James Franco makes appearance at Cannes Film Festival after being 'cast out' of Hollywood

James Franco has made his return to Cannes for the third year in a row years after being ‘cast out’ of Hollywood.

The 48-year-old was all smiles as he stopped for photographs on the Cannes red carpet with his long-term girlfriend Izabel Pakzad, 30. The couple attended the opening night screening of movie The Electric Kiss last night, May 12.

Both Franco and Pakzad opted for sleek all black outfits, with Franco posing for pictures with, and without shades. Pakzad opted for a floor length black dress, with a dramatic thigh split.

The couple have been dating since 2017, with filmmaker and actress Pakzad even starring in an episode of Franco’s HBO series The Deuce.

Franco also attended the festival in 2024 and 2025, after taking a nine year-hiatus after 2015.

Franco also posed for some solo shots (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

In 2018, the Hey Joe star was hit with sexual misconduct claims by five women. Four of these women were Franco’s former acting students.

It was then that the Hollywood star took a step back from acting.

At the time, while appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , he claimed the allegations were ‘not accurate’ but that he didn't want to ‘shut down’ those who ‘didn’t have a voice’.

Two of Franco's accusers launched legal action against the star. In 2021, he settled with two women, agreeing to pay over $2 million.

The Spider-Man star co-founded the filmmaking and acting school Studio 4 in 2014. However, the school shut down just three years after its launch.

In 2024, around three years after making his return to acting, Franco was asked if he felt like it was 'unfair' that he was cast out of Hollywood.

However, he told Variety: “I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change,” adding that he was ‘trying to move on’.

The couple, who were all smiles on the carpet, have been dating since 2017

Last year, James’ younger brother Dave openly admitted that his acting career almost took a hit because of his older sibling.

The 21 Jump Street star told Bustle: "No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother. If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly."

He also addressed how his big brother feels about his ongoing success.

"At this point, I think he’s excited just to see me trying new things and to see me grow,” he shared.

James has regualarly expressed his admiration for his younger brother's talents, and the two have starred together in films including The Disaster Artist.