As one would imagine, seeing an actor go “full method” in a role is deeply unsettling. On set for Lincoln, Method Actor Daniel Day-Lewis insisted on being called “Mr. President” and during The Crucible he only got around by riding a horse. For Suicide Squad, Method Actor Jared Leto sent his co-stars stupid presents; he also blinded himself on set for Blade Runner 2049. It’s intense stuff!
Watch the trailer: The Disaster Artist
Method Actor James Franco had a similarly annoying, albeit much more hilarious, intensity while filming The Disaster Artist – his upcoming comedy about the making of The Room. He plays eccentric and delusional director Tommy Wiseau, and Franco stayed in character the whole time on set. Apparently, his co-star and producer Seth Rogen couldn’t handle it.
“I couldn’t deal with it, straight up, for the first two days,” Rogen said during a panel this weekend. “People would come up and ask me, ‘Where’s James?’ And I was always like, ‘He’s right fucking there!’… My grandmother came out and she just did not get what the f**k was happening She was walking around like, ‘I thought James was in the movie?’ I never explained it to her.”
Poor Grandma Rogen! Anyway, Franco’s intensity might have been ridiculous, but it only adds to the film’s meta-commentary on moviemaking. Well played.
