The actor has returned to film after a ‘hiatus’ – when he was accused of sexual misconduct
James Franco explained how his life is different nowadays after being ‘cast out’ of Hollywood.
Once a staple in the world of film with movies like The Interview, Why Him?, 127 Hours and Pineapple Express, the 46-year-old took a ‘hiatus’ from acting after a 2019 lawsuit.
Formerly part of an iconic duo with Seth Rogen, he was pretty much cut-off by his co-star following accusations of sexual misconduct in 2018.
At the time, Franco described the allegations as ‘not accurate’ but added he didn’t want to ‘shut down’ those who ‘didn’t have a voice’.
Ultimately, he agreed to pay out $2.23million (£1.67million) to settle a lawsuit brought by two former students of his now-defunct film school, Studio 4.
Returning from this break from acting, Franco is appearing in Hey Joe after being ‘cast out’ from Hollywood.
When asked by Variety if he thought that was ‘unfair’ he said: “I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change.
“So that’s it, it’s over. I mean, I’ve worked in the U.S. too. So I’m just trying to move on.”
In the interview, the disgraced actor said he took a ‘pause’ and experienced ‘changing priorities’ and nowadays seeks different things to ‘fulfil him in life’.
“Ultimately, I think I’m kind of grateful because it did afford me a chance to just do whatever private work and really change what I need to change,” Franco said.
“So now that I am working, I can just be there for the project. It’s not about me trying to fill some hole with work, it’s just about, ‘Wow, I have a really great life. I’m very grateful, and I hope to serve whatever project I do.’”
In December 2021, Franco admitted to sleeping with students at his acting school during an appearance on The Jess Cagle Podcast.
He said ‘that was wrong’ but ‘it wasn’t a master plan on my part’. And as he echoed above, the actor is supposedly grateful for his fall from grace following the very serious allegations that he had acted inappropriately.
“Being told you’re bad is painful,” he said. “But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.”
During the time Variety says the US essentially ‘cancelled’ him, Franco says he used it for ‘good purpose’.
“And whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life,” he added. “So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was.”
