"[19][20] In The Disaster Artist, Sestero asserts that Wiseau revealed to him—through "fantastical, sad, self-contradictory stories"—that as a young adult he moved to Strasbourg, France, where he adopted the name "Pierre" and worked as a restaurant dishwasher.

[21] According to Sestero, Wiseau described being wrongfully arrested following a drug raid at a hostel and being traumatised by his mistreatment by the French police, which led him to emigrate to the U.S. to purportedly live with an aunt and uncle in Chalmette.

[23] Around this time, Wiseau also claims to have obtained a degree in psychology from Laney Community College in Oakland,[24][25] asserting that he had graduated on the honor roll.

[26] According to Sestero, Wiseau claims to have worked a variety of jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, including restaurant busboy and hospital worker, and ran a business called Street Fashions USA[27] at Fisherman's Wharf, employing comedian Aaron Barrett,[28] and selling irregular blue jeans at discounted prices.

He then claims to have eventually purchased and rented out large retail spaces in and around San Francisco[29] and Los Angeles,[30] making him independently wealthy.

[34] Wiseau has stated that he has been influenced by the films The Guns of Navarone and Citizen Kane, and specifically the actors James Dean and Marlon Brando.

[39] Wiseau also cites his cinematic influences as including Tennessee Williams,[35] Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, and Alfred Hitchcock.

[41] During this time, Wiseau directed a student film, Robbery Doesn't Pay, shot with a super 8 camera in the Westwood section of Los Angeles.

[36] The movie was immediately lambasted by critics,[8] but ultimately became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the world.

Audience members typically arrive dressed up to look like their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater in reference to on-screen events.

This attention grew into what was dubbed The Room's 2010–2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, with the movie being screened in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Australia and India, among other locations.

[44] In the 2017 film adaptation of Greg Sestero's autobiography The Disaster Artist, James Franco portrays Wiseau, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

In early February 2019, before a screening of The Room at the Prince Charles Cinema, Wiseau revealed a teaser trailer for his second directorial effort, Big Shark.

In a mockumentary format, Wootton's character, Gary Garner, accepted a role in Wiseau's present production at the time.

The segments show Wiseau playing various video games, such as Mortal Kombat and Driver: San Francisco, and offering commentary.