If you’re a James Franco fan who felt the actor was snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when his performance as an eccentric drug dealer in Spring Breakers failed to earn an Oscar nod — rejoice. The actor’s next shot at a gold statuette may have just arrived.
On Tuesday, A24 debuted a teaser trailer for The Disaster Artist, a dark comedy that sparked early awards talk for Franco when it premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March.
The movie, which the 39-year-old both directed and stars in, tells the story of The Room — a 2003 low-budget indie dubbed the “worst movie ever” by numerous critics. Created by Tommy Wiseau, The Room was filled with such bad acting and dialogue that it became a surprise cult hit and even a popular local midnight screening selection.
At SXSW, Franco told the crowd — who gave him multiple standing ovations — that he related to Wiseau in “ways that I don’t want to admit.”
“What we talked about more than anything else while we were putting the movie together was, ‘Why do we love this movie?’” added Seth Rogen, who co-stars in the movie and produced it. “Not, ‘Why do we make fun of this movie?’ Or, ‘Why do we laugh at this movie?’ But, ‘What is great about that movie?’ And at the end of the day, it was the earnestness of a guy who put himself out there.”
As for Franco, the actor said he devoted serious time to perfecting Wiseau’s affect, even continuing to speak in the filmmaker’s voice while directing The Disaster Artist.
Even though Franco was Oscar-nominated for best actor for his turn in the 2010 survival drama 127 Hours, many fans felt his more unconventional performance three years later in Spring Breakers was overlooked.
A24, which also distributed that 2013 party flick, even mounted a tongue-in-cheek awards campaign for Franco’s role in Spring Breakers.
