>> Jimmy: JAMES, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. I KNOW YOU'RE A VERY BUSY MAN. ARE YOU AS BUSY AS YOU ALWAYS ARE? ARE YOU TEACHING AT 11 SCHOOLS AND ALL THAT STUFF? >> THOUGH. >> Jimmy: YOU'RE NOT? >> DECIDEDLY NO. I TOPPED. >> Jimmy: THIS MOVIE, I WATCHED THIS MOVIE THE OTHER NIGHT. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S REALLY FUNNY AND REALLY GOOD. AND ODDLY INSPIRATIONAL IN A WAY. BUT IT'S CONFUSING I THINK. YOU HAVE TO KIND OF -- I THINK YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED, THE BACK STORY HERE, WHY YOU DECIDED TO MAKE THIS MOVIE. >> THE MOVIE'S ABOUT THE MAKING OF WHAT'S CALLED THE BEST WORST MOVIE EVER MADE, WHICH IS A PARTICULAR THING. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BAD MOVIES THAT WE WILL NEVER WATCH AGAIN. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WATCHING THIS MOVIE "THE ROOM" FOR 14 1/2 YEARS. >> Jimmy: IT'S BEEN GOING ON A LONG TIME. >> I WAS IN LONDON, PEOPLE WATCH IT IN LONDON. THE BEST AUDIENCE FOR THE ROOM IS IN LONDON. THEY SHOW IT IN PARIS IN TOKYO. >> Jimmy: IT MAKES THEM FEEL SUPERIOR TO AMERICANS WHEN THEY SEE THIS KIND OF STUFF. [ LAUGHTER ] ALTHOUGH WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE LEAD CHARACTER IS -- WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS GUY CAME FROM. >> YOU CAN ASK HIM. >> Jimmy: HE'S GOING TO BE HERE IN A MINUTE. SO THIS GUY NAMED TOMMY, AND HIS FRIEND, THEY WEREN'T GETTING THE ACTING ROLES THAT THEY WANTED. >> YES. THAT'S THE BACK STORY. THE BACK STORY IS -- I CAME TO IT THROUGH THE BACK STORY. I DID NOT SEE "THE ROOM" WHEN IT WAS -- >> Jimmy: WHEN EVERYBODY WAS WATCHING IT AND SAYING, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS? >> THE BOOK CAME OUT ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. I REALIZED THE STORY BEHIND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. IT WAS THE SAME AMOUNT -- THERE WAS THE SAME AMOUNT OF PASSION IN THESE GUYS AS IN ANYBODY. >> Jimmy: AS IN COPPOLA. >> RIGHT. IT'S JUST THEY ENDED UP MAKING SOMETHING -- >> Jimmy: TERRIBLE, YEAH. >> YEAH. I MEAN -- TOMMY'S HERE. >> Jimmy: TOMMY'S HERE. WHEN I SAY TERRIBLE, OF COURSE I MEAN TERRIFIC. [ LAUGHTER ] >> ANYWAY, WHAT I RESPECT SO MUCH ABOUT TOMMY IS, HE GOT IT MADE. HOW MANY PEOPLE WANT TO BREAK INTO THE MOVIE BUSINESS? MILLIONS PEOPLE IN THE COURSE -- IN THE HISTORY OF MOVIES. AND THEY DON'T MAKE IT. TOMMY GOT HIS MOVIE MADE. THEN NOT ONLY THAT, IT SOMEHOW, IN SOME WEIRD, CRAZY WAY, BECAME THIS HIT. >> Jimmy: THERE'S A BILLBOARD THAT WAS RIGHT DOWN THE BLOCK FROM OUR THEATER FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. >> YEAH. >> Jimmy: HOW LONG WAS THAT BILLBOARD UP, DO YOU KNOW? >> I THINK IT WAS FIVE YEARS. >> Jimmy: FIVE YEARS FOR A MOVIE. >> ON HIS OWN DIME. >> Jimmy: ON HIS OWN DIME BY THE WAY. >> THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. >> Jimmy: THIS MENACING BILLBOARD. I WAS FEARFUL OF THIS MAN WHEN I WOULD DRIVE BY IT. >> I WAS DESCRIBING IT TO GARY OLDMAN THE OTHER DAY. I SAW THE LIGHTBULB GO OFF. HE'S LIKE, OH, WAIT THAT BLOODY THING? I KNOW THAT THING! YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT GAS. YOU THOUGHT IT WAS -- SOMEBODY TODAY WAS LIKE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS A "WANTED" POSTER. [ LAUGHTER ] I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE A CULT -- >> Jimmy: IT'S GOT A PHONE NUMBER ON IT. WHAT IS THE PHONE NUMBER TO? >> THAT GOES TO TOMMY'S APARTMENT. >> Jimmy: TO HIS APARTMENT. [ LAUGHTER ] >> HELLO? GO SEE MY MOVIE. >> Jimmy: YOU HAVE PUT UP YOUR OWN BILLBOARD THAT IS NOW IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT WITH THE SAME PHONE NUMBER. IS IT STILL GOING TO HIS APARTMENT? >> WELL -- SOMEBODY ANSWERS. I DON'T KNOW IF I -- EITHER ME OR TOMMY. >> Jimmy: OKAY, SOMEBODY ANSWERS. >> SOMEBODY ANSWERS SOMETIMES. >> Jimmy: I WANT TO SHOW A CLIP, SO WE CAN EXPLAIN. THIS IS A CLIP FROM "THE ROOM." JAMES FRANCO IS NOT IN THIS CLIP. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL MOVIE ON WHICH "THE DISASTER ARTIST" IS BASED. I DID NOT HIT HER, IT'S NOT TRUE, IT'S BULL [ BLEEP ]. I DID NOT HIT HER. I DID NOT. OH, HI, MARK. >> Jimmy: OKAY, THAT'S A REAL SCENE FROM A MOVIE. NOW HERE IS JAMES FRANCO PLAYING THAT SAME ROLE THAT TOMMY PLAYED. >> ACTION! >> I DID NOT HIT HER, IT'S NOT TRUE, IT'S BULL [ BLEEP ], I DID NOT HIT HER, I DID NOT. OH, HI, MARK. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] >> Jimmy: VERY WELL DONE. SO WHY WAS THE GREEN SCREEN LIKE THAT? >> BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THEY SHOT IT. NOTICE THE BUILDING, THE BACKGROUND OF HIS SHOT, THE BUILDINGS DON'T LOOK LIKE THEY FIT THERE. THEY SHOT IT IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE RENTAL -- THE EQUIPMENT RENTAL PLACE, BURNS AND SAWYER THAT USED TO BE ON LA BREA. WHY? I DON'T KNOW. YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK. I STILL DON'T KNOW. >> Jimmy: THEY DIDN'T RENT EQUIPMENT, THEY BOUGHT ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT? >> TOMMY BOUGHT ALL THE EQUIPMENT. >> Jimmy: HOW MUCH MONEY DID HE SPEND ON THIS MOVIE? >> I WAS TOLD $6 MILLION. HOPEFULLY TONIGHT WE'LL GET ALL THE ANSWERS. >> Jimmy: I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW. TOMMY IS HERE. NOBODY KNOWS HOW HE GOT $6 MILLION, NOBODY KNOWS -- >> THERE ARE THREE MYSTERIES. >> Jimmy: OKAY. ONE IS? >> I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF ANY OF THEM, JUST A WARNING, BUT WE CAN TRY. >> Jimmy: LET'S TRY. >> HOW OLD HE IS. >> Jimmy: OKAY. >> I THINK HE'S -- WE CAN ASK HIM. >> Jimmy: HE'S AN ACTOR, NOBODY KNOWS HOW OLD ANYBODY IS HERE. >> HE SAYS HE WAS IN HIS -- THAT CLIP WE SAW, HE SAID HE WAS IN HIS 20s. >> Jimmy: OKAY. THAT WAS 15 YEARS AGO, OKAY. >> YEAH. WHERE HE'S FROM. HE SOUNDS LIKE THIS, RIGHT? I GUESS HE'S FROM NEW ORLEANS? ALL-AMERICAN GUY? >> Jimmy: UH-HUH. >> WHERE HE GOT THE MONEY. >> Jimmy: THE $6 MILLION. WHEN WE COME BACK WE'LL SEE A
