Tommy Wiseau is an infamously elusive individual. Secretive isn’t a strong enough word. Wiseau answers questions in an almost political kind of indecipherable Tommyspeak. Take how he answered this question about his origin story in a Reddit AMA from a few years back.
Well, you know, we’re all curious. We all live in America, and we are all curious bout people, who they are, where they come from. I’m very private person, I keep that way, that’s my choice. I am America, I keep that way.
Wiseau generally insists his accent is Cajun. His answer when asked how he made his significant and curious fortune was equally dizzying.
Okay! That’s good question!
Well first of all – if you look at background, you work hard, you make money. It’s no secret, okay? You work VERY hard, you make money.
Well I work very hard, 24/7, several days a week, okay?
And the specific how I make monies will be in book. THE DISASTER ARTIST by Tommy Wiseau, when I write it soon. Yes.
It’s impressive frankly. Well, thanks to a new interview with the New York Times, Wiseau has come as close to giving a real answer to these questions as we may ever get from him.
“It’s not important, and No. 2, it’s a personal question,” he said. “Long story short, I grew up in Europe a long time ago, but I’m American and very proud of it. Do you have any questions about the movie?”
The fact that he even mentioned Europe is Wiseau’s version of a tell-all. And his millions? “[He] said it came from his leather-jacket and real-estate businesses,” which are described in Greg Sestero’s book The Disaster Artist, co-written with Tom Bissell, which inspired the film.
We’ll all find out a bit more about Tommy Wiseau — or at least James Franco’s version of him — when The Disaster Artist goes into wide release December 8.
