Featured Image Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images / Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for InStyle
Topics: Hollywood, Celebrity, James Franco, Oscars
Joe Yates
Topics: Hollywood, Celebrity, James Franco, Oscars
Five years have passed since James Franco faced a lawsuit following accusations of sexual misconduct, and the once-Hollywood A-lister has now opened up about how drastically his life changed.
His name became synonymous with the film industry, mainly for his comedic performances in movies such as The Interview, Pineapple Express and This is the End, but he also was nominated for an Oscar back in 2011 for his leading role in 127 Hours.
That life has long gone for the 46-year-old who admitted he is now trying to 'move on'.
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In many of the productions he's featured in Seth Rogen has as well, they became an iconic duo but he too cut him off.
This came after Franco faced accusations of sexual misconduct in 2019 and at the time he claimed the allegations were ‘not accurate’ but that he didn't want to ‘shut down’ those who ‘didn’t have a voice’.
The allegations came from two of his former students at Studio 4, his now-defunct film school, and he ended up settling the lawsuit by agreeing to pay them $2.23 million.
In December 2021, Franco confessed to sleeping with students at his acting school while appearing as a guest on The Jess Cagle Podcast, explaining that he was 'wrong' but that 'it wasn’t a master plan' - he didn't plan to do it beforehand.
“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.”
Now, speaking to Variety after his latest movie Hey Joe was just released in Italian cinemas, Franco spoke about being 'cast out' of Hollywood.
When asked if he thought the way he was treated was 'unfair', he replied: “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 US too. So I’m just trying to move on.”
The actor went on to explain how he used the timeout that was forced upon him to 'pause' and change his 'priorities' and now seeks alternative 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 added.
“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'.”
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.