Five years after he was named in a series of sexual misconduct allegations, James Franco is addressing how the “painful” backlash affected his career. In a new interview, Franco, who was accused of exploiting multiple women in his acting class, opened up about the positive impact that experience had on his personal life. He also confirms that his relationship with longtime friend and collaborator Seth Rogen is over.
Once upon a time, James Franco was one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. He could effortlessly jump from comedies like Pineapple Express and This is the End to tentpole box-office successes like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, to more prestige fare like his work in 127 Hours, a film that garnered him an Academy Award nomination. The actor also had a high-profile friendship and creative partnership with Seth Rogen, which led to many projects that solidified them as a duo to watch. However, that all came to a halt in 2019, amid the resurgence of the #MeToo movement, when Franco was hit with a lawsuit alleging that he sexually exploited women who participated in his acting class. Now, with time removed from the events, Franco is looking back at the backlash and his tarnished friendship with Rogen.
During a chat with Variety, Franco reflected on all the backlash he endured when his accusers went public with numerous claims of misconduct, and how he’s thankful that it all happened because the trajectory he was on wasn’t a positive one. The actor said, “Being told you’re bad is painful, but ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.” He also explained how he’s been spending his time since essentially being canceled in Hollywood.
“But I did certainly use the time to, I hope, good purpose. And whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life. So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was.”
James Franco’s Fall From Grace Happened at the Height of His Career
Franco was riding a nice wave of notoriety before the allegations and lawsuit, scoring big as the director of the critically acclaimed The Disaster Artist, a film that also earned him a Golden Globe for his performance. However, that project would end up being among the last of Franco’s more noteworthy efforts, as it has been hard for him to land mainstream work. Franco has projects like Hey Joe and Largo Winch Adventure, which are European productions that haven’t had a footprint in the U.S. When asked if his Hollywood ouster was fair, Franco says, “I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change. So that’s it, it’s over. I mean, I’ve worked in the U.S. too. So I’m just trying to move on.”
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James Franco all but disappeared from the world of acting after a string of serious sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The lawsuit against Franco alleged that he would have sex with students during his time as an acting school teacher. They weren’t the first allegations leveled against the actor, as some stories about his behavior go back to 2014, but they were the most wide-ranging of the allegations, especially since they alluded to an abuse of power by making his students feel like they had to engage in sexual activity in exchange for roles. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in 2021.
The allegations also seemed to have a long-lasting effect on Franco’s friendship with Rogen, who publicly distanced himself from the actor. In 2021, Rogen said that he would never work with Franco again, walking back his sentiments in an earlier interview. Rogen said, “And I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now.”
It appears that things have not changed much between Rogen and Franco since 2021, because the latter revealed that he still hasn’t spoken to his former friend and collaborator in several years. When asked if they were in touch, Franco said, “No. I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.”