Understand that this is a compliment. Tommy Wiseau is an icon, and few can match him in utter ridiculousness and unplaceable accents. But when attending a press screening for the new sci-fi comedy The Watch the other night, I was struck by a definite resemblance between the cult filmmaker and Billy Crudup. Crudup has a small but wonderfully memorable cameo as Ben Stiller‘s creepy neighbor who won’t stop complimenting his runner’s physique with a wicked little smile. Sadly, there are no photos of Crudup from the movie out yet, but this one from 2010 approximated his current look: Shaggy hair, button-down, devious grin.
Back in 2011 when Crudup was cast in The Watch, NextMovie described his character pretty well: “Every town has one: the creepy, weird, maybe slightly off (to put it nicely) resident.” To say more would give away his part in the movie, but his performance definitely brings to mind Johnny the poor banker with the cheating fiancee and the disloyal best friend. I never noticed until now that Crudup also has a similarly craggy face to Wiseau! And come to think of it, his character’s laidback, lilting voice sounds a bit like Wiseau proclaiming lines like “They betrayed me, and I am the fool.”
Now I want to see Crudup at a The Room midnight screening! Or better yet, if someone ever takes a stab at parodying it again, I know who’s perfect to play Johnny.
Photos: Joseph Marzullo/WENN.com and Wiseau Films
