I met Tommy YEARS ago BEFORE he was "Wiseau", when he sold bird toys in my local mall. He was very shy and moody. Then, my kids & I went to see a screening & talked to him there. Poor guy. He's a trip.
@@ShadowAngel606 Ok, someone who spends money ridiculously in multiple different cities and owns multiple real-estates, also sold real-estate, lengthened out court proceedings and was required to pay $700,000, and used $6,000,000 in one of the most spotlighted cities in the country to make a freaking movie with him as Star, producer, writer as well as director, I seriously doubt Tommy wouldn’t go unnoticed by the IRS or any sort of legal official. I seriously doubt no one has legally inquired about the origin of his wealth at least once since the late 1970s.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? For the blind, He is the vision. For the hungry, He is the chef. For the thirsty, He is the water. If Tommy Wiseau thinks, I agree. If Tommy Wiseau speaks, I’m listening. If Tommy Wiseau has one fan, it is me. If Tommy Wiseau has no fans, I don’t exist.
And I'd pay him if I could to make another movie like The Room. Genius like Tommy should have more delights for his dedicated audience (of whom I'm one forever).
@@Nexowl True dat. Maybe he can't even reproduce it but I like to live in a world where he could create something just as great (in its own stupidity).
Went to a screening in San Diego, Tommy parked illegally and got a ticket. The inside of his car was absolutely filthy. Fans left him love notes on the windshield.
Yeah, Tommy ain’t exactly known for cleanliness. I’ve heard he absolutely reeks and that when Greg moved in, the apartment was filled with months old empty takeaway boxes stinking up the place
Tommy has been both careless and miserly with his money as testified by Sestero, so one thing he likely refuses to spare money for is a maid or house keeper.
@@mrcritical6751checks out with the set Eastern European traumas, tbh. I met him a few times and brought a Polish friend to throw him off with some lines in Polish - he definitely reacted. I clocked him as a deeply and unfortunately closeted gay older Polish man with a series of unresolved traumas. My friend confirmed that lines up with the experiences of men his age who left there and still felt the shackles of the inability to live authentically. I thought that energy really came through in The Room as well, with ostentatiously failed straight energy but plenty of chemistry between him and other male co-stars.
@@mrcritical6751 You know, I know you're right and I think I remember that being in the book, but for some reason I can't help but imagine Tommy Wiseau as having a very sterile, almost robotic living environment lol
I went to a screening of The Room hosted by Tommy and Greg in London in 2018. During the Q&A, I asked Tommy to do his best animal impression - I wanted to get him to do “cheep cheep cheep.” In addition to cheeps, he gave us a very feline meow, and Greg did a very good lion roar.
I went to the one at the Prince Charles in Feb 2020. Greg wasn't there but Tommy was. He had a very positive message and told us all in the Q&A we could do whatever we want and if we had a dream, 2020 was the year to make it happen; 2020 was gunna be the best year of our lives. Weeks later there were global lockdowns 😂
My film school student friend told me Tommy Wiesau is Polish and that his name is either Tomasz or Wiesław and that he was enrolled to Łodź film school at some point before emigrating to the US. I Couldn't be arsed to actually do my own research into this guy sm for years i just believed that Tommy is just this wierd Polish guy living the American dream
Greg actually talked about that in his book The Disaster Artist. He never outright says it’s Tommy, but it’s heavily implied that it is. Somewhere towards the end, he tells the story of a polish immigrant and his pursuit to get to America to live his dream. Certain things start lining up with Tommy and the Polish immigrant, such as how the polish immigrant was treated terribly while living in France making him hate the French, much like Tommy whenever France is brought up in the book. As far as I know, Greg has never officially revealed any personal info or history of Tommy directly, but his book mentions finding records verifying his age and origins.
@@grizzlydino Tommy ,(or Charlie as he likes to be called) has plenty experience managing a bunch of tenants in his apartment: Ricky Rick is too much of a bozo to handle the job.😬
I've met Tommy Wiseau in London during a screening. It wasn't widely known he was from Poland. I saw him standing around the merch stand while the movie played - I went up to him and started speaking Polish. He freaked out and was doing that awkward "hahah, you so funny laugh", and kind of brushed me off, and started asking questions in English. Later I had a photo with him, and he started play strangling me, I played along, but I know he was like "oh fuck it's that guy again". xD a fond memory.
@@BaghaShams I think he's clearly uncomfortable about it. The fact is that many Poles fled Poland in the 80s, cos it was a dump. My parent's friends did the same, "went on holiday, never came back", so he might have been illegal. From what I understand he was a denim jeans dealer, cos in Poland, real American denim was much sought after and I think he created a business around that and clothes in general. Despite de-mystifying his background, it's still interesting, I'm very proud of Tommy and that he was able to scrape success somehow.
The strangling part of your story reminds me of a russian friend who did that in a funny way, probably the same way TW did. He is awesome and besides everything I believe him being from New Jersey even though he stated already he is polish. But of course that's just him being nice to the fans. XD
I attended one of the screenings of The Room with Greg Sestero in attendance, and he said that nearly every line of dialogue was looped due to an inexperienced boom mic operator, but Tommy in particular had to redo about 60% of his because he attempted, and failed, to do an American accent. I can also confirm that Greg has copies of the original draft of The Room. Actually, now he uses it as a warm up to the actual movie screening with a table read involving members of the audience. I actually read Tommy's part.
I had some TW underwear a few years back. It was comfortable but didn't last long. Within a few months it started to fall apart, if I remember correctly.
As somebody that has watched the room over 100 times, the neighbours... 3 because it's mental.... i have done my own thorough research on the guy, i must say that this video is absolute superb. The research is extremely thorough and top tier( i even found out things i didn't know), the presentation is perfect. This is literally a video to be archived for the community, thank you for making it. P.S. i downloaded the video because i'm certain tommy will take it down.
My dad's cousin worked on this movie and we've been instructed by his mom to never ever bring it up with him ever. It kills me inside since I love the story behind the movie and I have sooooo many questions to ask him.
@@signoguns8501 apparently a mix between the production being a disaster and also the fact his ex-wife worked on the movie with him. i'll never know for sure 😪
Honestly I can’t blame anybody for not wanting to talk about working on this film. It was hell for everyone involved and Tommy was incredibly abusive to his crew
Yeah I met Tommy Wiseau a couple of times. My first experience with him was just MAGICAL. He showed me his underwear products, his other stuff he has done like the Neighbors, and Room merchandise. I actually bought a Blu-Ray copy of the Room because I needed for my collection and he was happy enough to signed the movie for free. To his credit, he knows how to apprentice his fans. So yeah I had a blast meeting him every time I see him.
When I was stationed in Hawaii, we had another Marine in my unit named “Gunny Ski” He had one of those names that ended in ‘Ski and was super polish. He looked like a short haired, blonde version of younger Tommy and had the EXACT same accent
Yeah, I’m not Eastern European but while his accent might sound weird at first, variations of it are actually pretty common, at least amongst Eastern European people I’ve seen online (although not everyone I’ve seen has it), it’s actually pretty easy to recognise he’s from Eastern Europe once you’re familiar with Slavic accents
@@NicoleBe for Gunny Ski, it was even the cadence, word choice and particular way of placing emphasis on some words. I’m not hating on him, he was a great dude. But there were times he’d say something and all I could think was “I didn’t hit her, is bullshiiid. I did naaaaaht”
One of the most interesting theories I've yet heard, though unsupported by any proper hard evidence, is that Wiseau was at one time a prostitute before leaving Europe for the USA, and that Caffrey (and perhaps this Eli fellow?) was a wealthy gay man that he had endeared himself to with his experience. Some also think he may have gotten involved with Chloe Lietzke in a similar manner. Again, no proper hard evidence, but there are a few things that make me think it's not a totally ridiculous idea: - Wiseau once telling Sestero that being a prostitute is 'not all it's cracked up to be' - An old IMDB forum post exists alleging Caffrey was a known affluent gay man who had left his family in LA to move to San Francisco. - San Francisco itself has long had a reputation of being a city with a big gay community. - Tommy's alleged business partner died of AIDs, not a for-sure sign of being gay but it's within possibility. - Before The Room's release, Lietzke's family sued Wiseau for misusing funds given to him by her, seemingly used for the movie's production, but Chloe herself seemed to be absent from the lawsuit and a wheelchair-bound woman matching her description attended the film's premiere. Her credit on the film as a producer may have been due to contributing these funds. - Most of Wiseau's favourite films are the sort of old-Hollywood stone cold classics you'd expect may have inspired a young Polish cinephile to illegally emigrate across the iron curtain, but inexplicably Wiseau also declared the critically-panned 2002 film 'Sonny' to be one of his favourites, a film about a young man coming home from the army who has to go back to his old job as a gigolo in order to get by as he has no other viable job opportunities. - Wiseau was beaten up by cops in France before he left for the USA, and police brutality against an undocumented prostitute in the 70s is well within the realm of possible causes. - The folks behind Room Full of Spoons said that they managed to find personal/unflattering information about Wiseau that they felt would be wrong to include in their doc. Again, all just stuff that points to possibility, nothing that would confirm it, but it's interesting to think about as just that, a possibility.
Alot of what u say is very much what could be...as soon as I heard a wealthy gentleman in s.f. helping wiseau I immediately thought sugar daddy, for lack of a better word. Makes sense for all the mystery surrounding mr wiseau.
@@NatBKyiv …Also would answer questions about his obsession with making men’s underwear or how he uses his belts to accentuate his butt. I mean he could still be straight, but regardless of his sexuality, a life like that is gonna mess a guy up no matter what side he’s on.
wow, it would actually explain alot of the questions surrounding the mystery of Tommy; It would explain where the initial money came from. It explains the subtle homoerotic undertones of Tommy and Gregs friendship as expressed in the book. And also why Tommy is so protective of his private life to the utmost extreme(because he might still feel enormous shame for this part in his life and would never want to confront it willingly.
Gene Siskel sits fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair. He can feel the anticipation in the air in the people around him. He gulps and thinks to myself "My god is this what film has come to?" The man on the screen 100 feet high pets a dog and say's "Hi Doggie!" The crowd jubilantly cheers around him as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
Part of me wants to believe that The Room is actually *the* true story of Tommy's life before coming to America and he tried to change parts of it to be American. The other part just wants believe he's an alien.
Pretty clear. Especially the bit when he's talking about how he met Lisa. It's more coherent, and real than anything else in the film by a lot. Like it comes straight from his own life.
I'd say The Room's script reflects Tommy's dark mental state at the time; he stars as the ideal person he sees himself as (or wishes he were) in real life: Johnny is this good, loving man who's so giving to everyone he cares about, with the movie constantly reminding us what a great guy he is. I don't know if it's a victim/persecution complex, but the guy definitely thinks people don't deserve him.
I knew quite a bit of the content this video delved into, but to see it all put together and made into a compelling video essay was a major treat. Superb job here.
MY client Tommy Wiseau and his amazing controversial film The Room, has been one of the highlights of my career. Our successful conversion of the Room from the garbage pail after the disastrous premiere in LA, to over 21 years of the phenomena --has been a huge feather in our cap and thanks to Tommy, allowing me to do this, and for James Franco using me as a consultant to "The Disaster Artist" (I am portrayed in that film) made my film and book PR company, one of the most successful in Hollywood. Still hard to fathom.... Edward Lozzi
The car accident bit is interesting. I think it's highly possible that the way he behaves could be due to a brain injury. He seems to have a lot of the same symptoms that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries have. Look at someone like Gary Busey. This also possibly explains how he got his wealth. Maybe he was once a very intelligent and level headed person and the accident just scrambled his brains. And after the accident he lost all impulse control as well as other things.
I lived in the San Fernando Valley in the early 2010s and I regret not going to see The Room when Tommy was showing it in a small theatre in North Hollywood...I remember walking by the theatre with my roommate one day and he said "Dude we have to see this movie sometime. Its so bad, that its good."
DNA testing is more statistical than definitive. You couldn't guarantee any sort of accuracy. Until Tommy tells us, or somebody finds his birth certificate, we're just not gonna know. But that's OK. Nobody cares where most famous people are from. It's only a mystery because he refuses to tell us. If it were no longer a mystery, it wouldn't be interesting at all. "He's Polish? Oh yeah makes sense, explains the accent I suppose, now why does he think he can act?"
I hope he examines Neil Breen's character next: "Who am I? What am I?" Neil is a lot of things: a Mercenary and secret agent, an "alien Jesus", a magical hacker, a time-travelling A.I. and a Super-Humanoid. But ,most of all, he's a man who'll eradicate corruption anywhere it's found.
This is such an amazing look at a man who makes sure his personal life is as private as it can get. I’ve read The Disaster Artist and seen as many interviews with Tommy and Greg as possible, so this 90+ minute documentary is really good at putting everything together in one place for all to see. Thank you for the video man, keep up the great work and take care!
I've been to the screening, I've read the book, I've followed the video essays as well. Is it possible (give this a thought), that Tommy Wiseau is a character created by either a failed European or American actor? That everything is an act and that he is actually doing the things he does, in the way that he does them because that's the gimmick? Not because he's bad, not because he's weird but because it's all fake?
I first saw it being shown on repeat on Adult Swim, and probably because of that context, I thought it was a Tim and Eric thing. It really is like nothing else.
Tommy Wiseau is aggresively american the same way my polish american uncles are. i feel like english speakers why try to find out more about his early life underestimate the language barrier and seem to have little interest in understanding the historical context. it's sadly not that rare for a polish immigrant to try to conceal they are polish, from covering up their accent to creating a fake life story about being originally from western europe and having zero ties to Poland. considering only Nietzsche ever lied about being part-polish... it's really a very interesting stuff to look into. Wiseau is from the generation born after war to often ptsd-stricken parents...
I’m pretty sure it was an April fools bit, but honestly the concept Greg announced for it was positively tantalising. A TV series that covers the darker areas of the book and looks into how truly messed up Greg and Tommy’s relationship is, would be legitimately terrifying to watch. The Franco movie left out a lot of Tommy’s more disturbed aspects
Greg is gonna milk DA until he dies. Honestly parts of the book kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially the ending where Greg tries to paint Tommy as an inspiring figure who made his own dream come true after thoroughly defaming him as a deceitful, selfish, narcissistic, sexist, miserly weirdo for the bulk of the book. Greg also comes across as something of a prima donna and a parasite, milking Tommy for all he's worth and repaying him by broadcasting his carefully hidden past from the world in a tell-all book after Tommy specifically asked him not to talk about his personal affairs. It was an entertaining book for sure but I felt kind of dirty while I was reading it, like I was partaking in sleazy gossip.
Hi, I stumbled on your channel by chance, and I watched your piece on Tiny Tim yesterday, and on Tommy Wiseau today - I am amazed by the quality of your videos. Best wishes and keep up the good work!
around 2000 I belonged to a Frisco bike club that Tommy founded. after rides Tommy would buy a pile of pizzas for the men. this earned him some respect; but not so much warmth from these hot-head, competitive tech guys. Tommy was quiet, discreet, a star outsider in his own power-bro circle. in 2002, with absolute seriousness, Tommy blew my mind - told me he was leaving the biking 'to work on these acting projects'. Tommy is a truly lovely man but . . . a neuro-divergent with more money than he knew what to do with. unfortunately artists can't buy experience. the idea of this neurotic communicating any emotions... it's still delusional today. his acting reads like a moth circling a flame, obsessed with a golden light but frozen by the camera nd its potential to reveal states of mind. but in Tommy's mind he had already suceeeded in every endeavor he tried. As a performer myself i wish all dreamers well. But ... performers need to have something to say besides "To be or not to be- What was the question?" Tragically Tommy could become an exceptional writer if only he'd permit his inherent strengths to become worldly assets. in person he was determined, shy. maybe he developed tough defenses in his post-war communist childhood. BUT in his stories and dreams, where is the past? Where are there any real people? rather there's a projection of bored normality. a deflection clashing with wild paranoia flashes against all types of challengers. his colleagues describe such surreal, emotional isolations. in The Room, strangeness cuts though all. if only this fragile, frozen interior world could suddenly expose its meanings to Tommy, characters might tell tcompelling stories
Went from not even knowing who this guy is by any means to appreciating him for the love of his craft, and then slightly disliking him because of how abysmal it is to even compare one of his projects to great films. Thank you for the great video
I can't believe The Room is over 20 years old now. And I can't believe it's been some 15 years since I laughed my ass off at Nostalgia Critic's review of it. Dear lord time flies.
I went to the premier screening of Big Shark in Canada and while I believe Tommy was in person for most, if not every screening of Big Shark in the US, Greg Sestero was the one to show up in Canada(despite not actually being in the movie). This is completely unfounded but I personally believe Tommy didn’t show because the screening took place in Ottawa and his vendetta against the “Room full of Spoons” team is so thick that he refuses to step foot in that city.
Anyone in the comments here - If you are a fan of The Room and Wiseau and haven't read or listened to the Disaster Artist book - I can't recommend it enough. The audio book is excellent and Greg does his impression of Wiseau the whole way though. It's perfect.
Bruh IDK what you did to the algorithm but this video was recommended to me EVERY TIME i opened RUclips (and ive got premium so less crap shows up on my feed than usual), everytime i refreshed the main page, everytime i did ANYTHING it would be on top of my feed. Im not a movie geek, things i watch on RUclips are usually old songs unavailable on Spotify (during the day) and essays about old games or books during the night (to help me sleep), nothing and i mean NOTHING related to movies AND YET RUclips kept recommending this video to me EVERY GODDAMN TIME for like 3 days straight. Im not even mad, and fck it imma watch it too, just wanted to let you know that whatever youre doing, ITS WORKING
I only discovered the room and tommy in general through youtube shorts this past week, This is exactly the kind of video i was hoping for lol. Instant sub. Also your other videos seem really cool to. Or right up My ally at least lol.
He's "from New Orleans", age can not be determined, no one knows how he became so wealthy, dresses weird, and has strange mannerisms...maybe he is like he says about his character in The Room. "Maybe he is vampire." Edit: If he did make the character a vampire with a flying car. (Yes that's right...flying car.) "I did not bit her, it's not true. It's bullshit! I did not bit her. I did naaahhht! Oh bite mark."
My favorite theory is that Tommy wiseau is actually plane hijacker D.B Cooper
If so he isn’t a smart criminal for being so out in the open and throwing his money around everywhere.
@@whoknowswhocares885really? Nobody arrested him yet
@@whoknowswhocares885 Hiding in plain sight is usually not a dumb thing to do.
I met Tommy YEARS ago BEFORE he was "Wiseau", when he sold bird toys in my local mall.
He was very shy and moody.
Then, my kids & I went to see a screening & talked to him there.
Poor guy. He's a trip.
@@ShadowAngel606
Ok, someone who spends money ridiculously in multiple different cities and owns multiple real-estates, also sold real-estate, lengthened out court proceedings and was required to pay $700,000, and used $6,000,000 in one of the most spotlighted cities in the country to make a freaking movie with him as Star, producer, writer as well as director, I seriously doubt Tommy wouldn’t go unnoticed by the IRS or any sort of legal official. I seriously doubt no one has legally inquired about the origin of his wealth at least once since the late 1970s.
He is obviously 156 years old and from Romania
Wiseaula
Suddenly his proposed subplot for The Room about Johnny being revealed to be a Vampire in a flying car makes sense!
straight outta suceava
My god, we've all invited him into our homes
No he’s a Polish guy who’s ashamed of being Polish. And faked being American to make it but ended up getting his shine stolen by James Franco.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? For the blind, He is the vision. For the hungry, He is the chef. For the thirsty, He is the water. If Tommy Wiseau thinks, I agree. If Tommy Wiseau speaks, I’m listening. If Tommy Wiseau has one fan, it is me. If Tommy Wiseau has no fans, I don’t exist.
And I'd pay him if I could to make another movie like The Room. Genius like Tommy should have more delights for his dedicated audience (of whom I'm one forever).
@@A_Ducky I'm pretty sure you can't force the unintentional humor The Room has.
@@A_Duckygenius?
@@selinakyle2368
Yes, absolute genius! You don't think so? Well... people will disagree but The Room is there forever.
@@Nexowl
True dat. Maybe he can't even reproduce it but I like to live in a world where he could create something just as great (in its own stupidity).
Went to a screening in San Diego, Tommy parked illegally and got a ticket. The inside of his car was absolutely filthy. Fans left him love notes on the windshield.
Yeah, Tommy ain’t exactly known for cleanliness. I’ve heard he absolutely reeks and that when Greg moved in, the apartment was filled with months old empty takeaway boxes stinking up the place
Tommy has been both careless and miserly with his money as testified by Sestero, so one thing he likely refuses to spare money for is a maid or house keeper.
@@mrcritical6751checks out with the set Eastern European traumas, tbh. I met him a few times and brought a Polish friend to throw him off with some lines in Polish - he definitely reacted. I clocked him as a deeply and unfortunately closeted gay older Polish man with a series of unresolved traumas. My friend confirmed that lines up with the experiences of men his age who left there and still felt the shackles of the inability to live authentically. I thought that energy really came through in The Room as well, with ostentatiously failed straight energy but plenty of chemistry between him and other male co-stars.
@@mrcritical6751 You know, I know you're right and I think I remember that being in the book, but for some reason I can't help but imagine Tommy Wiseau as having a very sterile, almost robotic living environment lol
@@Y-two-K nah, my image is just a horrible wasteland where his stringy hair is stuck to everything. He does not give me the vibe of a tidy man
Of course, Tommy is European, he radiates a huge Eurovision energy
100%!!
Wow no way really
Yup. Typical Polish guy.
Lowkey Europe is fulltime eurovision
Polish would make sense fir his bonestructure... the accent sounds like braindamage@@SlavicRusa
I love how as he gets older his pants get lower and the belts more plentiful.
The Nomura Metamorphosis
@@Big_Man_EnjoyerKH? Lol
@@Big_Man_Enjoyer that actually made me laugh out loud, thanks.
tbh Tommy does seem like the kind of guy who unironically loves KH and the character designs
He is a Guilty Gear character
Tommy wasn't born, he just appeared
He hatched
Came here to say he hatched someone already beat me to it.
It's a cover-up
spawned*
@@billespy2183
It's the cinema that was made for him.
Silent or sound movies, either he can work with. 😁
I went to a screening of The Room hosted by Tommy and Greg in London in 2018.
During the Q&A, I asked Tommy to do his best animal impression - I wanted to get him to do “cheep cheep cheep.” In addition to cheeps, he gave us a very feline meow, and Greg did a very good lion roar.
Furry arc when?
Meow
I went to the one at the Prince Charles in Feb 2020. Greg wasn't there but Tommy was. He had a very positive message and told us all in the Q&A we could do whatever we want and if we had a dream, 2020 was the year to make it happen; 2020 was gunna be the best year of our lives. Weeks later there were global lockdowns 😂
I truly hope Tommy fully opens up when he’s old, I just really wanna know more about him. He’s such an enigma.
@@J.U.N.K.official Tommy was born 3 October 1955 and is (age 68 years), He is from Poznań, Poland
@@J.U.N.K.official ? that is fact...... this information came from his actual legal documentation..
@@J.U.N.K.official his birth name is Tomasz Wieczorkiewicz
I verify @@michaelhawkins7389
I wanna see a cop buddy movie with Schwarzenegger and Wiseau on primary roles.
It’s gonna be completely unintelligeble, no words will be understood
@@thomasulrich3107 Exactly. Ain't that cool?
@@royjonesjrjr6396 I suppose it will
Yes, this
All Versions will have Subtitles.
"I'm originally from Europe, but now I'm from America like everyone else."
He's wild for that XD
Tommy really needs to write, direct and star in the Elon Musk Biopic
Unironically
i’d watch that
This is actually … kinda genius. I would happily screenwrite that.
He would be electric. Pun intended.
I didn't realize how desperately I want this.
My film school student friend told me Tommy Wiesau is Polish and that his name is either Tomasz or Wiesław and that he was enrolled to Łodź film school at some point before emigrating to the US.
I Couldn't be arsed to actually do my own research into this guy sm for years i just believed that Tommy is just this wierd Polish guy living the American dream
wait tommy isnt a weird polish guy living the american dream??? i knew it hes an alien, hes in fact me
Polish people need to have a genre of history all to themselves, they are all so weird yet great 😂
I so want him to acknowledge his Polish origin. Chopin and Tommy - they deserve them both
Greg actually talked about that in his book The Disaster Artist. He never outright says it’s Tommy, but it’s heavily implied that it is.
Somewhere towards the end, he tells the story of a polish immigrant and his pursuit to get to America to live his dream. Certain things start lining up with Tommy and the Polish immigrant, such as how the polish immigrant was treated terribly while living in France making him hate the French, much like Tommy whenever France is brought up in the book.
As far as I know, Greg has never officially revealed any personal info or history of Tommy directly, but his book mentions finding records verifying his age and origins.
He is polish but I don’t think he went to film school, also, his last name is Wieczorkiewicz
Having Tommy as a landlord is genuinely terrifying...
Unless you're his favourite tenant
"My water heater broke" "hahaha"
Imagine getting yelled by Tommy cause you’re late on rent.
@@grizzlydino
Tommy ,(or Charlie as he likes to be called) has plenty experience managing a bunch of tenants in his apartment:
Ricky Rick is too much of a bozo to handle the job.😬
@@MrK3V1NR "That's not true, it's bullshit. Oh hai Mark."
I love that he forgot to send you the Bluray... its just too perfect.
I've met Tommy Wiseau in London during a screening. It wasn't widely known he was from Poland. I saw him standing around the merch stand while the movie played - I went up to him and started speaking Polish. He freaked out and was doing that awkward "hahah, you so funny laugh", and kind of brushed me off, and started asking questions in English. Later I had a photo with him, and he started play strangling me, I played along, but I know he was like "oh fuck it's that guy again". xD a fond memory.
😂😂😂 That's awesome.
I'm very glad you did this, sleuths figured out a while ago that he's Polish and I've always hoped someone would bring it up with him!
@@BaghaShams I think he's clearly uncomfortable about it. The fact is that many Poles fled Poland in the 80s, cos it was a dump. My parent's friends did the same, "went on holiday, never came back", so he might have been illegal. From what I understand he was a denim jeans dealer, cos in Poland, real American denim was much sought after and I think he created a business around that and clothes in general. Despite de-mystifying his background, it's still interesting, I'm very proud of Tommy and that he was able to scrape success somehow.
The strangling part of your story reminds me of a russian friend who did that in a funny way, probably the same way TW did. He is awesome and besides everything I believe him being from New Jersey even though he stated already he is polish. But of course that's just him being nice to the fans. XD
You were close to death, mate.
For a second there, Tommy was considering burrying you with his secrets.
Ahahaha, what a story Hugo!
What..makes..you…..saydat?
You got me cackling loud at 3AM.
It seems to me like he's an EXPERT
So Hugo hows your sex life?
RUclips is asking me if it wants to translate that into english and that's just the best.
I attended one of the screenings of The Room with Greg Sestero in attendance, and he said that nearly every line of dialogue was looped due to an inexperienced boom mic operator, but Tommy in particular had to redo about 60% of his because he attempted, and failed, to do an American accent.
I can also confirm that Greg has copies of the original draft of The Room. Actually, now he uses it as a warm up to the actual movie screening with a table read involving members of the audience. I actually read Tommy's part.
That’s awesome
The fact that I will never get to hear that failed american accent
i kno im dead:(.@@ciupenhauer
Tommy sells branded underwear? Welp, now I know what I'm getting my fiance for Christmas.
I’m asking for them BY NAME
Better order them now, lol.
Amusingly I've known about the underwear for awhile because it was advertised at the first showing of The Room a friend and I went to back in 2019
I had some TW underwear a few years back. It was comfortable but didn't last long. Within a few months it started to fall apart, if I remember correctly.
@swampdonkey4919 Is your name Lisa?
"DR Hugo hasn't posted in a while, maybe something has happ... A CINEMATIC, EPIC ESSAY ON TOMMY WISEAU LET'S GOOO"
Let us awaaaaay!
lol
Just when I thought “this video was awesome I’m sure it’s ending”
I look and there’s a whole hour left
That literally just happened to me, haha.
Ahahaha your comment just made me realize it's over an hour, but I'm here for it! Love Tommy's work.
"Denny" in "The Room" is young Tommy. He was a small drug dealer taken in by a legit businessman who died and left the business to Tommy.
Whaaaat
As somebody that has watched the room over 100 times, the neighbours... 3 because it's mental.... i have done my own thorough research on the guy, i must say that this video is absolute superb. The research is extremely thorough and top tier( i even found out things i didn't know), the presentation is perfect.
This is literally a video to be archived for the community, thank you for making it.
P.S. i downloaded the video because i'm certain tommy will take it down.
Tommy walked so Neil Breen could run. Truly a visionary pioneer.
P.S: Oh hai Mark
I just looked Neil breen up. I'm confused......
@@ewetn1 how so? I just looked too and is right there. In front of your eyes.. the similarities
Saw Big Shark last weekend.
Its definitely a Wiseau film through and through.
This feels like one of those channels that will suddenly go from having 1.7K subscribers to having a million subscribers. Great stuff.
My dad's cousin worked on this movie and we've been instructed by his mom to never ever bring it up with him ever. It kills me inside since I love the story behind the movie and I have sooooo many questions to ask him.
Why cant you bring it up? Is he embarrassed about it or something? Seems a bit extreme lol
@@signoguns8501Presumably due to stress/anger from dealing with Wiseau.
@@signoguns8501 apparently a mix between the production being a disaster and also the fact his ex-wife worked on the movie with him. i'll never know for sure 😪
@@alexbaker2494 that just makes the situation even more intriguing lol. I feel for you, buddy
Honestly I can’t blame anybody for not wanting to talk about working on this film. It was hell for everyone involved and Tommy was incredibly abusive to his crew
Yeah I met Tommy Wiseau a couple of times. My first experience with him was just MAGICAL. He showed me his underwear products, his other stuff he has done like the Neighbors, and Room merchandise. I actually bought a Blu-Ray copy of the Room because I needed for my collection and he was happy enough to signed the movie for free. To his credit, he knows how to apprentice his fans. So yeah I had a blast meeting him every time I see him.
When I was stationed in Hawaii, we had another Marine in my unit named “Gunny Ski”
He had one of those names that ended in ‘Ski and was super polish.
He looked like a short haired, blonde version of younger Tommy and had the EXACT same accent
Yeah, I’m not Eastern European but while his accent might sound weird at first, variations of it are actually pretty common, at least amongst Eastern European people I’ve seen online (although not everyone I’ve seen has it), it’s actually pretty easy to recognise he’s from Eastern Europe once you’re familiar with Slavic accents
@@NicoleBe for Gunny Ski, it was even the cadence, word choice and particular way of placing emphasis on some words. I’m not hating on him, he was a great dude. But there were times he’d say something and all I could think was “I didn’t hit her, is bullshiiid. I did naaaaaht”
Guys, as a Pole I can assure you with 100% certainty, Tommy is/was Polish. A few very characteristic things give him away.
@@ZOIMIBiIE Tommy was born 3 October 1955 and is (age 68 years), He is from Poznań, Poland
@@middle-agedclimber Tommy was born 3 October 1955 and is (age 68 years), He is from Poznań, Poland
They always ask "Who is Tommy Wiseau?", but nobody asks "How is Tommy Wiseau?".
Move on next question. 😎
@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet when is Tommy Wiseau? I had to finish it
How is it possible that Tommy Wiseau?
I'll do you one better; _what_ is Tommy Wiseau?
@@vee-bee-amaybe Tommy is vampire?
So tommy was Eli and Drew Caffrey's rent boy, got connections in the gay scene, then worked his way up. Got it.
"Move on, next question." is a brain worm for me.
Same, and likely a new phrase I'll be using.
haha move on next question
It's highly versatile and efficient
Tommy kind of did a Streisand Effect on Room Full of Spoons imo
I mean, it's still not.
He sure did
I cant wait for Tommy to take this down, great video
What a story Mark!
Tommy watching this:
"How can he say all this about me? I show him! I sue! 😡😠"
Tommy is a modern day Jay Gatsby
Thank god the algorithm knows I love Tommy Wiseau, I will grab my popcorn and watch this with my full attention
Knowing that he's an immigrant who came over and embraced America as his home makes me respect him even more. 😊
Tommy Wiseau always looks like he just got out of the shower after staying awake all night
Tommys pale tone and unusual accent leades me to believe he's more likely to be from romainia.
I thought that this was a settled matter and that it'd been determined that he was born in Poland.
@@halfsourlizard9319 They're making a Vampire joke.
No wonder he has a thing for vampires...
He even jokes about being one in "the disaster artist" book
Maybe Tommy IS vampire?
1:05:26 Ah yes, the six human races: Black, Chinese, White, This, That and Chicken.
Suvin saygol
i like chicken
Didn't you know the chicken is Tommy's spirit animal? They must understand life just as well as he does.
@@MrJamaigar I did naaahhht.
@@PsychoSavager289
Hahahhaha, the barbecue chicken was delicious rice, that was cool. 😁
You guys wanna eat something?
He's like a more self-aware Corey Feldman.
Great laugh
One of the most interesting theories I've yet heard, though unsupported by any proper hard evidence, is that Wiseau was at one time a prostitute before leaving Europe for the USA, and that Caffrey (and perhaps this Eli fellow?) was a wealthy gay man that he had endeared himself to with his experience. Some also think he may have gotten involved with Chloe Lietzke in a similar manner. Again, no proper hard evidence, but there are a few things that make me think it's not a totally ridiculous idea:
- Wiseau once telling Sestero that being a prostitute is 'not all it's cracked up to be'
- An old IMDB forum post exists alleging Caffrey was a known affluent gay man who had left his family in LA to move to San Francisco.
- San Francisco itself has long had a reputation of being a city with a big gay community.
- Tommy's alleged business partner died of AIDs, not a for-sure sign of being gay but it's within possibility.
- Before The Room's release, Lietzke's family sued Wiseau for misusing funds given to him by her, seemingly used for the movie's production, but Chloe herself seemed to be absent from the lawsuit and a wheelchair-bound woman matching her description attended the film's premiere. Her credit on the film as a producer may have been due to contributing these funds.
- Most of Wiseau's favourite films are the sort of old-Hollywood stone cold classics you'd expect may have inspired a young Polish cinephile to illegally emigrate across the iron curtain, but inexplicably Wiseau also declared the critically-panned 2002 film 'Sonny' to be one of his favourites, a film about a young man coming home from the army who has to go back to his old job as a gigolo in order to get by as he has no other viable job opportunities.
- Wiseau was beaten up by cops in France before he left for the USA, and police brutality against an undocumented prostitute in the 70s is well within the realm of possible causes.
- The folks behind Room Full of Spoons said that they managed to find personal/unflattering information about Wiseau that they felt would be wrong to include in their doc.
Again, all just stuff that points to possibility, nothing that would confirm it, but it's interesting to think about as just that, a possibility.
Alot of what u say is very much what could be...as soon as I heard a wealthy gentleman in s.f. helping wiseau I immediately thought sugar daddy, for lack of a better word.
Makes sense for all the mystery surrounding mr wiseau.
I believe the theory is that he was human trafficked from the Eastern Block before it fell.
Now that would answer the question about belly button sex scene 😂
@@NatBKyiv …Also would answer questions about his obsession with making men’s underwear or how he uses his belts to accentuate his butt.
I mean he could still be straight, but regardless of his sexuality, a life like that is gonna mess a guy up no matter what side he’s on.
wow, it would actually explain alot of the questions surrounding the mystery of Tommy; It would explain where the initial money came from. It explains the subtle homoerotic undertones of Tommy and Gregs friendship as expressed in the book. And also why Tommy is so protective of his private life to the utmost extreme(because he might still feel enormous shame for this part in his life and would never want to confront it willingly.
Its honestly wholesome how he went unappreciated for so long then all of a sudden you can't live without seeing The Room.
Wow I can't believe that Dr Hugo made this entire video without a script!
Shame on you!
Listening to this while decorating my son's room. Great listen, thank you
tommy has the real sigma grind set
Gene Siskel sits fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair. He can feel the anticipation in the air in the people around him. He gulps and thinks to myself "My god is this what film has come to?" The man on the screen 100 feet high pets a dog and say's "Hi Doggie!" The crowd jubilantly cheers around him as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
Wait, Tommy Wiseau is a landlord, Neil Breen is an architect, and they both produce classic movies!! IT'S ALL CONNECTED!!
Part of me wants to believe that The Room is actually *the* true story of Tommy's life before coming to America and he tried to change parts of it to be American.
The other part just wants believe he's an alien.
That’s the theory, that Lisa is representing some girlfriend who backstabbed him years ago
Pretty clear. Especially the bit when he's talking about how he met Lisa. It's more coherent, and real than anything else in the film by a lot. Like it comes straight from his own life.
I'd say The Room's script reflects Tommy's dark mental state at the time;
he stars as the ideal person he sees himself as (or wishes he were) in real life:
Johnny is this good, loving man who's so giving to everyone he cares about, with the movie constantly reminding us what a great guy he is.
I don't know if it's a victim/persecution complex, but the guy definitely thinks people don't deserve him.
I knew quite a bit of the content this video delved into, but to see it all put together and made into a compelling video essay was a major treat. Superb job here.
Excellent document, was not expecting to find such a thorough one by accident.
MY client Tommy Wiseau and his amazing controversial film The Room, has been one of the highlights of my career. Our successful conversion of the Room from the garbage pail after the disastrous premiere in LA, to over 21 years of the phenomena --has been a huge feather in our cap and thanks to Tommy, allowing me to do this, and for James Franco using me as a consultant to "The Disaster Artist" (I am portrayed in that film) made my film and book PR company, one of the most successful in Hollywood. Still hard to fathom.... Edward Lozzi
Great upload. And I love Lisa so much.
The car accident bit is interesting. I think it's highly possible that the way he behaves could be due to a brain injury. He seems to have a lot of the same symptoms that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries have. Look at someone like Gary Busey. This also possibly explains how he got his wealth. Maybe he was once a very intelligent and level headed person and the accident just scrambled his brains. And after the accident he lost all impulse control as well as other things.
Very interesting theory, it does seem a lot of people with brain injuries have the same over-eccentricity that he does
Very good use of the silent hill soundtrack
I lived in the San Fernando Valley in the early 2010s and I regret not going to see The Room when Tommy was showing it in a small theatre in North Hollywood...I remember walking by the theatre with my roommate one day and he said "Dude we have to see this movie sometime. Its so bad, that its good."
What a beautiful and inspiring story. Love Tommy from Romania. May God keep him! ❤🇷🇴
I picture The Neighbors will one day be reappraised just like Weezer's Pinkerton.
"YOU ARE TEARING ME APART, YOUR HONOR!"
- Tommy in court
It'd be easier to list the people who haven't betrayed him/torn him apart, at this point. 😂
@@MrJamaigar EVERYBODY BETRAY HIM! HE FED UP WITH THEES WURLD!
@@JWD1992
No wonder he's so hung up on betrayal.
Tommy: "That's the idea" 😏
20min in and this is some SOLID fucking research, dude. speaking as someone who has a pic with tommy at a screenin back in like 2010. love ya~*
😊 Is this entire comment section a joke? It's clear the video is. You can find all of this info in seconds.
Yg
@@J.C...thanks “Yg” 😂
I’m surprised no one has gotten a DNA sample and used genealogy to definitively learn his background.
DNA testing is more statistical than definitive. You couldn't guarantee any sort of accuracy. Until Tommy tells us, or somebody finds his birth certificate, we're just not gonna know. But that's OK. Nobody cares where most famous people are from. It's only a mystery because he refuses to tell us. If it were no longer a mystery, it wouldn't be interesting at all. "He's Polish? Oh yeah makes sense, explains the accent I suppose, now why does he think he can act?"
There would be no way to tell by a DNA test if he was say born in Louisiana to two Polish parents or born and raised in Poland.
DNA doesn't define nationality
@@hazzmatiErmmmm achually 🤓
college students in the 70's would screen and act like that for ronald regans movie "bed time for bonzo"
Tommy is a breath of fresh air. It’s awesome to see a foreign immigrant success story who loves America unapologetically. Good for him.
5:09 "You buy a building and you sell it" is the most Wiseau answer ever 😂
"Who is Tommy Wiseau?" The strangest man of all time, that's who he is. Whether that strangeness is for better or worse, you decide.
The world would definitely be a much poorer place if he wasn't in it.
I hope he examines Neil Breen's character next:
"Who am I? What am I?"
Neil is a lot of things:
a Mercenary and secret agent, an "alien Jesus", a magical hacker, a time-travelling A.I. and a Super-Humanoid.
But ,most of all, he's a man who'll eradicate corruption anywhere it's found.
Tommy is immortal he was here since the dawn of time
This is such an amazing look at a man who makes sure his personal life is as private as it can get. I’ve read The Disaster Artist and seen as many interviews with Tommy and Greg as possible, so this 90+ minute documentary is really good at putting everything together in one place for all to see. Thank you for the video man, keep up the great work and take care!
I agree with you about landlords... Unlike drug dealers, landlords don't provide any service whatsoever
they put their money into the buildings and keep it running for people to live in.
I've been to the screening, I've read the book, I've followed the video essays as well. Is it possible (give this a thought), that Tommy Wiseau is a character created by either a failed European or American actor? That everything is an act and that he is actually doing the things he does, in the way that he does them because that's the gimmick? Not because he's bad, not because he's weird but because it's all fake?
I first saw it being shown on repeat on Adult Swim, and probably because of that context, I thought it was a Tim and Eric thing. It really is like nothing else.
Tommy Wiseau is aggresively american the same way my polish american uncles are. i feel like english speakers why try to find out more about his early life underestimate the language barrier and seem to have little interest in understanding the historical context. it's sadly not that rare for a polish immigrant to try to conceal they are polish, from covering up their accent to creating a fake life story about being originally from western europe and having zero ties to Poland. considering only Nietzsche ever lied about being part-polish... it's really a very interesting stuff to look into. Wiseau is from the generation born after war to often ptsd-stricken parents...
I've long suspected wiseau is a phonetic spelling of oiseaux, French for birds.
I wonder if his real surname is associated with birds in some way.
That's a very common theory don't make out like that's your own lol
@@Active_Sun_Particles Another Keeper of the Speed. 😜
I am not a The Room scholar. Nor did I try to take credit for what I didn't know existed.
@@HamCubes "I've long suspected"
Sure....
@@Active_Sun_Particles You're irradiating. Just like your namesake
@@HamCubes hmm
I hope not
Never expected this video to be so emotional.
Very well researched and edited, I’m glad to have stumbled upon such a gold channel.
Greg just announced that a new "Disaster Artist" series is in development today.
This sounds like an April fool bit if I’ve ever heard one
@@jonoboi8069perfectly on brand for the room (adult swim used to air the room on april 1st)
I’m pretty sure it was an April fools bit, but honestly the concept Greg announced for it was positively tantalising. A TV series that covers the darker areas of the book and looks into how truly messed up Greg and Tommy’s relationship is, would be legitimately terrifying to watch. The Franco movie left out a lot of Tommy’s more disturbed aspects
Greg is gonna milk DA until he dies. Honestly parts of the book kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially the ending where Greg tries to paint Tommy as an inspiring figure who made his own dream come true after thoroughly defaming him as a deceitful, selfish, narcissistic, sexist, miserly weirdo for the bulk of the book. Greg also comes across as something of a prima donna and a parasite, milking Tommy for all he's worth and repaying him by broadcasting his carefully hidden past from the world in a tell-all book after Tommy specifically asked him not to talk about his personal affairs. It was an entertaining book for sure but I felt kind of dirty while I was reading it, like I was partaking in sleazy gossip.
This has to be one of the best documentaries I ever watched and I've never seen The Room.
I remember first watching this film on cartoon Network they had it playing 24/7 one day this was before all the hype I want to say around 2009 ish.
There’s like a 10 minute sex scene are you sure this wasn’t Comedy Central?
I like the theory about him being the sole heir to the lost royal Sigfried family of Luxembourg.
I'm convinced he's the Count of St. Germaine
I can't believe you don't have more subscribers. This is very solid work. Let's say I'm happy to be here before your fame.
Babe wake up DR Hugo posted. Video does look hype though, great to have you back. Wishing you the best! Thanks for the video.
That's the first video of yours I've watched, and I must say, 'What a story, Dr. Hugo!'. You have a new subscriber!
Tommy has the most Cajun accent I've ever heard in my life.
I met Tommy Wiseau off chance at a theater. He did seem genuine, nice, and happy to chat.
He's like a Tim & Eric character who escaped into our world.
Hi, I stumbled on your channel by chance, and I watched your piece on Tiny Tim yesterday, and on Tommy Wiseau today - I am amazed by the quality of your videos. Best wishes and keep up the good work!
around 2000 I belonged to a Frisco bike club that Tommy founded. after rides Tommy would buy a pile of pizzas for the men. this earned him some respect; but not so much warmth from these hot-head, competitive tech guys. Tommy was quiet, discreet, a star outsider in his own power-bro circle. in 2002, with absolute seriousness, Tommy blew my mind - told me he was leaving the biking 'to work on these acting projects'. Tommy is a truly lovely man but . . . a neuro-divergent with more money than he knew what to do with. unfortunately artists can't buy experience. the idea of this neurotic communicating any emotions... it's still delusional today. his acting reads like a moth circling a flame, obsessed with a golden light but frozen by the camera nd its potential to reveal states of mind.
but in Tommy's mind he had already suceeeded in every endeavor he tried. As a performer myself i wish all dreamers well. But ... performers need to have something to say besides "To be or not to be- What was the question?"
Tragically Tommy could become an exceptional writer if only he'd permit his inherent strengths to become worldly assets. in person he was determined, shy. maybe he developed tough defenses in his post-war communist childhood. BUT in his stories and dreams, where is the past? Where are there any real people? rather there's a projection of bored normality. a deflection clashing with wild paranoia flashes against all types of challengers. his colleagues describe such surreal, emotional isolations. in The Room, strangeness cuts though all. if only this fragile, frozen interior world could suddenly expose its meanings to Tommy, characters might tell tcompelling stories
A 90 minute treat,wow...info overload.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? It's none of your business. Move on next question.
Move past it dude
Nothing to see here
Long Story Short etcetera etcetera...
I cannot tell you, it's confidential
Don’t ever talk about Tommy.
He is from space
where did you find that easy listening version of kraftwerk's "the robots" that you can occasionally hear in the background?
Went from not even knowing who this guy is by any means to appreciating him for the love of his craft, and then slightly disliking him because of how abysmal it is to even compare one of his projects to great films. Thank you for the great video
I can't believe The Room is over 20 years old now. And I can't believe it's been some 15 years since I laughed my ass off at Nostalgia Critic's review of it. Dear lord time flies.
I went to the premier screening of Big Shark in Canada and while I believe Tommy was in person for most, if not every screening of Big Shark in the US, Greg Sestero was the one to show up in Canada(despite not actually being in the movie).
This is completely unfounded but I personally believe Tommy didn’t show because the screening took place in Ottawa and his vendetta against the “Room full of Spoons” team is so thick that he refuses to step foot in that city.
every time i see the thumbnail i think "cool a mark bolan documentary"
Anyone in the comments here - If you are a fan of The Room and Wiseau and haven't read or listened to the Disaster Artist book - I can't recommend it enough. The audio book is excellent and Greg does his impression of Wiseau the whole way though. It's perfect.
This is important work you are doing, kudos
Bruh IDK what you did to the algorithm but this video was recommended to me EVERY TIME i opened RUclips (and ive got premium so less crap shows up on my feed than usual), everytime i refreshed the main page, everytime i did ANYTHING it would be on top of my feed. Im not a movie geek, things i watch on RUclips are usually old songs unavailable on Spotify (during the day) and essays about old games or books during the night (to help me sleep), nothing and i mean NOTHING related to movies AND YET RUclips kept recommending this video to me EVERY GODDAMN TIME for like 3 days straight.
Im not even mad, and fck it imma watch it too, just wanted to let you know that whatever youre doing, ITS WORKING
Great video, can't even imagine trying to find all this info about him.
Great stuff man - giving a comment to help with the algorithm : )
I only discovered the room and tommy in general through youtube shorts this past week, This is exactly the kind of video i was hoping for lol. Instant sub. Also your other videos seem really cool to. Or right up My ally at least lol.
He's "from New Orleans", age can not be determined, no one knows how he became so wealthy, dresses weird, and has strange mannerisms...maybe he is like he says about his character in The Room.
"Maybe he is vampire."
Edit: If he did make the character a vampire with a flying car. (Yes that's right...flying car.)
"I did not bit her, it's not true. It's bullshit! I did not bit her. I did naaahhht! Oh bite mark."