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James Franco

January 26, 2023

James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat, Pray, Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen, having appeared in eight films and one television series with him, examples being Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), Sausage Party (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. For his role in 127 Hours (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

James Franco
Franco in March 2013
Born
James Edward Franco

(1978-04-19) April 19, 1978 (age 44)
Palo Alto, California U.S.
Education
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • director
  • writer
  • painter
Years active1997–present
WorksFilmography
Relatives
AwardsFull list

Franco is also known for his work on television where his first prominent acting role was the character Daniel Desario on the short-lived ensemble comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), which developed a cult following. He portrayed the title character in the television biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, and received nominations for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award. Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (2009–2012) and starred in the limited series 11.22.63 (2016). He starred in the David Simon-created HBO drama The Deuce (2017–2019).

Franco volunteers for The Art of Elysium charity and has taught film classes at New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Studio 4, Palo Alto High School, and Playhouse West.[1][2][3][4][5] During his time as a teacher Franco admitted to having sex with several of his students, which led to lawsuits and a $2 million sexual-misconduct settlement in 2021.[6][7]

Early life

James Edward Franco was born in Palo Alto, California[8] on April 19, 1978.[9] His mother, Betsy Lou (née Verne), is a children's book author and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business.[10][11] His father was of Portuguese (from Madeira) and Swedish ancestry, while his mother is Jewish, from a family of Russian Jewish descent.[12][13][14][15] His paternal grandmother, Marjorie (née Peterson), is a published author of young adult books.[11][16] His maternal grandfather, Daniel, changed his surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne" some time after 1940,[15][17][18] and his maternal grandmother, Mitzie (née Levine), owned the prominent Verne Art Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women.[19][20][21]

Franco's family upbringing was "academic, liberal, and largely secular".[22] He grew up in California with his two younger brothers, actors Tom and Dave.[23] A "math whiz", Franco interned at Lockheed Martin.[24] He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and did well on the SAT.[22] He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he acted in plays. This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theater studies.[24][25] In his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates.[26] These arrests led to Franco briefly becoming a ward of the state. Facing the possibility of juvenile hall, he was given a second chance by the judge.[15] He recalled of his troubles with the law, "It was teen angst. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was shy. I changed my ways just in time to get good grades."[22]

Although the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him, Franco had always secretly wanted to become an actor but feared being rejected.[15] He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major,[27] but dropped out after his first year (against his parents' wishes)[24] to pursue a career as an actor, since he would have had to wait two years to audition for their acting program.[15] He instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West.[25] Around this time, he took up a late-night job at McDonald's to support himself because his parents refused to do so. He was a vegetarian for the year prior to working there.[28] While working at the establishment, he would practice accents on customers, an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 Washington Post editorial titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was".[15][29]

Acting career

1997–2001

After 15 months of training, Franco began auditioning in Los Angeles. His first paid role was a television commercial for Pizza Hut, featuring a dancing Elvis Presley.[30] He found guest roles on television shows but his first break came in 1999, after he was cast in a leading role on the short-lived but well-reviewed NBC television series Freaks and Geeks,[31] which ran for 18 episodes and was canceled due to low viewership. Later, the show became a cult hit among audiences.[32] He has since described the series as "one of the most fun" work experiences that he has had.[33] In another interview, Franco said: "When we were doing Freaks and Geeks, I didn't quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn't on me ... So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way."[23] After his film debut Never Been Kissed, he played a popular jock Chris in Whatever It Takes (2000), a modern-day remake of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac.[34][35]

He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell's 2001 TV biographical film James Dean.[36][37] To immerse himself in the role, Franco went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, bleached his dark brown hair blond, and learned to ride a motorcycle as well as play guitar and the bongos.[36] To have a greater understanding of Dean, Franco spent hours with two of Dean's associates. Other research included reading books on Dean and studying his movies.[36] While filming James Dean, Franco, to get into character, cut off communication with his family and friends, as well as his then-girlfriend. "It was a very lonely existence," he notes. "If I wasn't on a set, I was watching James Dean. That was my whole thinking. James Dean. James Dean."[36] Despite already being a fan of Dean, Franco feared he might be typecast if he'd captured the actor too convincingly. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean, but instead gets under the skin of this insecure, rootless young man."[38] He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG).[39][40][41]

2002–2007

Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention in the 2002 superhero film Spider-Man, when he played Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and best friend of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire). Originally, Franco was considered for the lead role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the film.[42] Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that there are "good moments" between Maguire and Franco in the film.[43] Spider-Man was a commercial and critical success.[44] The movie grossed $114 million during its opening weekend in North America and went on to earn $822 million worldwide.[45]

 
Franco at the Spider-Man 3 premiere, April 2007

He next starred in Sonny, a 2002 release in which he was directed by fellow actor Nicolas Cage, whose involvement had attracted Franco to the film.[46] Set in 1980s New Orleans, Sonny follows the titular character (Franco) returning home after just being discharged from the Army. To prepare for his role, he met with sex workers or people who had previously been prostitutes.[46] The movie was panned by critics, with the New York Post's Lou Lumenick calling it an "instant candidate for worst movie of the year".[47] Franco was cast as a homeless drug addict in the drama City by the Sea (2002) after co-star Robert De Niro saw a snippet of his work in James Dean.[36] He lived on the streets for several days to better understand the subject matter[48] as well as talking to former or still-using drug addicts.[46] He also co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's ballet movie The Company (2003).[22] The success of the first Spider-Man film led Franco to reprise the role in the 2004 sequel, Spider-Man 2. The movie was well received by critics,[44] and it proved to be a big financial success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America.[49] With revenue of $783 million worldwide, it became the second highest-grossing film in 2004.[45] The following year he made and starred in the black comedy The Ape[22] and the 2005 war film The Great Raid, in which he portrayed Robert Prince, a captain in the United States Army's elite Sixth Ranger Battalion. In 2006, Franco co-starred with Tyrese Gibson in Annapolis and played legendary hero Tristan in Tristan & Isolde, a period piece dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring British actress Sophia Myles. For the former, he did eight months of boxing training and for the latter, he practiced horseback riding and sword fighting.[50] He then completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in Flyboys,[26] which was released in September 2006; the same month, Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man, the remake of the seminal horror film. Also in 2006, he made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy The Holiday.[37]

 
Franco, preparing to ride in the Blue Angels No. 7, with Patrick Palma in a two-seat F/A-18B, in August 2006

He again played Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3 (2007). In contrast to the previous two films' positive reviews, Spider-Man 3 was met with a mixed reception by critics.[44] Nonetheless, with a total worldwide gross of $891 million, it stands as the most successful film in the series, and Franco's highest-grossing film to date.[45] In this same year, Franco made a cameo appearance as himself in the Apatow-directed comedy Knocked Up, which starred Freaks and Geeks alumni Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr.[26] Franco co-starred with Sienna Miller in the low-budget independent film Camille, a dark fantasy dramedy about a young newlywed couple and Interview, where he appears in a voice only role, both 2007 movies that were ignored by audiences and critics alike. Among his other 2007 projects were Good Time Max, which Franco wrote, directed and starred in. The movie premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and tells the story of two talented brothers who take very diverse paths in life, one going on to become a doctor whilst the other sibling (Franco) experiences unemployment and uses drugs. The actor chose to cast himself in that role because, "It was really just a process of elimination. I was better suited for this role than the responsible surgeon".[51]

2008–2010

He next starred in Pineapple Express (2008), a stoner comedy co-starring and co-written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow.[33][52] Of Franco's character, Apatow said, "You tell him, 'Okay, you're going to play a pot dealer', and he comes back with a three-dimensional character you totally believe exists. He takes it very seriously, even when it's comedy".[53] In her New York Times review, critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "He's delightful as Saul, loosey-goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy, despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor). It's an unshowy, generous performance and it greatly humanizes a movie that, as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise, becomes disappointingly sober and self-serious".[54] His performance earned him a second Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.[39] He has stated in some interviews that he no longer uses cannabis (although he has occasionally alluded to smoking it, most notably during an extended segment on The Colbert Report).[55] He was awarded High Times magazine's Stoner of the Year Award for his work in Pineapple Express.[56] In 2008 he also appeared in two films by American artist Carter, exhibited at the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris.[57] On September 20, 2008, he hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL),[58] and a second time on December 19, 2009.[59]

 
Franco at the premiere of 127 Hours

Franco starred with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch, in Gus Van Sant's Milk (2008).[60] In the film he plays Scott Smith, the boyfriend of Harvey Milk (Penn). Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, in review of the film, wrote: "Franco is a nice match for him [Penn] as the lover who finally has enough of political life".[61] For his performance in the film, Franco won the Independent Spirit Award in the category for Best Supporting Actor.[62] In late 2009 he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital on a recurring basis. He plays Franco, a multimedia artist much like himself,[24] who comes to Port Charles to do an art exhibition and becomes obsessed with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).[63] Franco has called his General Hospital role performance art.[64]

Franco began 2010 by making an appearance on the sitcom 30 Rock where he played himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in a scheme concocted by their respective agents.[65] After appearing in the commercial successes Date Night, an action comedy, and Eat Pray Love, an adaption of a novel, Franco played poet Allen Ginsberg in the drama Howl, released on September 24.[18] The latter, about his most known poem and the trial about the work, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned modest reviews.[44]

In his next project, 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, Franco portrayed real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston. It was given a limited release starting on November 5, 2010.[66] 127 Hours centered on Ralston trying to free his hand after it became trapped under a boulder in a ravine while canyoneering alone in Utah and resorting to desperate measures in order to survive, eventually amputating his arm. During the five-week, 12-hours-per-day shoot, Franco would only leave the gully set to use the lavatory and would read books such as academic textbooks to keep busy.[67] Franco later called making 127 Hours a once-in-a-lifetime experience.[68] To date, 127 Hours is one of his most well-reviewed movies[44] and was also a commercial success, earning $60.7 million against an $18 million budget.[66] His performance earned him universal acclaim from critics. Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG award, as well as winning an Independent Spirit Award.

2011–present

On February 23, 2011, Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC's Minute to Win It where the real-life Ralston was participating as a contestant playing for charity.[69] After having an uncredited cameo in the opening scene of The Green Hornet (2011),[70] he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Danny McBride in the Medieval fantasy comedy Your Highness.[71] In the film, he plays Fabious, a prince who teams up with his brother (McBride) to rescue the soon to be bride of Fabious (played by Zooey Deschanel). In May 2010, he was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt's $93 million budgeted Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series[72] which was released on August 5. Franco starred alongside Winona Ryder in The Letter, originally entitled The Stare, directed by Jay Anania. He was cast as a drug-addicted lawyer in About Cherry, also starring Heather Graham, which started shooting the following month in California.[73] He dropped out of the indie film While We're Young[74] to star in Oz the Great and Powerful, a Disney prequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Filming began in July 2011, and the film was released on March 8, 2013. He has signed to do a sequel to it.[75][76]

At the end of September 2010, the actor acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott's The Adderall Diaries, with the intention to adapt, direct, and star in the film.[77] It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in, but direct himself in The Night Stalker, a film version of author Philip Carlo's book about the 1980s serial killer, Richard Ramirez. Co-screenwriter of the screenplay, Nicholas Constantine, was initially unconvinced that Franco would be right for the movie, until he learned of Franco's desire to be a director and later watched three of his short films, one of which featured a serial killer, ultimately confirming to the writer that the actor had a darker side.[78] Franco also directed a film version of William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying; [79] the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[80] In late 2013, Franco starred in This Is the End as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, and Danny McBride, also fictionalized versions of themselves.[81]

In February 2012, Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's 1973 novella Child of God, which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard. The film chronicles the depraved and violent impulses of the young Tennessee backwoodsman after he is dispossessed of his ancestral land. Child of God was selected in official competition at the 70th Venice Film Festival, an official selection to the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and an official selection to the prestigious 51st New York Film Festival. In 2013, Franco starred as the gangster "Alien" in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, with Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Gucci Mane and Rachel Korine. A24 films began a campaign in September 2013 in support of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Franco's performance.[82] In March 2013, it was announced that Franco was set to make his 2014 Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.[83] In October 2013, Franco appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.[84]

On March 8, 2013, Franco received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard.[85]

 
Franco at the New York Film Critics Series première of Child of God

In April 2014, Franco directed and appeared in "Techno Color Sunglasses", which promoted Gucci's eyewear collection.[86] In December, Franco starred in the controversial Sony comedy thriller, The Interview, a film which played a central role in the real world diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea as they related to the 2014 Sony hacking incident.[87] In April 2015, two of his projects, titled I Am Michael and True Story, were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. In I Am Michael, Franco plays a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a conservative Christian pastor with a girlfriend. In True Story, based on a true story, Franco played Christian Longo, a man who was on the FBI's most wanted list for murdering his wife and three children in Oregon, and who had also been hiding under the identity of Michael Finkel, a journalist played by Jonah Hill.[88]

In 2015, Franco was cast in the lead role for the Hulu limited series 11.22.63 which is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King.[89] The eight-episode series premiered on February 15, 2016.[90] In 2016, Franco co-produced and starred in King Cobra, a true story about the rise of gay pornographic actor Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis. Franco played Joseph Kerekes who (along with his partner) was convicted of the murder. In the comedy Why Him?, released in December 2016, Franco played an immature tech-billionaire whose girlfriend's conservative father tries to intervene in the couple's relationship, with Zoey Deutch playing the girlfriend and Bryan Cranston as her father.[91] He briefly appeared in the Alien prequel, Alien: Covenant, alongside friend and frequent collaborator Danny McBride, and Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace. He played Branson, the captain of the Covenant ship and husband to Daniels, played by Katherine Waterston. The film was released on May 19, 2017.[92]

In 2016, Franco directed, co-produced, and starred in The Disaster Artist, the film adaptation of actor Greg Sestero's non-fiction book of the same name, about the making of The Room, which is considered to be one of worst films ever made.[93] In the film, Franco portrayed the film's star, director, screenwriter, and producer Tommy Wiseau, while Franco's brother, Dave, portrayed Sestero.[94] Franco remained in character as Wiseau throughout the entirety of the shoot.[95] The Disaster Artist was released on December 1, 2017, to positive reviews, while his portrayal of Wiseau gained near-universal praise.[96] His performance won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.[97]

At the end of 2017, Franco, almost 40, said he was slowing down to focus on himself.[98] On December 23, 2021, Franco gave his first interview in nearly four years when he appeared on an episode of the Jess Cagle Podcast.[99] In August 2022, Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in Alina in Cuba, a casting decision that was supported by Fidel Castro's daughter.[100] [101]

Other projects

 
Franco signing an autograph

Franco produced and directed a documentary titled Saturday Night documenting a week in the production of an episode of SNL.[102] The film began as a short for an NYU class but grew due to his two episodes as host, while short stories he wrote for other classes appeared in Esquire and McSweeney's.[24] In summer 2010, the fictional Franco from General Hospital held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, while the real Franco held an exhibit at the museum based on his experiences on the soap opera.[24]

In 2008, Franco was named as the face of Gucci's men's fragrance line.[103][104] His short films as director The Feast of Stephen and Herbert White were both presented within Maryland Film Festival in May 2010. Another of his short movies, The Clerk's Tale, was screened in competition at the Hamptons Film Festival at the end of 2010.[77] In June 2010, James Franco presented his first solo exhibition, "The Dangerous Book Four Boys", presented at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City. Curated by Alanna Heiss, the show featured video, drawings, sculptures and installation.[105][106]

On October 19, 2010, Scribner published a collection of short stories, Palo Alto, by Franco.[107] The book is named after the California city where Franco grew up and is dedicated to many of the writers he worked with at Brooklyn College. Inspired by some of Franco's own teenage memories[50] Palo Alto, and memories written and submitted by high school students at Palo Alto Senior High School,[108] consists of life in Palo Alto as experienced by a series of teenagers who spend most of their time indulging in driving drunk, smoking marijuana, and taking part in unplanned acts of violence. Each passage is told by a young narrator.[109] The book has received mixed reviews; Los Angeles Times called it "the work of an ambitious young man who clearly loves to read, who has a good eye for detail, but who has spent way too much time on style and virtually none on substance".[107] The Guardian reported that Franco's "foray into the literary world may be met with cynicism in some quarters, but this is a promising debut from a most unlikely source".[110] Writing in The New York Times, reviewer and fellow author Joshua Mohr praised Franco for how, in the story "American History", he juxtaposed historical parts with a present-day social commentary that "makes the we wonder how much we've actually evolved in post-bellum America".[111] At least one editor of a literary journal testified he would not publish Franco's stories, claiming he has been published due to his star power, not literary talent.[112] Publishers Weekly reviewed the collection, stating "The author fails to find anything remotely insightful to say in these 11 amazingly underwhelming stories".[113]

In January 2011, Franco screened his multimedia project, entitled Three's Company The Drama, in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.[114] Franco reunited with Milk director Van Sant to make Unfinished, a project that features two movies: Endless Idaho and My Own Private River. Endless Idaho showcases edited outtakes, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage from the 1991 movie My Own Private Idaho, while My Own Private River focuses on actor River Phoenix.[115] The idea for the exhibition was conceived after Van Sant introduced unused footage from the 1991 film to Franco, inspiring him to turn it into something more. Unfinished opened from February 26 to April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills.[115]

 
Franco at the Austin Film Festival, October 23, 2011

On February 27, 2011, he and Anne Hathaway hosted the 83rd Academy Awards. The two were selected to help the awards show achieve its goal of attracting a younger audience.[116] Franco had previously said that he accepted the job for the experience and because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.[117] Numerous media viewers criticized Franco for his discontent and lack of energy on stage and the show was widely panned, with some reviewers dubbing it the worst telecast in its history.[118][119][120] The actor later spoke about his hosting in an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman. He explained that when accepting the job he never had high hopes, adding "It was never on my list of things to do. It doesn't mean I didn't care and it doesn't mean I didn't try, right?" Regarding allegations that he was under the influence of marijuana while hosting, Franco commented "I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway. She has a lot of energy!" He concluded that he tried his best and could have had "low energy" during the telecast.[121]

In May, Franco made his dance-theater directorial debut at New York's Stella Adler Studios, where he narrated all the performances. Entitled "Collage" and described as a "mixed-media piece", the show featured live dance, theater, music, and poetry. Tickets were free but were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.[122] The actor also directed two short films for songs ("Blue" and "That Someone Is You") by R.E.M. from their album Collapse into Now (2011).[123] Franco continued his career as a filmmaker with The Broken Tower, a 90-minute docudrama shot in black and white about poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.[124] It originally started out as his master's thesis.[125] It was screened at 2011's Los Angeles Film Festival  – among more than 200 feature films, short projects, and music videos from more than 30 countries.[126] It was released on DVD in 2012.[127]

In 2011, Franco taught a graduate-level film course at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[128][129] He has also taught film classes at USC and UCLA, as well as a screenwriting class on the online learning community Skillshare.[130] For his students' film projects, Franco has helped to attract actors, including Seth MacFarlane, Kate Mara, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde.[131]

Franco developed an aptitude for art—painting in particular—during his high school years while attending the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA).[25] Franco has said painting was the "outlet" he needed in high school, and he "has actually been painting longer than he has been acting".[132] His paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, from January 7, through February 11, 2006.[25][133] He launched his first European art exhibition in 2011 at Peres Projects in Berlin.[109]

In September 2012, Franco announced the release of his band Daddy's first single Love in the Old Days and their first EP MotorCity.[134] On July 9, 2013, Franco announced that he would be the featured roastee on the next Comedy Central Roast.[135] The roast aired on September 2, 2013.[136]

In February 2014, Franco wrote an article in The New York Times in support of the metamodernist performance art of Shia LaBeouf, describing LaBeouf's project as one "in which a young man in a very public profession tries to reclaim his public persona".[137][138] In April 2014, the literary publisher Graywolf Press issued Franco's first collection of poetry, Directing Herbert White. The title alludes to a poem (made by Franco into a 2010 short film) by Frank Bidart, who has served as friend and mentor to Franco.[139]

In the media

Viewed as a sex symbol, Franco was named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009 by Salon.[140] There has often been frequent media coverage of Franco, particularly regarding his interest in going to colleges. In addition to that, Franco has also claimed to have been strongly misquoted by reports in the media[141] and news outlets reporting erroneous information about him.[142] This led to the actor being parodied in an episode of SNL's Weekend Update segment, which an Entertainment Weekly writer deemed "clever".[143] In a 2011 interview, he stated:

I've been perceived as this guy yelling, 'Hey, look at me. I want attention'. I'm not going to school to get articles written about me. I'm just going to school. But the fact that I'm going to school or that someone takes a picture of me sleeping is like, 'We're gonna jump on that and criticize him for his antics'. What antics? I write. I make movies. I'm going to school. I hosted the Oscars. I take these projects seriously.[141]

Franco has deliberately garnered a reputation for publishing "selfies" and wrote an explanatory article for The New York Times in December 2013. He stated:

[A] well-stocked collection of selfies seems to get attention. And attention seems to be the name of the game when it comes to social networking. In this age of too much information at a click of a button, the power to attract viewers amid the sea of things to read and watch is power indeed. It's what the movie studios want for their products, it's what professional writers want for their work, it's what newspapers want — hell, it's what everyone wants: attention. Attention is power.[144]

In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked Franco and his brother, Dave, together as number two on its list of 50 talented and attractive Jewish men.[145] In 2013, Franco was featured as the cover model and featured focus in the men's magazine Man of the World.[146]

In other forms of media, a Chicago-based theater company, Under the Gun Theater, developed a show inspired by and titled after Franco. The 2015 production of Dear James Franco used, parodied and deconstructed letters penned to or by celebrities. The performances used improvisation to satirize their subject matter.[147]

Personal life

Religion

Franco has described himself as Jewish;[17] regarding his secular upbringing, he told The Guardian that he feels as if he has "missed out on the Jewish experience", but has been told not to worry about that by his Jewish friends and said in the same interview that he likes "the idea of religion as a source of community". When asked if he was a "believer", he responded, "In God? I don't know. Yes. To a certain extent. It's a complicated question."[22] In 2015, he had an official bar mitzvah ceremony, presided over by a rabbi.[148]

Relationships and sexuality

Due to his support for the LGBT community and his portrayal of gay characters in his projects, Franco's sexuality has been a subject of discussion in media sources.[149] In a March 2015 interview with Four Two Nine magazine, Franco again opened up about his sexuality, stating, "In the twenties and thirties, they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept with. Sailors would fuck guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren't considered gay. Well, I like to think that I'm gay in my art and straight in my life."[150]

After meeting on the set of Whatever It Takes in 1999, Franco dated co-star Marla Sokoloff for five years.[151] He was later in a relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly until 2011.[151][152] He confirmed their separation in an interview for Playboy magazine's August 2011 issue, saying that his interest in education got between them.[141]

Education

Franco, dissatisfied with his career's direction,[24] reenrolled at UCLA in autumn 2006 as an English major with a creative writing concentration. He received permission to take as many as 62 course credits per quarter compared to the normal limit of 19,[153] while still continuing to act, receiving many of his credits from independent study for his involvement on the set of Spider-Man 3. He received his undergraduate degree in June 2008 with a GPA of 3.5/4.0.[153][24][154] For his degree, Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson.[24]

Franco was selected as the commencement speaker at UCLA, and was to speak at the ceremony on June 12, 2009. Several months before commencement, an editorial in the student newspaper questioned his "caliber" and a student created a Facebook page protesting the choice.[155] On June 3, Franco withdrew, citing a date conflict with location pre-production on a film.[156][157] On January 26, 2011, Franco and the Harvard Lampoon released a satirical video on prominent comedy website Funny or Die mocking his last-minute cancellation.[158]

Franco moved to New York to simultaneously attend graduate school at Columbia University School of the Arts for writing, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking,[103][159] and Brooklyn College for fiction writing,[153] while also attending the low-residency MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina's Warren Wilson College for poetry.[24] He received his M.F.A. from Columbia in 2010.[160] As of 2010, Franco was studying in the Ph.D. program in English at Yale University.[161][162] He has also attended the Rhode Island School of Design.[24]

In an interview with Showbiz411, on September 23, 2010, Franco made the erroneous public announcement that he received a "D" grade in "Acting" class at the NYU Graduate Film School.[163] He had, in fact, received that grade in a "Directing the Actor" class.[164] Franco's professor, José Angel Santana, alleged that Franco did not earn his grades while attending that school and stated that Franco only received high marks and a degree because of his celebrity status as an actor.[165][164] Franco made unfavorable comments about Santana's teaching. In September 2012, after having been terminated from his position Santana filed a lawsuit against Franco for defamation; Santana claimed that Franco's comments were false and had led to his termination.[166][167] In September 2013, Franco and Santana settled the defamation lawsuit. "The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties," said Santana's attorney Matthew Blit.[168] Franco defended himself on the Howard Stern Show, stating that he had told the professor before the semester began that he would have to miss most classes to film 127 Hours and that they had agreed that Franco would receive a "D" in the course.[169]

In March 2013, Franco was featured in half-page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA which celebrated the university's famous alumnus as a "prolific academic" and carried the tagline: "Some A-Listers Actually Get A's".[170]

Sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuit

In 2014, a seventeen-year-old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and Franco on Instagram.[171][172] The messages showed that Franco, then aged 35, tried to meet her in a hotel room after she told him she was seventeen. He sent multiple pictures of himself to prove his real identity. Franco admitted on Live! With Kelly and Michael that he had written the messages.[173][174] Though his actions were legal, given the age of consent in New York is seventeen, he was the subject of media backlash due to the wide age gap. He initially responded to the scandal by tweeting, "I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you." He later stated he was "embarrassed" and that "I learned my lesson."[175][176]

At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Franco wore a Time's Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement, to protest sexual harassment against women.[177] His pin drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy, who hinted she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play. A former girlfriend, Violet Paley, also alleged that he once forced her to give him oral sex in a car while they were dating.[178] On January 9, 2018, The New York Times, citing the allegations, canceled a planned event with Franco.[179] On January 10, Franco said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the accusations made against him on Twitter were "not accurate".[177]

On January 11, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women were accusing Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when Franco was serving as their acting teacher or mentor. One former student stated that Franco "would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts" in his projects. Another alleged that Franco held a sex scenes class and removed students' vaginal guards while simulating oral sex with them. Franco's attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed the women's' allegations.[180]

In her 2018 memoir, Busy Philipps puts forth an account in which Franco screamed at her before violently shoving her to the ground while on the set of Freaks and Geeks.[181]

On October 3, 2019, two former students of Franco's now-closed film and acting school, Studio 4, filed a lawsuit against him and his partners. According to The New York Times, the complaint alleged that the program "was little more than a scheme to provide him and his male collaborators with a pool of young female performers that they could take advantage of." The case claimed that pupils were subjected to "sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots" and had to sign away their rights to the recordings.[182] The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any questionable material. Franco has denied the plaintiffs' claims through his attorney.[183]

On February 21, 2021, it was reported that the lawsuit was settled and that, according to documents filed on February 11, both students had agreed to drop their individual claims.[184][185] The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval by March 15, 2021.[186] In June 2021, terms of the settlement were revealed, and it was disclosed that Franco, pending a judge's approval, would pay more than $2.2 million to resolve two different legal disputes: one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation (they will receive $894,000), and another class-action plaint by approximately 1,500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded. A joint statement by the plaintiffs and defendants reads in part: "While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood."[187]

Actor Charlyne Yi, who worked with Franco on The Disaster Artist, claimed in April 2021 that after trying to quit the film over the allegations, they were offered a bigger role by filmmakers. Yi viewed this enticement as an attempted bribe, and also accused Franco's long-time co-star Seth Rogen of enabling his behavior.[188][189] A month later, Rogen commented on the allegations against Franco, expressing doubts that he would ever work with him again.[190][191]

On December 23, 2021, Franco admitted to having sex with students and having been in treatment for sex addiction since 2016, though he did not address other forms of sexual exploitation.[99][192]

Philanthropy

Franco has volunteered at the charity Art of Elysium, which helps children with serious medical conditions. He said the experience helped save his life. In January 2011, at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles, Franco was honored for his work at the hospital, receiving the Spirit of Elysium accolade.[193]

On March 31, 2011, the actor took part in "An Evening with James Franco", a Washington D.C. dinner benefit for 826DC, a non-profit after-school literature program. Franco became involved with Dave Eggers' 826 National after Eggers asked him to do a conceptual idea for the program, and he directed a documentary for them and has since been a supporter of them. At the event, he spoke about how he thought schools needed to be more original with their literature programs. "Writing can do things that video cannot", he added.[194] In April 2011, Franco autographed a T-shirt that would be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation, with the proceeds being donated for Japanese tsunami relief.[195] On June 14, he was honored by amfAR, the foundation for AIDS research, at the Museum of Modern Art. Franco received the Piaget Award of Inspiration for his humanitarian work and contributions to men's style.[196]

In April 2013, Franco received the Ally Award at the 15th annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The award was presented to him in recognition of his unwavering support of the LGBT community.[197]

In April 2014, Franco presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Leighton Meester and Chris O'Dowd, after raising donations at his Broadway show Of Mice and Men.[198] In June 2014, Franco performed in the BC/EFA benefit Broadway Bares.[199]

Filmography and awards

Main articles: James Franco filmography and List of awards and nominations received by James Franco

Selected works

  • Franco, James. "A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art". The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2009.
  • Franco, James. "Just Before the Black". Esquire, March 24, 2010.
  • Franco, Betsy (2009). Metamorphosis: Junior Year [With Earbuds]. Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0763-6-3765-1.
  • Franco, James (2010). Palo Alto: Stories. Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4391-6314-6.
  • Hoffman, Alice (2011). Ploughshares Winter 2011–2012. ISBN 978-1933-0-5821-4.
  • Mattson, Joseph (2011). The Speed Chronicles. Akashic Books. ISBN 978-1617-7-5028-1.
  • n+1 Issue 13: Machine Politics. n+1. 2012. ISBN 978-0982-5-9775-0.
  • La Force, Thessaly (2012). My Ideal Bookshelf. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0316-2-0090-5.
  • Franco, James (2012). Dangerous Book Four Boys. Rizzoli International Publications. ISBN 978-0847-8-3813-4.
  • Franco, James (2012). 113 Crickets: Volume 2. Dymaxicon. ISBN 978-1937-9-6506-8.
  • The Coffin Factory (Issue 3). The Coffin Factory. 2012.
  • Franco, James (2012). Strongest of the Litter: (The Hollyridge Press Chapbook Series). Hollyridge Press. ISBN 978-0984-3-1005-0.
  • Franco, James (2013). A California Childhood. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1608-8-7202-2.
  • Franco, James (2013). Actors Anonymous. Little A / New Harvest. ISBN 978-0544-1-1453-1.
  • Franco, James (2014). Directing Herbert White: Poems. Graywolf Press. ISBN 978-1555-9-7673-6.
  • Franco, James (2014). Hollywood Dreaming. Insight Editions. ISBN 978-1-60887-343-2.

Discography

Albums

  • 2011: Turn It Up EP – collaboration with Kalup Linzy
  • 2012: MotorCity EP – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy"[200]
  • 2016: Let Me Get What I Want – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy"[201]

Music on other albums

  • 2013: "Hanging with Da Dopeboys" – featuring DangeRuss from album Spring Breakers: Music from the Motion Picture
  • 2013: "I Love You" – featuring Kalup Linzy from album Romantic Loner
  • 2015: "11/22/63"

Stage

Year Title Role Character Venue
2014 Of Mice and Men Performer George Longacre Theatre
2014 The Long Shift Director Rattlestick Theatre

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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Franco.
  • James Franco at IMDb

January 26, 2023
james, franco, james, edward, franco, born, april, 1978, american, actor, filmmaker, starred, numerous, films, including, raimi, spider, trilogy, 2002, 2007, milk, 2008, pray, love, 2010, rise, planet, apes, 2011, spring, breakers, 2012, great, powerful, 2013,. James Edward Franco born April 19 1978 is an American actor and filmmaker He has starred in numerous films including Sam Raimi s Spider Man trilogy 2002 2007 Milk 2008 Eat Pray Love 2010 Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 Spring Breakers 2012 and Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen having appeared in eight films and one television series with him examples being Pineapple Express 2008 This Is the End 2013 Sausage Party 2016 and The Disaster Artist 2017 for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor For his role in 127 Hours 2010 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor James FrancoFranco in March 2013BornJames Edward Franco 1978 04 19 April 19 1978 age 44 Palo Alto California U S EducationUniversity of California Los Angeles BA Columbia University MFA OccupationsActorproducerdirectorwriterpainterYears active1997 presentWorksFilmographyRelativesDave Franco brother Tom Franco brother AwardsFull listFranco is also known for his work on television where his first prominent acting role was the character Daniel Desario on the short lived ensemble comedy drama Freaks and Geeks 1999 2000 which developed a cult following He portrayed the title character in the television biographical film James Dean 2001 for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received nominations for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital 2009 2012 and starred in the limited series 11 22 63 2016 He starred in the David Simon created HBO drama The Deuce 2017 2019 Franco volunteers for The Art of Elysium charity and has taught film classes at New York University the University of Southern California UCLA Studio 4 Palo Alto High School and Playhouse West 1 2 3 4 5 During his time as a teacher Franco admitted to having sex with several of his students which led to lawsuits and a 2 million sexual misconduct settlement in 2021 6 7 Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 2 1 1997 2001 2 2 2002 2007 2 3 2008 2010 2 4 2011 present 3 Other projects 4 In the media 5 Personal life 5 1 Religion 5 2 Relationships and sexuality 5 3 Education 6 Sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuit 7 Philanthropy 8 Filmography and awards 9 Selected works 10 Discography 10 1 Albums 10 2 Music on other albums 11 Stage 12 References 13 External linksEarly lifeJames Edward Franco was born in Palo Alto California 8 on April 19 1978 9 His mother Betsy Lou nee Verne is a children s book author and occasional actress and his father Douglas Eugene Franco ran a Silicon Valley business 10 11 His father was of Portuguese from Madeira and Swedish ancestry while his mother is Jewish from a family of Russian Jewish descent 12 13 14 15 His paternal grandmother Marjorie nee Peterson is a published author of young adult books 11 16 His maternal grandfather Daniel changed his surname from Verovitz to Verne some time after 1940 15 17 18 and his maternal grandmother Mitzie nee Levine owned the prominent Verne Art Gallery in Cleveland Ohio and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women 19 20 21 Franco s family upbringing was academic liberal and largely secular 22 He grew up in California with his two younger brothers actors Tom and Dave 23 A math whiz Franco interned at Lockheed Martin 24 He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and did well on the SAT 22 He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996 where he acted in plays This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theater studies 24 25 In his high school years Franco was arrested for underage drinking graffiti and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates 26 These arrests led to Franco briefly becoming a ward of the state Facing the possibility of juvenile hall he was given a second chance by the judge 15 He recalled of his troubles with the law It was teen angst I was uncomfortable in my own skin I was shy I changed my ways just in time to get good grades 22 Although the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him Franco had always secretly wanted to become an actor but feared being rejected 15 He enrolled at the University of California Los Angeles UCLA as an English major 27 but dropped out after his first year against his parents wishes 24 to pursue a career as an actor since he would have had to wait two years to audition for their acting program 15 He instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West 25 Around this time he took up a late night job at McDonald s to support himself because his parents refused to do so He was a vegetarian for the year prior to working there 28 While working at the establishment he would practice accents on customers an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 Washington Post editorial titled McDonald s was there for me when no one else was 15 29 Acting career1997 2001 After 15 months of training Franco began auditioning in Los Angeles His first paid role was a television commercial for Pizza Hut featuring a dancing Elvis Presley 30 He found guest roles on television shows but his first break came in 1999 after he was cast in a leading role on the short lived but well reviewed NBC television series Freaks and Geeks 31 which ran for 18 episodes and was canceled due to low viewership Later the show became a cult hit among audiences 32 He has since described the series as one of the most fun work experiences that he has had 33 In another interview Franco said When we were doing Freaks and Geeks I didn t quite understand how movies and TV worked and I would improvise even if the camera wasn t on me So I was improvising a little bit back then but not in a productive way 23 After his film debut Never Been Kissed he played a popular jock Chris in Whatever It Takes 2000 a modern day remake of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac 34 35 He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell s 2001 TV biographical film James Dean 36 37 To immerse himself in the role Franco went from being a non smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day bleached his dark brown hair blond and learned to ride a motorcycle as well as play guitar and the bongos 36 To have a greater understanding of Dean Franco spent hours with two of Dean s associates Other research included reading books on Dean and studying his movies 36 While filming James Dean Franco to get into character cut off communication with his family and friends as well as his then girlfriend It was a very lonely existence he notes If I wasn t on a set I was watching James Dean That was my whole thinking James Dean James Dean 36 Despite already being a fan of Dean Franco feared he might be typecast if he d captured the actor too convincingly Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean but instead gets under the skin of this insecure rootless young man 38 He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award SAG 39 40 41 2002 2007 Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention in the 2002 superhero film Spider Man when he played Harry Osborn the son of the villainous Green Goblin Willem Dafoe and best friend of Spider Man Tobey Maguire Originally Franco was considered for the lead role of Spider Man Peter Parker in the film 42 Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that there are good moments between Maguire and Franco in the film 43 Spider Man was a commercial and critical success 44 The movie grossed 114 million during its opening weekend in North America and went on to earn 822 million worldwide 45 Franco at the Spider Man 3 premiere April 2007 He next starred in Sonny a 2002 release in which he was directed by fellow actor Nicolas Cage whose involvement had attracted Franco to the film 46 Set in 1980s New Orleans Sonny follows the titular character Franco returning home after just being discharged from the Army To prepare for his role he met with sex workers or people who had previously been prostitutes 46 The movie was panned by critics with the New York Post s Lou Lumenick calling it an instant candidate for worst movie of the year 47 Franco was cast as a homeless drug addict in the drama City by the Sea 2002 after co star Robert De Niro saw a snippet of his work in James Dean 36 He lived on the streets for several days to better understand the subject matter 48 as well as talking to former or still using drug addicts 46 He also co starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman s ballet movie The Company 2003 22 The success of the first Spider Man film led Franco to reprise the role in the 2004 sequel Spider Man 2 The movie was well received by critics 44 and it proved to be a big financial success setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America 49 With revenue of 783 million worldwide it became the second highest grossing film in 2004 45 The following year he made and starred in the black comedy The Ape 22 and the 2005 war film The Great Raid in which he portrayed Robert Prince a captain in the United States Army s elite Sixth Ranger Battalion In 2006 Franco co starred with Tyrese Gibson in Annapolis and played legendary hero Tristan in Tristan amp Isolde a period piece dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring British actress Sophia Myles For the former he did eight months of boxing training and for the latter he practiced horseback riding and sword fighting 50 He then completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in Flyboys 26 which was released in September 2006 the same month Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man the remake of the seminal horror film Also in 2006 he made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy The Holiday 37 Franco preparing to ride in the Blue Angels No 7 with Patrick Palma in a two seat F A 18B in August 2006 He again played Harry Osborn in Spider Man 3 2007 In contrast to the previous two films positive reviews Spider Man 3 was met with a mixed reception by critics 44 Nonetheless with a total worldwide gross of 891 million it stands as the most successful film in the series and Franco s highest grossing film to date 45 In this same year Franco made a cameo appearance as himself in the Apatow directed comedy Knocked Up which starred Freaks and Geeks alumni Seth Rogen Jason Segel and Martin Starr 26 Franco co starred with Sienna Miller in the low budget independent film Camille a dark fantasy dramedy about a young newlywed couple and Interview where he appears in a voice only role both 2007 movies that were ignored by audiences and critics alike Among his other 2007 projects were Good Time Max which Franco wrote directed and starred in The movie premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and tells the story of two talented brothers who take very diverse paths in life one going on to become a doctor whilst the other sibling Franco experiences unemployment and uses drugs The actor chose to cast himself in that role because It was really just a process of elimination I was better suited for this role than the responsible surgeon 51 2008 2010 He next starred in Pineapple Express 2008 a stoner comedy co starring and co written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow 33 52 Of Franco s character Apatow said You tell him Okay you re going to play a pot dealer and he comes back with a three dimensional character you totally believe exists He takes it very seriously even when it s comedy 53 In her New York Times review critic Manohla Dargis wrote He s delightful as Saul loosey goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF Woman Acceptance Factor It s an unshowy generous performance and it greatly humanizes a movie that as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise becomes disappointingly sober and self serious 54 His performance earned him a second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy 39 He has stated in some interviews that he no longer uses cannabis although he has occasionally alluded to smoking it most notably during an extended segment on The Colbert Report 55 He was awarded High Times magazine s Stoner of the Year Award for his work in Pineapple Express 56 In 2008 he also appeared in two films by American artist Carter exhibited at the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris 57 On September 20 2008 he hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live SNL 58 and a second time on December 19 2009 59 Franco at the premiere of 127 Hours Franco starred with Sean Penn Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch in Gus Van Sant s Milk 2008 60 In the film he plays Scott Smith the boyfriend of Harvey Milk Penn Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times in review of the film wrote Franco is a nice match for him Penn as the lover who finally has enough of political life 61 For his performance in the film Franco won the Independent Spirit Award in the category for Best Supporting Actor 62 In late 2009 he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital on a recurring basis He plays Franco a multimedia artist much like himself 24 who comes to Port Charles to do an art exhibition and becomes obsessed with Jason Morgan Steve Burton 63 Franco has called his General Hospital role performance art 64 Franco began 2010 by making an appearance on the sitcom 30 Rock where he played himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney Jane Krakowski in a scheme concocted by their respective agents 65 After appearing in the commercial successes Date Night an action comedy and Eat Pray Love an adaption of a novel Franco played poet Allen Ginsberg in the drama Howl released on September 24 18 The latter about his most known poem and the trial about the work premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned modest reviews 44 In his next project 127 Hours directed by Danny Boyle Franco portrayed real life mountain climber Aron Ralston It was given a limited release starting on November 5 2010 66 127 Hours centered on Ralston trying to free his hand after it became trapped under a boulder in a ravine while canyoneering alone in Utah and resorting to desperate measures in order to survive eventually amputating his arm During the five week 12 hours per day shoot Franco would only leave the gully set to use the lavatory and would read books such as academic textbooks to keep busy 67 Franco later called making 127 Hours a once in a lifetime experience 68 To date 127 Hours is one of his most well reviewed movies 44 and was also a commercial success earning 60 7 million against an 18 million budget 66 His performance earned him universal acclaim from critics Subsequently he was nominated for an Academy Award Golden Globe and SAG award as well as winning an Independent Spirit Award 2011 present On February 23 2011 Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC s Minute to Win It where the real life Ralston was participating as a contestant playing for charity 69 After having an uncredited cameo in the opening scene of The Green Hornet 2011 70 he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Danny McBride in the Medieval fantasy comedy Your Highness 71 In the film he plays Fabious a prince who teams up with his brother McBride to rescue the soon to be bride of Fabious played by Zooey Deschanel In May 2010 he was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt s 93 million budgeted Rise of the Planet of the Apes a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series 72 which was released on August 5 Franco starred alongside Winona Ryder in The Letter originally entitled The Stare directed by Jay Anania He was cast as a drug addicted lawyer in About Cherry also starring Heather Graham which started shooting the following month in California 73 He dropped out of the indie film While We re Young 74 to star in Oz the Great and Powerful a Disney prequel to L Frank Baum s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1900 Filming began in July 2011 and the film was released on March 8 2013 He has signed to do a sequel to it 75 76 At the end of September 2010 the actor acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott s The Adderall Diaries with the intention to adapt direct and star in the film 77 It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in but direct himself in The Night Stalker a film version of author Philip Carlo s book about the 1980s serial killer Richard Ramirez Co screenwriter of the screenplay Nicholas Constantine was initially unconvinced that Franco would be right for the movie until he learned of Franco s desire to be a director and later watched three of his short films one of which featured a serial killer ultimately confirming to the writer that the actor had a darker side 78 Franco also directed a film version of William Faulkner s novel As I Lay Dying 79 the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival 80 In late 2013 Franco starred in This Is the End as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with Seth Rogen Jay Baruchel Craig Robinson Jonah Hill and Danny McBride also fictionalized versions of themselves 81 In February 2012 Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy s 1973 novella Child of God which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard The film chronicles the depraved and violent impulses of the young Tennessee backwoodsman after he is dispossessed of his ancestral land Child of God was selected in official competition at the 70th Venice Film Festival an official selection to the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and an official selection to the prestigious 51st New York Film Festival In 2013 Franco starred as the gangster Alien in Harmony Korine s Spring Breakers with Vanessa Hudgens Selena Gomez Ashley Benson Gucci Mane and Rachel Korine A24 films began a campaign in September 2013 in support of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Franco s performance 82 In March 2013 it was announced that Franco was set to make his 2014 Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck s Of Mice and Men 83 In October 2013 Franco appeared in the music video for City of Angels by Thirty Seconds to Mars 84 On March 8 2013 Franco received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard 85 Franco at the New York Film Critics Series premiere of Child of God In April 2014 Franco directed and appeared in Techno Color Sunglasses which promoted Gucci s eyewear collection 86 In December Franco starred in the controversial Sony comedy thriller The Interview a film which played a central role in the real world diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea as they related to the 2014 Sony hacking incident 87 In April 2015 two of his projects titled I Am Michael and True Story were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival In I Am Michael Franco plays a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a conservative Christian pastor with a girlfriend In True Story based on a true story Franco played Christian Longo a man who was on the FBI s most wanted list for murdering his wife and three children in Oregon and who had also been hiding under the identity of Michael Finkel a journalist played by Jonah Hill 88 In 2015 Franco was cast in the lead role for the Hulu limited series 11 22 63 which is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King 89 The eight episode series premiered on February 15 2016 90 In 2016 Franco co produced and starred in King Cobra a true story about the rise of gay pornographic actor Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis Franco played Joseph Kerekes who along with his partner was convicted of the murder In the comedy Why Him released in December 2016 Franco played an immature tech billionaire whose girlfriend s conservative father tries to intervene in the couple s relationship with Zoey Deutch playing the girlfriend and Bryan Cranston as her father 91 He briefly appeared in the Alien prequel Alien Covenant alongside friend and frequent collaborator Danny McBride and Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace He played Branson the captain of the Covenant ship and husband to Daniels played by Katherine Waterston The film was released on May 19 2017 92 In 2016 Franco directed co produced and starred in The Disaster Artist the film adaptation of actor Greg Sestero s non fiction book of the same name about the making of The Room which is considered to be one of worst films ever made 93 In the film Franco portrayed the film s star director screenwriter and producer Tommy Wiseau while Franco s brother Dave portrayed Sestero 94 Franco remained in character as Wiseau throughout the entirety of the shoot 95 The Disaster Artist was released on December 1 2017 to positive reviews while his portrayal of Wiseau gained near universal praise 96 His performance won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 97 At the end of 2017 Franco almost 40 said he was slowing down to focus on himself 98 On December 23 2021 Franco gave his first interview in nearly four years when he appeared on an episode of the Jess Cagle Podcast 99 In August 2022 Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in Alina in Cuba a casting decision that was supported by Fidel Castro s daughter 100 101 Other projects Franco signing an autograph Franco produced and directed a documentary titled Saturday Night documenting a week in the production of an episode of SNL 102 The film began as a short for an NYU class but grew due to his two episodes as host while short stories he wrote for other classes appeared in Esquire and McSweeney s 24 In summer 2010 the fictional Franco from General Hospital held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles while the real Franco held an exhibit at the museum based on his experiences on the soap opera 24 In 2008 Franco was named as the face of Gucci s men s fragrance line 103 104 His short films as director The Feast of Stephen and Herbert White were both presented within Maryland Film Festival in May 2010 Another of his short movies The Clerk s Tale was screened in competition at the Hamptons Film Festival at the end of 2010 77 In June 2010 James Franco presented his first solo exhibition The Dangerous Book Four Boys presented at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City Curated by Alanna Heiss the show featured video drawings sculptures and installation 105 106 On October 19 2010 Scribner published a collection of short stories Palo Alto by Franco 107 The book is named after the California city where Franco grew up and is dedicated to many of the writers he worked with at Brooklyn College Inspired by some of Franco s own teenage memories 50 Palo Alto and memories written and submitted by high school students at Palo Alto Senior High School 108 consists of life in Palo Alto as experienced by a series of teenagers who spend most of their time indulging in driving drunk smoking marijuana and taking part in unplanned acts of violence Each passage is told by a young narrator 109 The book has received mixed reviews Los Angeles Times called it the work of an ambitious young man who clearly loves to read who has a good eye for detail but who has spent way too much time on style and virtually none on substance 107 The Guardian reported that Franco s foray into the literary world may be met with cynicism in some quarters but this is a promising debut from a most unlikely source 110 Writing in The New York Times reviewer and fellow author Joshua Mohr praised Franco for how in the story American History he juxtaposed historical parts with a present day social commentary that makes the we wonder how much we ve actually evolved in post bellum America 111 At least one editor of a literary journal testified he would not publish Franco s stories claiming he has been published due to his star power not literary talent 112 Publishers Weekly reviewed the collection stating The author fails to find anything remotely insightful to say in these 11 amazingly underwhelming stories 113 In January 2011 Franco screened his multimedia project entitled Three s Company The Drama in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival 114 Franco reunited with Milk director Van Sant to make Unfinished a project that features two movies Endless Idaho and My Own Private River Endless Idaho showcases edited outtakes deleted scenes and behind the scenes footage from the 1991 movie My Own Private Idaho while My Own Private River focuses on actor River Phoenix 115 The idea for the exhibition was conceived after Van Sant introduced unused footage from the 1991 film to Franco inspiring him to turn it into something more Unfinished opened from February 26 to April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills 115 Franco at the Austin Film Festival October 23 2011 On February 27 2011 he and Anne Hathaway hosted the 83rd Academy Awards The two were selected to help the awards show achieve its goal of attracting a younger audience 116 Franco had previously said that he accepted the job for the experience and because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity 117 Numerous media viewers criticized Franco for his discontent and lack of energy on stage and the show was widely panned with some reviewers dubbing it the worst telecast in its history 118 119 120 The actor later spoke about his hosting in an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman He explained that when accepting the job he never had high hopes adding It was never on my list of things to do It doesn t mean I didn t care and it doesn t mean I didn t try right Regarding allegations that he was under the influence of marijuana while hosting Franco commented I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway She has a lot of energy He concluded that he tried his best and could have had low energy during the telecast 121 In May Franco made his dance theater directorial debut at New York s Stella Adler Studios where he narrated all the performances Entitled Collage and described as a mixed media piece the show featured live dance theater music and poetry Tickets were free but were distributed on a first come first served basis 122 The actor also directed two short films for songs Blue and That Someone Is You by R E M from their album Collapse into Now 2011 123 Franco continued his career as a filmmaker with The Broken Tower a 90 minute docudrama shot in black and white about poet Hart Crane who committed suicide by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba 124 It originally started out as his master s thesis 125 It was screened at 2011 s Los Angeles Film Festival among more than 200 feature films short projects and music videos from more than 30 countries 126 It was released on DVD in 2012 127 In 2011 Franco taught a graduate level film course at New York University s Tisch School of the Arts 128 129 He has also taught film classes at USC and UCLA as well as a screenwriting class on the online learning community Skillshare 130 For his students film projects Franco has helped to attract actors including Seth MacFarlane Kate Mara Natalie Portman Chloe Sevigny Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde 131 Franco developed an aptitude for art painting in particular during his high school years while attending the California State Summer School for the Arts CSSSA 25 Franco has said painting was the outlet he needed in high school and he has actually been painting longer than he has been acting 132 His paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glu Gallery in Los Angeles from January 7 through February 11 2006 25 133 He launched his first European art exhibition in 2011 at Peres Projects in Berlin 109 In September 2012 Franco announced the release of his band Daddy s first single Love in the Old Days and their first EP MotorCity 134 On July 9 2013 Franco announced that he would be the featured roastee on the next Comedy Central Roast 135 The roast aired on September 2 2013 136 In February 2014 Franco wrote an article in The New York Times in support of the metamodernist performance art of Shia LaBeouf describing LaBeouf s project as one in which a young man in a very public profession tries to reclaim his public persona 137 138 In April 2014 the literary publisher Graywolf Press issued Franco s first collection of poetry Directing Herbert White The title alludes to a poem made by Franco into a 2010 short film by Frank Bidart who has served as friend and mentor to Franco 139 In the mediaViewed as a sex symbol Franco was named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009 by Salon 140 There has often been frequent media coverage of Franco particularly regarding his interest in going to colleges In addition to that Franco has also claimed to have been strongly misquoted by reports in the media 141 and news outlets reporting erroneous information about him 142 This led to the actor being parodied in an episode of SNL s Weekend Update segment which an Entertainment Weekly writer deemed clever 143 In a 2011 interview he stated I ve been perceived as this guy yelling Hey look at me I want attention I m not going to school to get articles written about me I m just going to school But the fact that I m going to school or that someone takes a picture of me sleeping is like We re gonna jump on that and criticize him for his antics What antics I write I make movies I m going to school I hosted the Oscars I take these projects seriously 141 Franco has deliberately garnered a reputation for publishing selfies and wrote an explanatory article for The New York Times in December 2013 He stated A well stocked collection of selfies seems to get attention And attention seems to be the name of the game when it comes to social networking In this age of too much information at a click of a button the power to attract viewers amid the sea of things to read and watch is power indeed It s what the movie studios want for their products it s what professional writers want for their work it s what newspapers want hell it s what everyone wants attention Attention is power 144 In April 2012 Shalom Life ranked Franco and his brother Dave together as number two on its list of 50 talented and attractive Jewish men 145 In 2013 Franco was featured as the cover model and featured focus in the men s magazine Man of the World 146 In other forms of media a Chicago based theater company Under the Gun Theater developed a show inspired by and titled after Franco The 2015 production of Dear James Franco used parodied and deconstructed letters penned to or by celebrities The performances used improvisation to satirize their subject matter 147 Personal lifeReligion Franco has described himself as Jewish 17 regarding his secular upbringing he told The Guardian that he feels as if he has missed out on the Jewish experience but has been told not to worry about that by his Jewish friends and said in the same interview that he likes the idea of religion as a source of community When asked if he was a believer he responded In God I don t know Yes To a certain extent It s a complicated question 22 In 2015 he had an official bar mitzvah ceremony presided over by a rabbi 148 Relationships and sexuality Due to his support for the LGBT community and his portrayal of gay characters in his projects Franco s sexuality has been a subject of discussion in media sources 149 In a March 2015 interview with Four Two Nine magazine Franco again opened up about his sexuality stating In the twenties and thirties they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept with Sailors would fuck guys all the time but as long as they behaved in masculine ways they weren t considered gay Well I like to think that I m gay in my art and straight in my life 150 After meeting on the set of Whatever It Takes in 1999 Franco dated co star Marla Sokoloff for five years 151 He was later in a relationship with actress Ahna O Reilly until 2011 151 152 He confirmed their separation in an interview for Playboy magazine s August 2011 issue saying that his interest in education got between them 141 Education Franco dissatisfied with his career s direction 24 reenrolled at UCLA in autumn 2006 as an English major with a creative writing concentration He received permission to take as many as 62 course credits per quarter compared to the normal limit of 19 153 while still continuing to act receiving many of his credits from independent study for his involvement on the set of Spider Man 3 He received his undergraduate degree in June 2008 with a GPA of 3 5 4 0 153 24 154 For his degree Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson 24 Franco was selected as the commencement speaker at UCLA and was to speak at the ceremony on June 12 2009 Several months before commencement an editorial in the student newspaper questioned his caliber and a student created a Facebook page protesting the choice 155 On June 3 Franco withdrew citing a date conflict with location pre production on a film 156 157 On January 26 2011 Franco and the Harvard Lampoon released a satirical video on prominent comedy website Funny or Die mocking his last minute cancellation 158 Franco moved to New York to simultaneously attend graduate school at Columbia University School of the Arts for writing New York University s Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking 103 159 and Brooklyn College for fiction writing 153 while also attending the low residency MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina s Warren Wilson College for poetry 24 He received his M F A from Columbia in 2010 160 As of 2010 Franco was studying in the Ph D program in English at Yale University 161 162 He has also attended the Rhode Island School of Design 24 In an interview with Showbiz411 on September 23 2010 Franco made the erroneous public announcement that he received a D grade in Acting class at the NYU Graduate Film School 163 He had in fact received that grade in a Directing the Actor class 164 Franco s professor Jose Angel Santana alleged that Franco did not earn his grades while attending that school and stated that Franco only received high marks and a degree because of his celebrity status as an actor 165 164 Franco made unfavorable comments about Santana s teaching In September 2012 after having been terminated from his position Santana filed a lawsuit against Franco for defamation Santana claimed that Franco s comments were false and had led to his termination 166 167 In September 2013 Franco and Santana settled the defamation lawsuit The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties said Santana s attorney Matthew Blit 168 Franco defended himself on the Howard Stern Show stating that he had told the professor before the semester began that he would have to miss most classes to film 127 Hours and that they had agreed that Franco would receive a D in the course 169 In March 2013 Franco was featured in half page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA which celebrated the university s famous alumnus as a prolific academic and carried the tagline Some A Listers Actually Get A s 170 Sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuitIn 2014 a seventeen year old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and Franco on Instagram 171 172 The messages showed that Franco then aged 35 tried to meet her in a hotel room after she told him she was seventeen He sent multiple pictures of himself to prove his real identity Franco admitted on Live With Kelly and Michael that he had written the messages 173 174 Though his actions were legal given the age of consent in New York is seventeen he was the subject of media backlash due to the wide age gap He initially responded to the scandal by tweeting I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME Thank you He later stated he was embarrassed and that I learned my lesson 175 176 At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards Franco wore a Time s Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement to protest sexual harassment against women 177 His pin drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy who hinted she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play A former girlfriend Violet Paley also alleged that he once forced her to give him oral sex in a car while they were dating 178 On January 9 2018 The New York Times citing the allegations canceled a planned event with Franco 179 On January 10 Franco said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the accusations made against him on Twitter were not accurate 177 On January 11 2018 the Los Angeles Times reported that five women were accusing Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when Franco was serving as their acting teacher or mentor One former student stated that Franco would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts in his projects Another alleged that Franco held a sex scenes class and removed students vaginal guards while simulating oral sex with them Franco s attorney Michael Plonsker disputed the women s allegations 180 In her 2018 memoir Busy Philipps puts forth an account in which Franco screamed at her before violently shoving her to the ground while on the set of Freaks and Geeks 181 On October 3 2019 two former students of Franco s now closed film and acting school Studio 4 filed a lawsuit against him and his partners According to The New York Times the complaint alleged that the program was little more than a scheme to provide him and his male collaborators with a pool of young female performers that they could take advantage of The case claimed that pupils were subjected to sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots and had to sign away their rights to the recordings 182 The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any questionable material Franco has denied the plaintiffs claims through his attorney 183 On February 21 2021 it was reported that the lawsuit was settled and that according to documents filed on February 11 both students had agreed to drop their individual claims 184 185 The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval by March 15 2021 186 In June 2021 terms of the settlement were revealed and it was disclosed that Franco pending a judge s approval would pay more than 2 2 million to resolve two different legal disputes one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation they will receive 894 000 and another class action plaint by approximately 1 500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded A joint statement by the plaintiffs and defendants reads in part While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood 187 Actor Charlyne Yi who worked with Franco on The Disaster Artist claimed in April 2021 that after trying to quit the film over the allegations they were offered a bigger role by filmmakers Yi viewed this enticement as an attempted bribe and also accused Franco s long time co star Seth Rogen of enabling his behavior 188 189 A month later Rogen commented on the allegations against Franco expressing doubts that he would ever work with him again 190 191 On December 23 2021 Franco admitted to having sex with students and having been in treatment for sex addiction since 2016 though he did not address other forms of sexual exploitation 99 192 PhilanthropyFranco has volunteered at the charity Art of Elysium which helps children with serious medical conditions He said the experience helped save his life In January 2011 at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles Franco was honored for his work at the hospital receiving the Spirit of Elysium accolade 193 On March 31 2011 the actor took part in An Evening with James Franco a Washington D C dinner benefit for 826DC a non profit after school literature program Franco became involved with Dave Eggers 826 National after Eggers asked him to do a conceptual idea for the program and he directed a documentary for them and has since been a supporter of them At the event he spoke about how he thought schools needed to be more original with their literature programs Writing can do things that video cannot he added 194 In April 2011 Franco autographed a T shirt that would be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation with the proceeds being donated for Japanese tsunami relief 195 On June 14 he was honored by amfAR the foundation for AIDS research at the Museum of Modern Art Franco received the Piaget Award of Inspiration for his humanitarian work and contributions to men s style 196 In April 2013 Franco received the Ally Award at the 15th annual Miami Gay amp Lesbian Film Festival The award was presented to him in recognition of his unwavering support of the LGBT community 197 In April 2014 Franco presented at Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Leighton Meester and Chris O Dowd after raising donations at his Broadway show Of Mice and Men 198 In June 2014 Franco performed in the BC EFA benefit Broadway Bares 199 Filmography and awardsMain articles James Franco filmography and List of awards and nominations received by James FrancoSelected worksFranco James A Star a Soap and the Meaning of Art The Wall Street Journal December 4 2009 Franco James Just Before the Black Esquire March 24 2010 Franco Betsy 2009 Metamorphosis Junior Year With Earbuds Candlewick Press ISBN 978 0763 6 3765 1 Franco James 2010 Palo Alto Stories Scribner ISBN 978 1 4391 6314 6 Hoffman Alice 2011 Ploughshares Winter 2011 2012 ISBN 978 1933 0 5821 4 Mattson Joseph 2011 The Speed Chronicles Akashic Books ISBN 978 1617 7 5028 1 n 1 Issue 13 Machine Politics n 1 2012 ISBN 978 0982 5 9775 0 La Force Thessaly 2012 My Ideal Bookshelf Little Brown and Company ISBN 978 0316 2 0090 5 Franco James 2012 Dangerous Book Four Boys Rizzoli International Publications ISBN 978 0847 8 3813 4 Franco James 2012 113 Crickets Volume 2 Dymaxicon ISBN 978 1937 9 6506 8 The Coffin Factory Issue 3 The Coffin Factory 2012 Franco James 2012 Strongest of the Litter The Hollyridge Press Chapbook Series Hollyridge Press ISBN 978 0984 3 1005 0 Franco James 2013 A California Childhood Insight Editions ISBN 978 1608 8 7202 2 Franco James 2013 Actors Anonymous Little A New Harvest ISBN 978 0544 1 1453 1 Franco James 2014 Directing Herbert White Poems Graywolf Press ISBN 978 1555 9 7673 6 Franco James 2014 Hollywood Dreaming Insight Editions ISBN 978 1 60887 343 2 DiscographyAlbums 2011 Turn It Up EP collaboration with Kalup Linzy 2012 MotorCity EP with Tim O Keefe as the duo Daddy 200 2016 Let Me Get What I Want with Tim O Keefe as the duo Daddy 201 Music on other albums 2013 Hanging with Da Dopeboys featuring DangeRuss from album Spring Breakers Music from the Motion Picture 2013 I Love You featuring Kalup Linzy from album Romantic Loner 2015 11 22 63 StageYear Title Role Character Venue2014 Of Mice and Men Performer George Longacre Theatre2014 The Long Shift Director Rattlestick TheatreReferences Rathe Adam August 4 2011 James Franco NYU professor reveals details of his class Students will transfer poetry to film New York Daily News New York City Retrieved December 6 2021 Kaufman Amy October 9 2012 James Franco to teach film class at USC Los Angeles Times Retrieved February 27 2013 Kwok Adrienne Maese Czeropski Aidan September 7 2015 James Franco to teach film course in MAC The Paly Voice Retrieved September 29 2015 Kadvany Elena September 13 2015 Franco beings revolutionary film class with local high schoolers Palo Alto Online Retrieved September 29 2015 Alter Charlotte James Franco Just Announced His New Class in the Most James Franco Way Possible Time Retrieved January 8 2017 Fitzsimons Tim and Diana Dasrath June 30 2021 James Franco agrees to over 2 million settlement in sexual misconduct suit NBC News James Franco admits sleeping with students from his acting school BBC News December 23 2021 James Franco Biography TV Guide Retrieved October 4 2021 Monitor Entertainment Weekly No 1255 1256 March 19 26 2013 p 31 Finn Natalie October 4 2011 James Franco s Father Dies at 63 E Online Retrieved March 25 2012 a b Who s who of emerging leaders in America Marquis Who s Who 1991 ISBN 0 8379 7202 7 Raphael Amy January 24 2009 Acting clever The Guardian Retrieved May 7 2018 Applebaum Stephen February 24 2011 Interview James Franco The Jewish Chronicle Retrieved May 7 2018 James Franco Finds Harvard a Real Drag People February 14 2009 Retrieved May 7 2018 a b c d e f James Franco Inside the Actors Studio December 7 2010 Commire Anne 1985 Something about the Author Volume 38 Gale Research p 77 ISBN 0 8103 0071 0 a b Rhone Paysha February 14 2009 Spidey foe meets his match in Harvard s Hasty Pudding crew The Boston Globe Retrieved August 9 2009 a b Ganahl Jane January 23 2010 Howl s Cast and Crew on the Road to Sundance Vanity Fair Retrieved October 15 2010 Spevack Violet January 31 2002 Cavalcade Cleveland Jewish News Retrieved December 28 2010 Spevack Violet October 23 2009 Cavalcade 10 23 Cleveland Jewish News Retrieved December 28 2010 Case Western Reserve University Admission Case Archived from the original on October 24 2007 Retrieved August 8 2008 a b c d e f Raphael Amy January 24 2009 Acting clever The Guardian Retrieved May 1 2011 a b Van Sant Gus James Franco Interview p 1 Retrieved March 2 2009 a b c d e f g h i j k Anderson Sam July 25 2010 The James Franco Project New York a b c d James Franco Biography Yahoo Archived from the original on December 29 2008 Retrieved August 8 2008 a b c Soll Lindsay September 29 2006 10 Things You Don t Know About James Franco Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 6 2021 Posner Michael August 5 2008 Top of the food chain Globe and Mail Archived from the original on August 11 2010 Retrieved August 8 2008 Franco James May 7 2015 McDonald s was there for me when no one else was The Washington Post Retrieved December 8 2017 Franco James May 7 2015 McDonald s was there for me when no one else was The Washington Post Retrieved May 7 2015 Buchanan Kyle May 5 2011 James Franco Is Not Above Working at McDonald s Vulture Retrieved March 27 2013 Shout Factory Freaks And Geeks Shout Factory Archived from the original on May 20 2011 Retrieved August 8 2008 Guider Elizabeth October 14 2010 IFC picks up two Judd Apatow series The Hollywood Reporter a b United Press International Franco to reunite with Freaks pals United Press International Retrieved September 23 2006 Gleiberman Owen March 31 2000 What It Takes Review Entertainment Weekly Retrieved August 8 2008 Scott A O March 24 2000 Whatever It Takes Review The New York Times Retrieved August 8 2008 a b c d e Carter Kelly July 27 2001 James Franco The next James Dean USA Today Retrieved August 8 2008 a b Lee Chris August 6 2008 James Franco plays against type in Pineapple Express Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 3 2013 Retrieved August 8 2008 Tucker Ken August 3 2001 James Dean TV Review Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on April 21 2009 Retrieved August 13 2008 a b HFPA Awards Search Golden Globes Archived from the original on January 27 2011 Retrieved August 8 2008 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards Retrieved November 10 2018 2002 Emmys Nominees Winners Television Academy Retrieved November 10 2018 Mike Clark review USA Today May 3 2002 Retrieved January 23 2007 McCarthy Todd April 19 2002 Spider Man Review Variety Retrieved March 2 2009 a b c d e James Franco Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved March 7 2011 a b c James Franco Movie Box Office Results Box Office Mojo Retrieved March 2 2009 a b c Murray Rebecca Topel Fred James Franco Talks About Sonny About com Retrieved April 28 2011 Lumenick Lou December 27 2002 Sonny New York Post B Scotty September 4 2002 An Interview with James Franco IGN IGN Entertainment Retrieved March 6 2011 Spider Man 2 2004 Box Office Mojo June 30 2004 Retrieved December 9 2008 a b Potts Kim November 2 2010 127 Facts About James Franco Moviefone AOL Inc Archived from the original on August 7 2011 Retrieved March 6 2011 Thomson Katherine April 30 2007 James Franco is Good Time Max HuffPost Retrieved April 28 2011 Travers Peter August 7 2008 Pineapple Express Review Rolling Stone Archived from the original on August 22 2008 Retrieved December 6 2021 Mock Janet James Franco Timeline People Retrieved January 8 2011 Dargis Manohla August 6 2008 Pineapple Express Stoners Who Put the Bud in Buddies The New York Times Retrieved August 24 2008 James Franco Pt 2 The Colbert Report Comedy Central April 5 2011 Retrieved December 6 2021 Hager Steven September 30 2008 Franco s First Time High Times Archived from the original on January 30 2010 Retrieved January 4 2010 Freydkin Donna April 7 2009 Franco takes Erased James Franco to art USA Today Retrieved December 6 2021 Boedeker Hal September 21 2008 Saturday Night Live with James Franco improves in week two but still far from its peak Orlando Sentinel Roberts Soraya December 20 2009 James Franco hosts Saturday Night Live Actor pulls an Adam Lambert with man on man kiss Daily News New York City Retrieved December 6 2021 Freydkin Donna August 3 2008 Pineaple star Franco digs deep plays stoner and serious USA Today Retrieved August 8 2008 Turan Kenneth November 26 2008 Review Milk Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on August 5 2010 Retrieved February 23 2009 Smith Neil February 22 2009 Rourke steals Spirit award show BBC News Retrieved February 23 2009 Other acting awards went to Melissa Leo and Penelope Cruz both of whom are also up for Oscars and to James Franco for his supporting role in Milk Bryant Adam October 1 2009 James Franco to Appear on General Hospital TV Guide Retrieved October 1 2009 Stewart Dodai James Franco General Hospital Stint Is Performance Art Jezebel Retrieved September 12 2018 Stanhope Kate November 3 2009 James Franco to Guest Star on 30 Rock TV Guide Retrieved November 5 2009 a b 127 Hours Box Office Mojo Retrieved March 7 2011 Shone Tom January 4 2011 A class apart interview with James Franco The Daily Telegraph Limited London Archived from the original on January 10 2022 Retrieved March 7 2011 2011 Independent Spirit Awards James Franco Gives Encouragement to Aron Ralston on Minute to Win It Hollywood Reporter March 4 2011 Retrieved March 6 2011 Butler Robert W January 13 2011 The Green Hornet has dull plot lame humor Kansas City Star Archived from the original on January 16 2011 Retrieved March 7 2011 Kit Borys May 30 2009 Natalie Portman signs on for comedy Your Highness The Hollywood Reporter Reuters Retrieved June 1 2009 Siegel Tatiana May 20 2010 James Franco to star in Apes Variety Archived from the original on May 25 2010 Retrieved May 23 2010 Snieder Jeff May 18 2011 Franco Graham Patel board indie Cherry Variety Retrieved May 19 2011 Jagernauth Kevin March 6 2011 Noah Baumbach s While We re Young Loses James Franco amp Cate Blanchett Ben Stiller Still In IndieWire Snagfilms Archived from the original on July 13 2011 Retrieved March 6 2011 Chatter Who Should Replace Sam Raimi as Director of the Oz Sequel Fandango com March 11 2013 Cast Signed for Oz The Great amp Powerful Sequel But Not Sam Raimi firstshowing net March 11 2013 a b Fleming Mike September 29 2010 James Franco Buys The Adderall Diaries Deadline Hollywood Retrieved March 6 2011 Zakarin Jordan January 16 2011 James Franco The Night Stalker Star And Director HuffPost Retrieved December 6 2021 Friedman Devin Leading Man James Franco GQ Dec 2010 286 88 2013 Official Selection Cannes April 20 2013 Retrieved April 20 2013 Wallace Amy June 3 2013 James Franco and the All Star Cast of This Is the End GQ Retrieved December 2 2017 Rosen Christopher December 6 2021 James Franco s Spring Breakers Role Gets For Your Consideration Oscar Ad HuffPost Dzieemianowicz Joe March 6 2013 James Franco Says He s Coming to Broadway to Star in Of Mice and Men New York Daily News New York City Archived from the original on October 29 2013 Retrieved March 10 2013 Grow Kory October 29 2013 Thirty Seconds to Mars Recruit Kanye West Lindsay Lohan for Angels Rolling Stone Archived from the original on December 15 2013 Retrieved August 8 2014 Lombardi Ken March 8 2013 James Franco honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star CBS News Turra Alessandra April 7 2014 James Franco Directs Video for Gucci WWD Retrieved April 8 2014 On Then Off Now On Again The Interview With James Franco and Seth Rogen Is Back On New York Times by A O Scott Published December 25 2014 Retrieved December 26 2014 Nicholson Max February 27 2012 Hill Franco Join Pitt for True Story ign com Retrieved May 13 2012 Wagmeister Elizabeth February 12 2015 James Franco to Star in Hulu s Stephen King Series 11 22 63 Variety Retrieved February 22 2016 Petski Denise October 30 2015 Stephen King s 11 22 63 Event Series Gets Premiere Date On Hulu Deadline Hollywood Retrieved February 22 2016 Bradshaw Peter December 22 2016 Why Him review Bryan Cranston in disposable festive fun The Guardian Retrieved December 16 2017 Anderton Ethan December 9 2016 Alien Covenant Adds James Franco To The Cast Film Retrieved December 16 2017 James Franco s Production Company Acquires Book About So Bad It s Good Cult Movie The Room Deadline Hollywood February 7 2014 Retrieved August 24 2014 Rosen Christopher March 13 2017 James Franco s The Disaster Artist receives standing ovation Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 2 2017 Pearson Ben October 27 2017 James Franco Directed The Disaster Artist in Character as Tommy Wiseau Film Retrieved December 16 2017 The Disaster Artist 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved December 2 2017 Huff Lauren January 7 2018 Golden Globes James Franco Tommy Wiseau Accept Award for Best Actor for The Disaster Artist The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved January 7 2018 retrieved CBS Sunday Morning December 31 2017 Sunday Profile James Franco Interviewed by Tony Decopal a b Byrne Suzy December 23 2021 James Franco addresses allegations of sexually exploitative behavior admits he used his fame like a lure Yahoo Entertainment Retrieved December 23 2021 James Franco casting as Fidel Castro sparked a wave of backlash The Washington Post Fidel Castro s daughter endorses James Franco playing her father CNN August 9 2022 Itzkoff Dave May 3 2010 Things We Learned About Saturday Night Live From James Franco s Documentary The New York Times Retrieved July 30 2010 a b Kamp David December 2008 Franco cum Laude Vanity Fair New York City Retrieved December 6 2021 Pearlman Cindy November 30 2008 James Franco a big man in Milk and on campus Chicago Sun Times Smith Roberta August 19 2010 When an Actor Casts Himself as an Artist The New York Times Retrieved October 27 2014 Orden Erica June 17 2010 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Movie Star The Wall Street Journal Retrieved October 27 2014 a b A life in constant motion iol co za January 5 2011 Ram Megha November 26 2007 James Franco requests Paly students short stories PalyVoice a b Pidd Helen February 20 2011 The many lives of James Franco The Guardian London england Retrieved March 6 2011 Fox Killian February 1 2011 Palo Alto by James Franco review The Guardian Mohr Joshua October 22 2010 Teen Spirit Soured The New York Times Retrieved March 31 2011 Berglund Jeff February 24 2011 Oscar host s stories wouldn t get published in Purdue journal Purdue Exponent Online Retrieved December 5 2013 Fiction Book Review Palo Alto by James Franco Publishers Weekly Retrieved July 9 2021 Rancilio Alicia January 25 2011 James Franco Talks Crazy Projects at Sundance ABC News American Broadcasting Company Retrieved March 6 2011 a b Ng David February 23 2011 James Franco Gus Van Sant exhibition coming this week to Gagosian Gallery Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 6 2011 King Susan November 29 2010 James Franco Anne Hathaway to host Oscar telecast Jimmy Kimmel Live December 2 2010 ABC Studios Critics Oscars Were Historic Bomb WTXF TV February 28 2011 Archived from the original on March 3 2011 Retrieved February 28 2011 TheVideoMan February 28 2011 83rd Oscars Review To Hip To Be Square CNN Archived from the original on March 3 2011 Retrieved March 31 2011 Ebert Roger February 27 2011 Oscars King wins show loses Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on March 2 2011 Retrieved February 28 2011 Shira Dahvi March 31 2011 James Franco amp David Letterman Swap Oscar Horror Stories People Retrieved March 31 2011 Buchanan Kyle April 29 2011 James Franco to Mount Dance Theater Show New York Magazine Retrieved April 30 2011 James Franco Sam Taylor Wood guest direct new REM videos NME UK March 2 2011 Retrieved March 6 2011 Pfefferman Naomi June 15 2011 James Franco Q amp A His Film on Tortured Gay Poet Hart Crane The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles Retrieved July 16 2011 Vilensky Mike December 10 2010 James Franco on Playing Sailor Chasing Poet Hart Crane New York Retrieved June 19 2011 Kaufman Amy May 11 2011 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival will welcome stars Guillermo del Toro James Franco Ryan Reynolds and more Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 16 2011 Amazon com Broken Tower Michael Shannon James Franco Dave Franco Movies amp TV amazon com Retrieved September 11 2015 Staskiewicz Keith March 29 2011 James Franco to teach film course at NYU but no syllabus as of yet Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 6 2021 Hoffman Meredith September 23 2011 A Teacher This Actor Fits the Part The New York Times Retrieved June 13 2019 Kessler Sarah June 10 2014 For 25 You Can Now Take A Film Class Taught By James Franco Fast Company New York City Mansueto Ventures Retrieved April 25 2018 Ali Husam Sam February 26 2013 James Franco The Great Wizard of Academia UKScreen Retrieved February 26 2013 Lindzi com Your Connection to the Stars James Franco Archived from the original on February 16 2007 Retrieved February 1 2007 Oldenburg Ann August 14 2002 Celebrities pour passion into artwork USA Today Retrieved August 8 2008 Collins Sean Premiere James Franco s Motown Inspired Love in the Old Days Rolling Stone Retrieved September 21 2012 Comedy Central roast wsup James Franco Instagram Instagram Archived from the original on August 20 2013 Retrieved July 9 2013 Comedy Central Roast of James Franco Comedy Central Retrieved July 17 2013 Beaumont Thomas Ben January 21 2014 James Franco supports Shia LaBeouf in New York Times piece The Guardian Retrieved July 23 2014 Franco James January 19 2014 Why Actors Act Out The New York Times Retrieved July 23 2014 Franco James March 18 2014 Directing Herbert White Minneapolis Minnesota Graywolf Press ISBN 978 1555976736 Hepola Sarah November 19 2009 Sexiest Man Living 2009 Salon Archived from the original on April 3 2010 Retrieved December 6 2021 a b c Rebello Stephen July 11 2011 Playboy Interview JAMES FRANCO Playboy Chicago Illinois Playboy Enterprises Archived from the original on July 14 2011 Retrieved July 16 2011 Charlie Rose Public Broadcasting System April 19 2011 Tucker Ken February 6 2011 Saturday Night Live recap Dana Carvey brought his old characters some old friends and Justin Bieber Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 6 2021 Franco James December 26 2013 The Meanings of the Selfie The New York Times Retrieved December 28 2013 Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men 10 1 Page1 Shalom Life Archived from the original on May 31 2012 Retrieved December 5 2013 Wallace Chris James Franco Man of the World Archived from the original on April 7 2013 Retrieved April 4 2013 Hayford Justin January 6 2016 The Gift Theatre s Ten 2016 Dear James Franco and eight more new theater reviews Chicago Reader Retrieved January 6 2015 Kustanowitz Esther D October 20 2015 James Franco s bar mitzvah spectacular The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles Retrieved December 8 2017 Donnelly Matt January 7 2011 James Franco s Maybe I m just gay and why we love it Los Angeles Times Retrieved January 8 2011 Duffy Nick March 18 2015 James Franco opens up about his sexuality PinkNews Retrieved March 19 2015 a b Dinh Mai Murphy Janet James Franco Biography People New York City Freydkin Donna August 3 2008 Pineapple star Franco digs deep plays stoner and serious USA Today McLean Virginia Retrieved December 6 2021 a b c Schmelzer Randi January 1 2009 Smart Set UCLA Magazine Los Angeles California UCLA Retrieved September 6 2010 Black Rosemary August 27 2008 Brad Pitt explores other options New York Daily News New York City p 2 Retrieved December 6 2021 Snierson Dan June 4 2009 James Franco drops out of UCLA graduation speech Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 6 2021 Boatright Simon Elizabeth Kivowitz June 3 2009 James Franco not speaking at UCLA commencement ceremony Press release UCLA Office of Media Relations and Public Outreach Archived from the original on October 29 2013 Retrieved February 25 2013 Schaefer Samantha June 3 2009 Franco cancels as commencement keynote Daily Bruin Retrieved June 4 2009 James Franco s Rejected UCLA Commencement Speech via www youtube com Evans Sean Lester Shallon August 6 2008 Side Dish Write on James Franco New York Daily News New York City Retrieved December 6 2021 Finnegan Leah March 29 2010 James Franco To Get Yet Another Degree at Yale HuffPost New York City Retrieved April 25 2018 Zuckerman Esther March 28 2010 Now He Can Fall Asleep in LC Too Yale Daily News New Haven Connecticut Yale University Archived from the original on April 2 2010 Retrieved March 31 2010 Foderaro Lisa W March 3 2011 James Franco Straddles Two Roles at Yale The New York Times New York NY EXCLUSIVE James Franco talks to Roger Friedman about his D in acting class amp falling asleep Youtube Archived from the original on October 28 2021 Retrieved October 2 2013 a b Barnes Henry December 20 2011 James Franco s bad grade got NYU professor fired lawsuit claims The Guardian Retrieved June 13 2019 Professor NYU Fired Me for Giving James Franco a D Fox News December 19 2011 Child Ben September 5 2012 James Franco s former teacher sues actor for defamation The Guardian London England Retrieved September 26 2012 Doty Meriah September 6 2012 Bully James Franco being sued by former NYU professor Yahoo Movies Retrieved September 26 2012 Schram Jamie September 4 2013 Defamed NYU prof settles suit vs James Franco New York Post New York City Retrieved December 5 2013 Howard Stern Show James Franco 03 25 13 P 5 Youtube Archived from the original on December 28 2018 Retrieved October 2 2013 UCLA ad The New York Times March 24 2013 p 21 Weisman Aly April 3 2014 James Franco Busted For Allegedly Trying To Pick Up Teenage Fan On Instagram Business Insider New York City Retrieved January 11 2018 James Franco on Instagram scandal I was a gentleman CBS News Retrieved March 27 2018 Hathaway Jay April 4 2014 James Franco Says He Did Hit On a Teen Because Social Media Is Tricky Gawker Archived from the original on June 1 2015 Maresca Rachel April 4 2014 James Franco admits to chatting up 17 year old girl New York Daily News New York City Retrieved March 27 2018 James Franco admits to chasing 17 year old girl I learned my lesson Fox News April 4 2014 Retrieved March 27 2018 Johnson Zach March 1 2014 James Franco I m Not Going to High Schools Looking for Dates E Online Retrieved March 27 2018 a b Kreps Daniel January 10 2018 James Franco Sexual Misconduct Allegations Not Accurate Rolling Stone Retrieved December 6 2021 James Franco Accuser Violet Paley I Wish He Made a Promise to Change Time Retrieved November 13 2019 Lopez Ricardo January 9 2018 James Franco TimesTalk Cancelled Variety Retrieved January 9 2018 Miller Daniel Kaufman Amy January 11 2018 Five women accuse actor James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior Los Angeles Times Retrieved January 11 2018 Yang Rachel October 9 2018 Busy Philipps Says James Franco Physically Assaulted Her on Freaks and Geeks Set Variety Retrieved October 6 2019 Itzkoff Dave October 3 2019 2 Women Say James Franco s Acting School Sexually Exploited Them The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved October 6 2019 Phelan Matthew October 4 2019 James Franco Sued for Fraud Sexual Harassment by Two Students of Shuttered Acting School Slate Magazine Retrieved October 9 2019 Dalton Andrew February 21 2021 James Franco Settles Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit Brought By Former Students HuffPost Retrieved February 21 2021 Blair Elizabeth February 22 2021 Actors Involved In James Franco Suit Settle Drop Claims NPR Retrieved May 10 2021 James Franco sexual misconduct case settled BBC News February 22 2021 Retrieved February 22 2021 Paybarah Azi July 1 2021 James Franco Agrees to Pay 2 2 Million to Settle Sexual Misconduct and Fraud Lawsuits The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 28 2021 Retrieved July 3 2021 Charlyne Yi accuses James Franco of being a sexual predator The Independent April 9 2021 Retrieved May 10 2021 Lattanzio Ryan April 9 2021 Charlyne Yi Says She Tried to Quit Disaster Artist Over James Franco Sexual Misconduct Allegations IndieWire Retrieved May 10 2021 Choe Brandon May 9 2021 Seth Rogen Stays Silent On Future Plans With James Franco Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 10 2021 Owoseje Toyin May 10 2021 Seth Rogen says he has no plans to work with James Franco again CNN Retrieved May 10 2021 Bradley Laura December 23 2021 James Franco Is Not Taking Ownership of the Accusations that Matter The Daily Beast James Franco saved by Kirsten Dunst s charity advice The Arizona Republic Phoenix Arizona January 17 2011 Retrieved April 13 2011 Farazad Roshan April 4 2011 Charity Spotlight Evening With James Franco Washington Life Magazine Washington DC Retrieved April 13 2011 Vena Jocelyn April 13 2011 Robert Pattinson Takes Off Shirt For Japan Relief MTV New York City Viacom Archived from the original on April 17 2011 Retrieved April 13 2011 James Franco Honored by amfAR The Advocate San Francisco California May 31 2011 Archived from the original on June 3 2011 Retrieved May 31 2011 James Franco to accept ally award PR Newswire Retrieved April 9 2013 Gordon David Walters Seth April 23 2014 Bryan Cranston James Franco Idina Menzel and More in Highlights From the 2014 Easter Bonnet Competition Photo Flash Apr 23 2014 theatermania Wesely Tommy June 23 2014 James Franco Bared His Bum For Broadway Bares BuzzFeed Retrieved April 25 2018 Motorcity EP by Daddy iTunes September 25 2012 Retrieved November 30 2016 Let Me Get What I Want by Daddy iTunes March 18 2016 Retrieved November 30 2016 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Franco James Franco at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title James Franco amp 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