'The Disaster Artist' director and star James Franco: 'I love this story'

Franco appears on "Popcorn With Peter Travers."

“Once I saw that there was this incredible story behind this 'bad movie' I knew that I would be able to tell a Hollywood story unlike any other,” James Franco said. “There was this universal story underneath about dreamers and outsiders that everybody could relate to, that I certainly related to myself. Everybody comes to Hollywood. And everybody that comes there has a dream to make it.”

Download the all new "Popcorn With Peter Travers" podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tunein, Google Play Music and Stitcher.

James Franco said he read a book about the original movie before seeing it. But he knew right away that it was the right project for him.

“I thought, ‘I need to tell this story.’ I identify with this story. I love this story,” James Franco, 39, told Travers. “I need to play Tommy Wiseau, even though on the surface we are very different people. But there are things about him and his story that I relate to so closely.”

He added, “I wanted my brother to play Greg Sestero because I just think he’s a great actor and we had the right dynamic for it.”

"The Disaster Artist" is in theaters everywhere.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Peter Travers and James Franco in the video above.