Hollywood star James Franco wants to return to the game after a four-year break caused by accusations of sexual harassment of students from his acting school. Over the last year he has played, among others: in several Italian films, one of which: “Hey Joe” was presented at the recently concluded International Film Festival in Rome. In an interview with “Variety”, the actor assures that he has undergone a great transformation.
Between 2019 and 2023, James Franco did not appear in any films. After a four-year break, it was only in the spring of this year that the first film with his participation was released, the French-Belgian “Largo Winch”, which is the third part of the popular comic book story. The Italian film “Hey Joe” is another one in which an American starred, and several other titles produced in this country are waiting for their premiere, as well as productions shot by, among others, In Spain and Turkey.
For an English-speaking Hollywood A-list actor nominated for Oscar and awarded two Golden Globes, everything except the dream factory is outlaw. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the star really wants to Hollywood come back. In an interview with “Variety” he assures: “Hearing that you are bad is painful. But it was exactly what I needed to get off the bad path.”
And he assures that today he is a completely different person.
Serious accusations
Recall that in October 2019, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal – two students of the now defunct James Franco Studio 4 acting school – filed a lawsuit against the actor. They accused him of forcing them to perform scenes depicting sexual behavior that went far beyond those permitted on Hollywood film sets. More people who had the opportunity to learn Franco's “methods” of teaching then joined the women's accusations. They filed a class action lawsuit. The actor also allegedly suggested that students of the school would be given roles in his films if they met his “requirements”. The lawsuit accused him of abusing his position.
Finally, on June 30, 2021, a settlement was reached. According to its provisions, the actor paid a total of 2 million 235 thousand dollars. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal received a total of $894,000 ($670,500 for the former and $223,500 for the latter). The remaining amount, more than $1 million after attorneys' fees, went to students who accused Franco in a class-action lawsuit.
It didn't take long for Franco's problems to show results. In 2018, he was tipped to be one of the candidates for the Oscars for his role in “The Disaster Artist”, but ultimately he did not receive any nomination because reports of serious accusations against him had appeared in the media shortly before. Hollywood quickly got rid of him from planned productions. There was a lot of talk about how Vanity Fair digitally removed Franco from the cover of the magazine, where he appeared surrounded by, among others, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford and their female stars. The photo was taken by the famous Annie Leibovitz. The studios added him to a long list of sexual predators to avoid. Then, unlike most people accused of similar acts and denying it, he admitted everything and expressed remorse. He said that when he slept with students, he thought it was “okay” because in his opinion sex was always “consensual.” He declared that he was a sex addict, “worked hard on himself” and was undergoing treatment. He assured that because he had managed to overcome his alcohol addiction years ago, he was sure that he would be able to cope with the next one.
But it was still not enough, he had to atone for his sins.
The return of the repentant sinner?
For over four years he stayed mainly in Europe, away from Hollywood. He drew and painted a lot and created his own clothing brand with longtime friend Kyle Lindgren.
Over the last year, he has played in the European productions mentioned above, the most interesting of which is the role of Fidel Castro in the film based on the book by his abandoned daughter. The film is still not ready. He also recently shot a thriller about a serial killer in Portland with Vincent Gallo called “The Policeman”, which is in post-production. Gallo was criticized for lewd comments towards actresses during auditions and work was interrupted.
Now Franco assures that he has changed a lot and claims that in the end he is grateful for the rejection he experienced because thanks to it he “had to build himself again.” For the first time in his life, he is, as he says, “in a long-term, stable relationship” (six years – ed.) with the American actress and director Izabel Pakzad. Previously, his relationships fell apart. “I was just afraid of real intimacy with anyone,” she admits.
The most important thing for his professional career happened in May, when he starred in Demian Lichtenstein's thriller “Razor's Edge” alongside Tommy Lee Jones. This is a low-budget production by the creator of the comedy “3000 Miles to Graceland”, but the presence of Lee Jones makes the project unique. Does this mean the return of the prodigal son to American cinema for good? Will major labels remember him soon? We'll probably find out soon.
“Variety”, “The Hollywood Reporter”, tvn24.pl
Main photo source: FABIO FRUSTACI/ANSA/PAP/EPA