James Franco’s unpredictability has always been part of his appeal. He could have been a traditional movie star, but he’s spent the last two decades toying with the idea of fame, and taking on roles that challenge his fans. Franco’s unpredictability took an extremely disturbing turn, however, when he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
These accusations were published by the Los Angeles Times in January 2018. Five different women accused Franco of “inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior,” and two of them were students who worked alongside the actor at Playhouse West in Hollywood. The fallout from these accusations was swift, as Vanity Fair digitally removed Franco from its annual Hollywood issue, and famous pals like Seth Rogen cut ties with him. He was effectively “canceled.”
Has the “cancellation” stuck, though? Is Franco done for good or will the actor be able to rehabilitate his image like so many disgraced actors have before him? Well, the answer, as always, is trickier than a simple “yes” or “no.”
We can say, unequivocally, that Franco’s career has suffered since 2018. Several of the women in the LA Times article sued the actor for sexual harassment, and a private settlement was reached in February 2021, according to the New York Post. The Disaster Artist (2017), a film that earned Franco a Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy, was shunned at the 2018 Oscars, with many theorizing that the actor’s falling reputation doomed its chances.
In one sense, Franco’s career hasn’t been affected by the cancellation at all. He’s continued to write and direct independent films, and he’s even landed supporting roles in acclaimed dramas like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). He’s been in nine films since the article was published, and he has three more scheduled for release in the next year. Bizarrely, one of these scheduled releases, Alina: La Hija Rebelde, will see him play Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He’s busier than ever.
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Franco’s indie credentials may be intact, but his mainstream reputation is permanently damaged. The actor catered to both these demographics in the past by doing a small film and then following it up with a blockbuster like Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) or a comedy like Why Him? (2016). It’s an approach that kept him relevant. Rogen was arguably his biggest tether to the mainstream, as they collaborated on hits like Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013) and The Interview (2014).
Rogen told The Sunday Times he has “no plans” to work with Franco again, and while the former doesn’t speak for other friends/co-stars like Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, the fact remains that none of them have voiced support for Franco or acted with him since 2018. Zeroville, a comedy starring Franco, Rogen, McBride and Robinson, was released in 2019, but it was shot five years earlier.
Franco has denied all sexual harassment allegations, though he did admit to sleeping with some of his acting students during a Sirius XM interview in 2021. He voiced regret over these relationships, and revealed that he was seeking out treatment for sex addiction.
Franco shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to acting and directing, but it seems as though the mainstream, leading man side of his career has come to an end. We will all have to wait and see what the future holds.