you can. and see me roll my eyes and just go like unbelievable and they kept it in that's that scene is so long too because after you leave then denny comes in yeah and then it's the whole you know she loves

you people love each other yeah it's a whole it's a vignette really it's a short film on like friendship and she and mentor you know mentoring Lisa loves you and then he's like I'm in love with your wife and he's like go on it's just it's one of those things and then like the light changes three times and the hair, Johnny's hair like shifts. It's, I mean, I wish I was even more present when we were filming it

so I could take, you know, take it all in even more. We don't have to hold the football, by the way. We can toss it back here. We're not playing cats. I mean,

we're the right distance away to throw this. Speaking of the dialogue being just unnatural, what do you think, like, are your five favorite lines from the room? I would say, uh, that's life.

Um, love is blind. people are very strange these days I'm thinking to move into a bigger place I'm making some good money no one acknowledges that and Lisa's got some pretty good ones too Lisa does

can I give you a few of mine? I love the Guerrero Street story yeah yeah that's just it doesn't make any sense at all I'm so sorry and then but the laugh also is even better because it's like it's not funny I mean, it just, that sums up our friendship in a lot of ways. The, keep your stupid comments in your pocket.

Yep. So good. Where did the idea for chip, chip, chip, chip, chip, chip, chip, chip, come from. That's something Tommy had always done. And I think it's also in Rebel Without a Cause. Ah. A few nods there with Sal Minio's character and Denny, you know. Hey, it's, it's an all-American movie.

You got to throw those in. I send memes of the room to my friends all. the time. I had a few friends in Fort Collins, Colorado. They spent the entire day speaking in room quotes. Oh my gosh. All day. That's all they did was were room quotes. They think of everything. And I notice it takes so much of the stress off of your day. Like you're having you're in traffic, you're late, things aren't going well. Throw a room quote in there. It puts everything in perspective. Well, if a lot of people loved each other, the world would be a better place to live. That's something you just have to wake up and say every day. Yeah. I mean, that's how you should start and end every day.

You're right. Really? You'll never. You'll never. Like, that's why Tommy said in the room DVD, you need to watch room 100 times discover yourself. How many times do you think Tommy's seen it? You've seen it more than me. So like six? I'd say, uh, probably a couple hundred. Wow. Yeah, with editing and all that and thrown on the DVD and the Blu-ray.

And he still like holds true to the fact that this is a dark comedy. I'd say it's classic All-American entertainment. Like, and you say it with a straight face. I'd say that's great. That's his, uh, full on belief. Yeah. Wow. Do you think screenings are going to be coming back? Maybe. They are already.

Oh, good. Yeah. They're not here. L.A. this weekend. What? Yeah. Are you going to be there? No, I'm not going to be there. I think I might be. Tommy's going to be there. What? And then, yeah, they should be popping up.

Oh, my gosh. Where is this? In Westwood. I think I'll be there. Wow. I haven't seen the room with a crowd in like three years. Yeah, I think you're due. Yeah, I think I'm due. Yeah. It should be happening like once every other month, though. Oh, this is so great to know. Yeah.

Okay, so let's fast forward through your whole experience, your crazy experience of the room. You start writing the book. Did they option it to you? Yeah, so I, from the day I started writing the book, my goal was for this to be a film. I, like, studied Ed Wood, Sunset Boulevard, Boogie Nights. And I'm like, that's what the story is. So we got hooked up with a really good agent who had never seen the room. He read the book.

He loved it. You'd worked on No Country for Old Men, which I thought, hey, Javier Bardem as Tommy was like, that's it. And he's like, not so fast. He doesn't read any scripts unless they're all in Spanish. I was like, okay, we can start translating right now. Sure. Yeah. And then we had a meeting

with Tommy and Tommy tried to turn that book meeting into a pitch for his new sitcom. And the book agent was like, I need to remind you, I do books to film. Oh, no problem. Yeah, it's okay. Um, so I guess Sasha Baron Cohn was interested

initially, which was cool. and then, you know, some time went by. The book came out. Three weeks later, I got the call from James Frank on Seth Rogen. They had read it on the set of the interview. James had never seen the room. And he came in just through the book and thought halfway through, I need to turn this into a film.

Wow. So I couldn't believe it. It was one of those things where it's like you shoot for the stars. You think, man, if everything great could happen, and then all of a sudden you get the call and you're like, damn, it's a real thing. We want to talk about everything great happening for it. It's a Golden Globe winning film.

Oscar nominative film. Like, it really doesn't get much better than that. Yeah, no. We had the conference call, and James was just like, he really understood the story. He compared it also to Boogie Knights and the Master, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Seth Rogan's such a great producer. I just thought it was a great team to tell the story. And then, you know, they got those screenwriters, Mike Weber and Scott Newsetter who had done love stories. And which is, you know, this was a,

a bromance in a lot of ways. So it was really just a perfect team of understanding what the room's appeal is and also making a movie for the masses. So when I found out that they were starting to make this film, it was originally called The Masterpiece. When I interviewed James Franco, I had to slide in a question about it. And then when I interviewed Dave Franco, I had a slide in a question about that. And I don't know how receptive they were to it, but I didn't really care because I was like,

you got to do it. Yeah, I just need to ask them about this. And I actually think, because it was James, James Franco sitting next to Brian Cranston. And he kind of joked like, I think Brian's going to be in the film. And that actually became news that Brian was in the film.

It was so incredible meeting Brian Cranston because Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows. So I got to show up where we were filming, which was the diner, Tommy and I used to always go to. We were roommates and watch them recreate the scene where I read the script for the first time with like Brian Cranston there. And I thought, dude, this is the best therapy you ever asked for.

Yeah. And we started talking about Breaking Bad. And I also met Bob Odenkirk, who plays the acting teacher. And it was just, yeah, it was just incredible to see all these actors be a part of this. So being on that set, how much did it help you as an actor? I mean, it kind of taught me everything because they were all working so hard, but they were having so much fun. And I thought, this is the way it should be. This is what I want to start doing.

And that's when a few months later, I got the motivation to write a script and put a movie together. And that's when we made those best friends movies. I thought, hey, people are going to see the disaster so they're going to want to know what happened to you guys. Got to show them more than the room. So I wrote this script and I pitched it to Tommy. He plays a vampire mortician. It's a great role for him.

And he said to me, he's like, we can try, you know, but we should be same height in the movie. I was like, you and I have the same height? He's like, yeah, people will be shocked. I was like, let's do it. I don't know how, but let's do it. And so we got these platform heels made. We went out and made those films.

And really, mostly because the disaster artist showed me, like, what it's like to be on a good set and making films. And really, since the disaster is rap, that's what I've been pursuing is writing, producing, starring in films. So many actors want to be writers. So many actors want to be producers. So what was the first step you took towards actually doing that? So writing was like my first love when I was 12. I wrote a sequel. I took a vacation to Disney World

and we had to go back home and I was really depressed and I thought I just want to be back in Disney World now I'm going back to the real world so I said to do my homework I started writing a screenplay combining my two loves

Home Alone and Disney World and I had the script take place in Disney World where McCulley Coulin was vacationing and I was his older buddy and we team up and fight the bandits who had recently were janitors now working at Disney World and I did I went all out

I was like this is happening I tracked down 20th century Fox they're like you need to send this to John Hughes I tracked down John Hughes in Lake Forest Illinois sent him the script did like the whole cover Home Alone, the soundtrack

and in my cover letter I said Home Alone and Disney this is great cross promotion because Disney can promote Home Alone and vice versa and now here we are they didn't they ripped off my idea 20 years later

because now Disney's doing the new Home Alone movie You're not getting any credit for it. I know. That's life. So, but then I got a note back from John Hughes and he said like, this was really impressive, believe in yourself, keep going. So from that point on, I knew I wanted to, you know, make movies and then I switched into acting and all that.

But I finally got a chance to go back to writing, you know, and the disaster artist kind of was a great lesson with that. And then I started writing the best friend scripts. And I started saying, I'm going to take matters into my own hands now and start telling stories. When you first started meeting with Dave Franco and he was going to play you in the disaster artist, where did that start? I imagine it's like a clump of clay that's unmolded and he's trying to get some of your mannerisms down, some of just the way you talk, all of that down. Where does that start? So we actually not too far from here. We had sushi for like four hours and just talked about

everything. And we had a lot in common, both from the Bay Area, both love basketball, both tried to get into acting, making not so great films and believe. in them. And so his big question was, did you ever think anything could come of the room? And I was like, no, but if you need to use that motivation, you know, go for it. Because he was trying to understand why Greg is there. You know, it's like if you're not, don't believe in this movie, why are you doing it? And that's totally understandable now. Like, I did a movie called retro puppet master. That was before the room. Yeah, that I, that I believed in. I thought this is my audition for Anakin Skywalker.

I mean, just young, delusional. And I thought, you know, I was giving a great performance. I was like, hey, you know, I'll hold off on the Oscar praise until I get back in L.A. So I do understand that feeling of like you think you're just, you're nailing it. And it's just, you know, you're young. You're trying. So with the room, I knew what it was. So it was kind of a different feel.

But I told Dave, like, if you need that motivation for Greg to really believe in this, then, you know, go ahead and use it. What did you audition for that maybe you didn't get? But if you did get that, it would have completely changed your life. I mean, I auditioned for all those shows like Dawson's Creek and Seventh Heaven. There's one script I read, never got made. I read it in 99. It was called Crescendo.

And it was the husband of the casting director who did like all of James Cameron's movies, like Titanic. And the script was incredible. It was like sort of a, you know, small town love story. They go see Rebel Without a Cause, just like disaster artists. And it was just this really heartwarming, unique script. And I'm not even like a huge music player guy, but it was about music. And it was just an incredible script.

And it never got made. But that was one one I never really forgot. But you auditioned for it? I auditioned for it. And like by that point, I had been auditioning for so many things. You kind of start phoning him in. You don't really, you just, you know, go through the sides and try to like look up and look down, you know.

But that one, I spent the whole weekend studying and really went for it. And it just, yeah, it never got made. That is one of the toughest things about being an ellis. is you get a lot of auditions, but it's kind of like taking spaghetti and throwing it at the wall. Something you feel like it might be perfect for you, and they don't even care when you walk in the room.

I feel like that's one of the hardest things with being an actor is it's super hard to get an agent. Yeah. Then you get an agent, and then it's super hard to get auditions. Then it's really hard to get called back. Then it's really hard to get something. And the hardest part of all is being in something

that people want to watch, you know? And that's the catch-22, because number one, you've got to get a role to get more roles. And then you want to get something that showcases what you can actually do, which is, it's so difficult. And I feel for people that move out here and think that they're going to get discovered walking on Hollywood Boulevard. Yeah.

It's one of those things where right now is probably the most versatile time because you can make a movie with your phone. Yeah, yeah. You can team up with there's a lot more access to meet people and make stuff and put it, get it out there. But it's one of those things. It's, you know, a lot of it is hard luck and hard work. And, you know, I was here for four years doing everything possible. I mean, I was sending my headshot to everybody in town, auditioning for everything, had a good agent.

And it was the room that a movie that should have never gone anywhere that was made by my friend that I met in San Francisco. Yeah. That he knew nobody. Yeah. And he just, you know, we just did this thing together. So I guess you could trace it to, hey, get out there. take classes, meet people, because by taking that one acting class,

I didn't really learn how to act. Yeah. But I met somebody who, you know, we both change each other's lives. And you meet somebody in those acting classes that maybe they're filming something or maybe they know somebody that's filming something. I guess that's really how you start to build your resume.

It is. And so what I've done over the years is I've toured with the book, I've toured with the room, and I meet so many young actors on the road. And I've, you know, stayed in touch with them. So when I make films now, I make sure to try to give them a part to give them a chance,

because that's what I would have loved for somebody to do for me. And there's so many good people out there that just maybe didn't catch a break and they deserve a role. And they appreciate it so much. So while the room was your break, after it came out, were casting directors like, yeah, I don't, I don't see you in anything that I'm doing because I saw the room where I've heard about the room. So that was the thing. The room was really underground for so many years. It was like it wasn't an industry thing that people knew about.

It wasn't until like 2010 where all of a sudden it was covered in all the major media to where people actually enjoyed it. So we do these screenings with like Elizabeth Moss would be there, Merrill Streep's dog. We'd have all this incredible crowd. And then at that point, a lot of the in crowd really loved it. So again, it wasn't one of those things where, you know, they're going to be like, that's a great performance. We're going to cast you.

Like on the rooftop, you're saying stuff that you're just like, oh my God, who is this guy? what's his deal help. But it was something that people really enjoyed. Yeah. So really, I never got a role, an acting role from the room until Mike Flanagan, the incredible director from Hunting of Hill House. He's done a ton of great movies. He read the book and he was a fan of the room and he gave me a cameo on the

Hunting of Blind Manor last year. Which was on Netflix. That's incredible. Yeah, which was cool. And it was like, I can't believe I'm here. Yeah. You're going to get resilient. He had, I had, you had wanted to adapt

the disaster artist, and we got a chance to talk about that, and he's done Oculus, Gerald's game, Midnight Mass is coming out next week,

or this week. So that was, again, it was one of those things, you know, the room is something that's original and reach people.

And I think, if you're patient enough, you can get there, you can find your own, you know, your own path if you're, you work hard enough. So it never,

it never hurt you. I mean, I would have hurt me if I had been in, you know, all I had done at that point was days of our lives and retro puppet master. Those are two good credits, though. Yeah. I think the room was its own unique thing that it would help you if you used it properly. So I think I utilized it in a way that was sincere. And I took something that was considered what was, you know, so bad and really tried to make something respectable out of it.

Are you still making money from the room? You know, you know, we're happy where we are. No, I mean, the room has been something that's, you know, at this point, 20 years later and in the current market we're in, the place we're at, it's been a huge blessing because I can make new films and I'm very fortunate to have people that want to see what I come out with next. Is it going to be insane in the room? Is it going to be as good as the room, as bad as the room, whatever? You have people that care about what you do, and that's, you know, that's a huge step. Well, the thing is when Tommy makes a film now, people expect it to be in that same genre. When you make a film now, I think people go, oh, like Greg's. is actually talented at acting and writing and producing and now directing. I feel like the bars maybe raised a lot more than it is for Tommy. Yeah, I mean, I'm a huge lover of horror films, genre films. And so anything I put out, you know, you kind of owe it to your audience to give them something that you really put your heart and soul into it.

Whatever that turns out to be, you know, we don't have control over that. But whatever I do, I really want to give them something unique to dive into because the room is something you could never match. It was just, it was light, if you want to call it, lightning in a bottle, whatever it is. But you need to continue to give that to your crowd, that kind of passion. Or they're just going to go and watch the room. Right. Yeah.

So what, tell us about this film. I guess it's not out yet, but it'll start to be in a bunch of festivals. Yeah. So right before the pandemic, I decided, we had made Best Friends, Volume 1, Volume 2, Lionsgate released them worldwide, which was awesome. And I decided I wanted to do something totally different. And I was like, horror is my favorite genre. I've always loved, you know,

Nightmare on Elm Street was the first movie that scared the hell out of me. I love The Hills Have Eyes, love stories about cults. So I thought, I'm going to move to the middle of nowhere in Arizona, like on this ranch, live there, write the script there,

study cults, and then film there. So I did all that. I came across a very peculiar abandoned church along the Mexican border. It was gutted out from the inside. And so I drove in there and was walking around. These two dudes approached me. And they're like,

what are you doing here? And I was like, oh, what is this? They're like, oh, it was a cult from the 80s. It's coming back stronger than ever. They tried to shut us down. And they never will. And so I started reading about that. Got a lot of inspiration. The locations around that area were incredible. Southern Arizona has such inspiring shooting locations. So we went out. We made the film. We had a meeting right before where everyone's like, let's push this back to spring 2020. So we got more so we have more time. Yeah. It was like,

you'll never be ready to make a film. Let's just go out and do it. And so we went out, we filmed. We got to film at Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wright's House. We were the first movie to ever film there. Believe it or not, you'd think it'd be like Spielberg or Hitchcock. Yeah. Craig's a sterile horror film, man.

So we filmed and we got it done. And, you know, the pandemic happened. And we got to work on post and really sit with it and think about it. And we've done some test screenings in people. People are really happy with it. So the teaser trailer is out now. No, nothing's out now. We're doing...

I just saw it. I got a little sneak peek then. It was private just for Chris. Very good. Very good. So we, yeah, we're doing some festivals. We're doing Salem Horror Festival on October 1st. We're going to be doing, hasn't been announced, but we're going to be doing Fright Fest, UK, the end of October and a few others.

But I think you've got to see horror in the theater. So that's my hope, as opposed to going straight to streaming. I think doing theatrical screenings. We're going to be doing some in October, like Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, and just getting people a chance to come out in October and have fun. It's called Midnight Valley? Miracle Valley. Miracle Valley.

I like Midnight Valley. That's a good title. Miracle Valley, much better. Oh, Midnight Mass is what you're thinking about. Yes. Miracle Valley. And I like the tagline you've come up with this. With the Survivor of the Room.

Yeah. I mean, that's really what it is. I mean, here we are 20 years later. if I think, again, the room puts you in a place and it was up to you to figure out what to do with it. And I think I kind of survived it and now we'll see if I survive Miracle Valley. The psychologist did not survive the room.

Now, that football, that fall, I think, hit him really hard and he was done. So then we had Stephen come in. Actually, Stephen, I think, to me, he's the best character in the room because he saves it from making any sense at all. You have a scene that Peter's walking in, And it's a moment that's going to make sense.

Yep. It's going to piggyback to the rooftop where he said, do not talk to Lisa. He catches them. Yes. Boom. We have a moment. Instead, in walks a guy we've never seen before. We don't know his name.

We don't know why he's mad. There's no explanation. And he's like, what's, you know, you're going to destroy Johnny. He's very, we're like, who, like, well, we showed that in LA. People are like, who are you? And I just, I love that. And then the guy who played Steve and his name is Greg Ellery. He just was so sincere.

and just, yeah. I mean, he really saved the room from being, like, here. He brought it to another level. Is that character supposed to be the same character? It's the same character, yeah. But it turned into Stephen. Huh. So, what, I mean, that deadly football accident.

Yeah. Yeah. So the actor played Peter's name's Kyle Voked. He came on early before I came along in the casting process. Tommy had gathered a few actors. through these random auditions. And he was told it was going to take two weeks. Okay.

So this was in July. And now we're in late October. So he's like, I've kind of given you all I can give you. And I haven't seen the script. So I'm done. Like, I don't know what else. And Tommy's like, well, you know, you don't control a project. We replace you, simple as is.

So we cast even. That was it. Yeah. It's just so ridiculous. I mean, I was one of the people. in the theater going, who are you? Oh,

it's incredible because then all of a sudden he's like, they're getting like into fights and yelling and it's like, Peter already kind of comes in late in the movie when they're like

sitting there and he's like, you're so calm, or you have advice? It's about halfway through. Yeah. So we're like, who's this guy now? And then he has that one scene

on the rooftop and then the party happens and Peter's not invited. Now, in the original script, which is even better than the film, Peter has a much bigger role. Oh, which is what? He's just,

He's in a lot. He has phone calls with Lisa. How long was this film going to be? No, this was actually shorter. It was going to be up stage play first. Oh, that's right. It was going to be a stage play. Claudetta is a bigger part. There's no Denny. There's no Chris Arp. But once we went full Hollywood, you're bringing in Mike and Michelle, the chocolate sex scene. Oh, me underwear's too. We got Chris Arp flashing the gun. It became a much bigger deal. Was me underwear is always in it? No.

Oh, my gosh. I'm learning so much here. I'm telling you, though, the original script that he wrote when we were roommates is just out of this world. I mean, if you get a few of your friends to read the roles and you read it out loud, you got a couple beers, it's one of the most amazing things I've ever read.

You guys should do like a table read of this. Yeah, I did it in Dallas, you know, a few times, and Tommy's not as much into that, but the original script is just like the misspellings, the mispellings, the misprime. It's just, it's incredible. Like, you could get the best screen writers in the world to try to write the,

scenes, it wouldn't come close. The exclamation points, the stage directions, it's so earnest and it's just, I mean, I'm so happy I kept a copy of it because that was the only one who had it. Wow. It was because we were going to do it as a play. And then, you know,

it fell apart, you know, it got torn apart and then it got in a change. What did you learn from being on the set of the room and watching Tommy as a director that helped you now as a director? I think getting a movie made, like he just, he went for it. Like, every day is a struggle on a movie, on a movie production, even if you have everything

going for you, you have money, every day is a struggle. There's just things that come up you can't plan for. And it was just about the power of pushing through and making something, getting the scenes on camera, getting them done, even if they're not the best. At the end of the day, you have something. You've been productive that day. And I think there's, there's 365 days a year. There's so many things we could be shooting, making, recording that we just let go by. And all of a sudden, where like someday we'll do it. And then you're not getting better. You're not making stuff.

And I think for me, it was just watching him just go out and get it made. I think the misconception from a lot of people is they think the director's the person who frames up the shot and yells action. Director's like the boss. The director is overseeing the entire project. And I don't know if everybody realizes that

until they've been on a movie set. Yeah, I noticed how big of a job the first AD is. Like, they're the ones who get everybody in the right mindset. And I think the director is like, you know, you come in when you need to say certain things. and you've already shot the movie in your head most of the times. But I think, yeah, a huge role is First AD. Like, if you have the right team with you,

makes your job a lot easier. How much have your goals in acting or just for your career shifted from when you came to Hollywood to what they are now? You know, you come to Hollywood and you think you know what you are and what you have to offer. And a lot of times that doesn't line up with reality or what Hollywood wants at that point. And so for me, it's so much more exciting

and so much more enjoyable to be a writer and a director and a filmmaker because now I'm not thinking about just myself. Whenever you're an actor in a project, you're thinking, like, oh, I'm getting taped for this. How am I coming across? Are my scenes still in the film or they cut? And a lot of times it's not thinking the best for the project because you're trying to survive as an actor. But for me, now when I'm writing these parts and casting actors, I really care about each person and their performance. And it makes me so happy when I see them succeeding and audiences liking them because it's sort of like it's your,

it's your baby in a way and you're seeing these actors are just as important as you are. And so in this, in Miracle Valley, like most of these people that were cast, like they, we had such a great time because we all loved what we were doing. And I wasn't thinking, it's my part better.

I'm just thinking, how can we make this movie as fun as possible? And that's so much more rewarding to me than just showing up and caring about how I'm doing. So is it, do you want to write an Oscar winning film? Do you want to direct an Oscar winning film? Do you want to start an Oscar winning film? You know, I got to say my dream with the book was, it was like, you know, this movie's been called the worst movie ever. My dream with this book is to get, you know, a claim in the way that it's an Oscar caliber project. And that happened. Yeah. And it was incredible. But to me, it didn't quite like,

I don't know. It didn't quite feel the way I thought it was going to feel. And so really, I remember being in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, making best friends. And I was working with my buddies with this actor who I grew up watching on TV, Rick Edwards, who's become a really close friend, we're in like Texas Canyon shooting this, like this western scene. And it was just like being out there in the nature and making the movie that brought me so much joy. And I was like, that's really where the job.

dream is. It's like in the work. You know, the result comes and it's great, but like if you can do those projects and challenge yourself and tell stories and have so much fun in the process, I think for me, that's what I really look forward to. This is that old cliche that it's not about the destination. It's about the journey. I mean, it really was. I thought, hey, like, if you would have told me the book would have become what it was and what it is. And what, yeah. And I think, you know, and I'm incredibly grateful, but I just realized looking forward, you know, we can't really sometimes, sometimes There's things you need to fill, and I think you fill it by doing the work. So what are you working on now?

I am currently writing a UFO abduction movie that we're hoping to film in white sands, New Mexico, and Iceland. When I was living in Arizona, I got really into the culture. I took a UFO night tour in Sedona, Arizona. We had the night vision goggles. I heard some of the craziest crap. Just diving into this culture is really crazy. I'm supposed to interview Travis Walton, the true guy from fire in the sky. This is one of my all-time favorite movies.

Wow. And I'm just going to go full-on UFO cult. Yeah, I'm going to dive into the UFO world. So that's the next project we're hoping to make. Did you see one? I don't, no comment. I don't know. Yeah. You know what? Having studied both sides, I don't. I'll have something interesting to say with this film.

But right now the tentative title is Forbidden Sky. Oh, my gosh. And this is going to be fictional? We don't know. We see. Oh, this is so great. It is such an honor to sit down next to you, especially after watching the room for the first time 12 years ago. And thank you for indulging my ridiculous questions about this.

I end every interview at the same question. So hopefully you'll indulge me with this. I start and end every day with gratitude. So I end every interview with it as well. So what are three things in your life that you're grateful for? Um, it's funny. I've been doing the same thing recently. Um, I would say, uh, three things I'm most grateful for our family, health. Um, and, um, I would say, uh, I mean, I guess that falls under health, but I would say a, a, an open mind. Hmm. Because with an open mind that I'm very grateful that I've been, you know, blessed with that's been cultivated.

we're free to experience anything. And I think that's been a huge gift because it's taken me everywhere I've gone and it continues to introduce me to people that I don't judge and I just accept and want to get to know. So those are probably three things that I'm very grateful. That's what I've never heard one, that one before. And I've asked this question for a long time on the show. But I think it's so true because so often we meet somebody and we immediately make a decision about them in our mind for better or for worse.

And having an open mind about a person. or a situation or an event or whatever it happens to be can really change your life. Yeah, no, I remember I started dating this girl years ago and she wanted to do this really weird concert or something that she felt like she was going to be judged. And I just remember saying, like, if there's anything you ever want to do or try, I mean, I guess there's some limit, but I was like, I'm the person there to go with you, you know? And so I think that was something that she always remembered. but I really meant it because that's the only way to, you know, to dig deeper.

And as a creative person, if we're not refilling our lives with interesting moments or visuals, then we don't have anything to say. Like, for example, the Disney World vacation. Yeah. If I don't go to Disney World, I don't fall in love with, you know, that whole story that totally changed my life. Those feelings I had going to Disney World, and there's some people that never get to kids that never get a chance to experience that. And then the other night, like I was in El Paso, Texas, and I'm on, You know, my mom always tells me I'm nuts for going on nightwalks.

I love to get out there and see things. And so I'm walking around random neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas, and I'm in this area probably I shouldn't have been. And I'm crossing the street, and it's dark, and I see this, like, insane. I'm listening to, like, imagine dragons on my earphones. I'm having a good vibe. And I see this shadow of a man in a white tank top.

And it was like, he's staring at me. He's holding a leash with, like, a pit bull. And they're just like, staring right at me and I was like I need to recreate that in some film because it was such a powerful visual. It was almost like that movie Don't Breathe where you know but that's

again there's so many things I've seen over the years that I want to they move me so much or they gave me a certain feeling that I want to put that on film and give back to people so just getting out there and living as you're like we're talking about acting classes like I'd go into acting class and I'd be so nervous to get up there

and perform life when I should just be out there living it. And then once I'm so comfortable with myself when someone wants me to do a scene, I'm going to apply my life experience into that scene, and the audience will hopefully take something away from it. My favorite movie of all time is back to the future. Mine too.

No way. Yeah, I've been saying that for years. Did we just become best friends? And the reason it's my favorite film, not only because I think it's a perfect film. That's been, I've been saying that for years. So I think it's the perfect film. The score is amazing and the characters are incredible.

but at the heart of this film is a story about if you weren't in that place at that time, then all of these other things don't happen. And that blows my mind. Every time I watch the film, I go, man, if George isn't there to meet, you know, what ends up becoming his wife and Marty's mother, none of this happens. And I think about that all the time my life. You know, what if this light's green instead of red? or what if your flight wasn't delayed

or whatever it happens to be and I think about that all the time. So I have a great surprise for you. I lived in South Pasadena for years which was where they shot back to the future. You lived in Hill Valley? It's basically Hill Valley but I walk by Doc Brown's house all the time

George McFly's house where Marty got hit by the car. Great, Scott. So you know what we got to do one of these days when you're free I'm going to take you and give you a back to the future tour and show you all the picture. Oh my God. You're going to be able to walk right up to George McFly's house where they were doing the laundry,

right the scene where he's doing the peeping, Tom. Let's go right now. This is amazing. Wow. I'm going to give you the back to the future tour your dreams, man. Wow. I'm so excited. Lorraine might even be waiting for you.

This has been so great. And again, a true honor and a true pleasure to have you in my house. So thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for all the support, man. I saw those interviews and you were plugging the disaster artists in the room. and it's people like you that have kept this going, so I really appreciate it.

Thank you. That's very kind of you to say. What's the best way that people can stay in touch with you? I'm trying to do my best on social media. I'm at Greg Sesterro on Twitter and Instagram and all that stuff. So I got to get better at it. You seem to be really good. I honestly make it a point to do something on there every single day,

and that's it. Just something on there. So good thinking. If you want, especially as your film, starting to ramp up, maybe that's a good thing for you. Just lots of pictures in you and Tommy. I think that would do really well on Instagram. Playing football, I got plenty to throw back to.

Here we go, to end things. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, there we go. I think we're best friends now because of the power of Back to the Future. Oh, man. Huge thank you to Greg for coming to my place to do the interview in person. I love being able to do these in person.

And I'm glad that we're peppering them in every once in a while, adding in one here, one there. Hopefully we can continue to ramp this up and do all of them in person, hopefully soon. Big thank you to you for being on this journey with us. And if you weren't a room fan before, I'd hope that you are now. Or at least you're intrigued to go take a look

and see if there's some midnight screenings in your area. Snap a screenshot. Let us know that you're on this journey with us. Tag us both on social media. Greg is at Greg Sesterro. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. And congrats to Greg. on his directorial debut

with the horror film Miracle Valley. I'll leave you with this quote from Wayne Dyer. So good. If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't, you'll see obstacles. Be great.

Be grateful. We'll see you on the next one. For some more insight. You're tearing me a pod, Lisa. We'll see you on the next one. Flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock,

but there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of them? To Rock Bottom.

Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Alley. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.