Featured Image Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage via Getty images
Topics: James Franco, Hollywood, Celebrity, News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: James Franco, Hollywood, Celebrity, News
Dave Franco's comments about his older brother James Franco have left some people divided.
Both James and Dave are successful actors, but the younger of the Franco siblings seems to have become the better-known of the two in recent years.
James was a huge household name in the mid- to late 2000s with Dave becoming famous in his own right for featuring in 2010s classics like 21 Jump Street, Neighbors, and Now You See Me.
James has been in the acting game for some time, but he took a step back from the limelight in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct were brought forward against him.
Five women accused James of sexual misconduct, four of whom used to be students at his acting school Studio 4.
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Two of the accusers filed a suit against James, who reportedly ended up paying out more than $2,000,000 to settle. He has always denied the assault allegations, however.
While he denied any misconduct, James did admit that he'd previously slept with his students and understood that it was 'wrong'.
In a recent interview with Bustle, Dave spoke about breaking into Hollywood as James' sibling.
"No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother," he insisted.
Dave added: "If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly."
Dave might be adamant that he didn't initially get acting jobs purely because he was James' brother, but others pointed out that it will have definitely been a leg up for the Together star.
Somebody said on Reddit: "Well, there's directly helping, then there's having a wildly famous last name. Whether he wants to admit it or not, that name alone has opened doors."
"I think it’s delusional to say he would’ve gotten any of his foundational acting opportunities if not for his brother," added a second.
A different person wrote: "Not saying he 'owes' James anything but make no mistake that James helped him get his career started."
Others were more on the fence, and agreed that Dave wouldn't have made it as far as he has if he wasn't a good actor. It was also suggested that the 40-year-old is trying to distance himself from his brother in light of the previous allegations he has faced.
One person argued: "I mean, he’s half right. If he had sucked he’d have gone the way of Frank Stallone. That said, the fact he got a break in the first place isn’t because he was good, there’s tons of great actors who never catch a break, it’s because he was connected."
"It doesn’t sound like he’s denying the fact that it gave him a foot in the door, just that he would’ve disappeared by now if he wasn’t any good," someone else said in Dave's defense.