James Franco

James Edward Franco was born in Palo Alto, California,{{cite web|title=James Franco Biography|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-franco/bio/3000413866/|access-date=October 4, 2021|magazine=TV Guide}} on April 19, 1978.{{cite magazine|title=Monitor|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=March 19–26, 2013|issue=1255/1256|page=31}} His mother, Betsy Lou (née Verne), is a children's book author and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business.{{cite web|first=Natalie|last=Finn|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/james_francos_father_dies_63/267576 |title=James Franco's Father Dies at 63 |website=E! Online |date=October 4, 2011 |access-date=March 25, 2012}}{{Cite book|title=Who's who of emerging leaders in America|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|year=1991|isbn=0-8379-7202-7}}

His father was of Portuguese and Swedish ancestry, while his mother was from a family of Russian Jews.{{cite web|first=Amy|last=Raphael|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/24/james-franco-interview-milk|title=Acting clever|work=The Guardian|date=January 24, 2009|access-date=May 7, 2018}}{{cite web|first=Stephen|last=Applebaum|url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/interviews/interview-james-franco-1.21420|title=Interview: James Franco|work=The Jewish Chronicle|date=February 24, 2011|access-date=May 7, 2018}}"James Franco" Inside the Actors Studio December 7, 2010

His paternal grandmother, Marjorie (née Peterson), is a published author of young adult books.{{Cite book|last=Commire|first=Anne|author-link=Anne Commire|title=Something about the Author |volume=38|publisher=Gale Research|year=1985|page=77|url=https://archive.org/details/somethingaboutau38anne/page/77|isbn=0-8103-0071-0}} His maternal grandfather, Daniel, changed his surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne" some time after 1940,{{cite news |last=Rhone |first=Paysha |date=February 14, 2009 |title=Spidey foe meets his match in Harvard's Hasty Pudding crew |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/02/14/spidey_foe_meets_his_match_in_harvard_hasty_pudding_crew/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809135358/http://archive.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2009/02/14/spidey_foe_meets_his_match_in_harvard_hasty_pudding_crew/ |archive-date=9 August 2020 |access-date=August 9, 2009 |newspaper=The Boston Globe}} and his maternal grandmother, Mitzie (née Levine), owned the prominent Verne Art Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women.{{Cite news |last=Spevack |first=Violet |title=Cavalcade |newspaper=Cleveland Jewish News |date=January 31, 2002 |url=http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2002/01/31//export10620.txt|access-date=December 28, 2010}}{{Cite news |last=Spevack |first=Violet |title=Cavalcade 10/23 |newspaper=Cleveland Jewish News |date=October 23, 2009 |url=http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2009/11/13/features/cavalcade/doc4ae081106974b082383090.txt |access-date=December 28, 2010}}{{cite news |last=Takahashi |first=Marina |url=http://admission.case.edu/admissions/news/news_story.asp?iNewsID=249&strBack=/admissions/news/news_archive.asp |title=Asian Studies endowment fund begins with scholarly lecture |date=October 17, 2003 |access-date=August 8, 2008 |newspaper=The Observer |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024200830/http://admission.case.edu/admissions/news/news_story.asp?iNewsID=249&strBack=%2Fadmissions%2Fnews%2Fnews_archive.asp |archive-date=October 24, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Franco's family upbringing was "academic, liberal, and largely secular".{{Cite news|last=Raphael|first=Amy|title=Acting clever|work=The Guardian |date=January 24, 2009|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/24/james-franco-interview-milk|access-date=May 1, 2011}} He grew up in California with his two younger brothers, actors Tom and Dave.{{cite news |url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/james-franco/ |title=James Franco |last=Van Sant |first=Gus |date=November 29, 2008 |newspaper=Interview |page=1 |access-date=March 2, 2009 |others=Photographed by Mikael Jansson}} A "math whiz", Franco interned at Lockheed Martin.{{cite magazine|first=Sam|last=Anderson|url=http://instapaperstories.tumblr.com/post/972880219/the-james-franco-project-new-york-magazine|title=The James Franco Project|magazine=New York|date=July 25, 2010}} He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and did well on the SAT. He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he acted in plays. This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theater studies.{{r|anderson20100725}}{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800352352/bio |title=James Franco Biography |access-date=August 8, 2008 |publisher=Yahoo! |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229171728/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800352352/bio |archive-date=December 29, 2008 }} In his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates. These arrests led to Franco briefly becoming a ward of the state. Facing the possibility of juvenile hall, he was given a second chance by the judge. He recalled of his troubles with the law, "It was teen angst. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was shy. I changed my ways just in time to get good grades."

Although the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him, Franco had always secretly wanted to become an actor but feared being rejected. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major,{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Posner|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080805.wpineapple05/BNStory/Entertainment/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080805.wpineapple05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811081410/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/subscribe.jsp?art=702218|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 11, 2010|title=Top of the food chain|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=August 5, 2008|newspaper=Globe and Mail}} but dropped out after his first year (against his parents' wishes){{r|anderson20100725}} to pursue a career as an actor, since he would have had to wait two years to audition for their acting program. He instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West. Around this time, he took up a late-night job at McDonald's to support himself because his parents refused to do so. He was a vegetarian for the year prior to working there. While working at the establishment, he would practice accents on customers, an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 Washington Post editorial titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was".{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/05/07/mcdonalds-was-there-for-me-when-no-one-else-was/ |title=McDonald's was there for me when no one else was |first=James |last=Franco |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 7, 2015 |access-date=May 7, 2015}}

After 15 months of training, Franco began auditioning in Los Angeles. His first paid role was a television commercial for Pizza Hut, featuring a dancing Elvis Presley.{{cite web |first=Kyle |last=Buchanan |date=May 5, 2011 |title=James Franco Is Not Above Working at McDonald's |work=Vulture |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/05/james_franco_is_not_above_work.html |access-date=March 27, 2013 }} He found guest roles on television shows but his first break came in 1999, after he was cast in a leading role on the short-lived but well-reviewed NBC television series Freaks and Geeks,{{cite web|url=http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/31/freaks_and_geeks.aspx|title=Freaks And Geeks|access-date=August 8, 2008|publisher=Shout Factory|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520014137/http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/31/freaks_and_geeks.aspx|archive-date=May 20, 2011}} which ran for 18 episodes and was canceled due to low viewership. Later, the show became a cult hit among audiences.{{cite news |title=IFC picks up two Judd Apatow series |work=The Hollywood Reporter |last=Guider |first=Elizabeth |date=October 14, 2010 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ifc-picks-two-judd-apatow-25132/}} He has since described the series as "one of the most fun" work experiences that he has had.{{cite web | work=United Press International | title=Franco to reunite with Freaks pals | url=http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060923-111422-3997r | access-date=September 23, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 12, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012174012/http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060923-111422-3997r }} In another interview, Franco said: "When we were doing Freaks and Geeks, I didn't quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn't on me ... So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way." After his film debut Never Been Kissed, he played a popular jock named Chris in Whatever It Takes (2000), a modern-day remake of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac.{{cite magazine|first=Owen|last=Gleiberman|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/03/31/whatever-it-takes/|title=What It Takes Review|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=March 31, 2000|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=June 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606154728/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,64610,00.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=A.O.|last=Scott|author-link=A.O. Scott|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E5DA143DF937A15750C0A9669C8B63|title=Whatever It Takes Review|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=March 24, 2000|newspaper=The New York Times}}

He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell's 2001 TV biographical film James Dean.{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Kelly |date=July 27, 2001 |title=James Franco: The next James Dean |newspaper=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2001-07-27-james-franco.htm |access-date=August 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908080644/https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2001-07-27-james-franco.htm |archive-date=Sep 8, 2008}}{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Lee|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/06/entertainment/et-franco7|title=James Franco plays against type in 'Pineapple Express'|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=August 6, 2008|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103145228/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/06/entertainment/et-franco7|archive-date=January 3, 2013|url-status=dead}} To immerse himself in the role, Franco went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, bleached his dark brown hair blond, and learned to ride a motorcycle as well as play guitar and the bongos. To have a greater understanding of Dean, Franco spent hours with two of Dean's associates. Other research included reading books on Dean and studying his movies. While filming James Dean, Franco, to get into character, cut off communication with his family and friends, as well as his then-girlfriend. "It was a very lonely existence," he notes. "If I wasn't on a set, I was watching James Dean. That was my whole thinking. James Dean. James Dean." Despite already being a fan of Dean, Franco feared he might be typecast if he'd captured the actor too convincingly. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean, but instead gets under the skin of this insecure, rootless young man."{{cite magazine|first=Ken|last=Tucker|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,255462,00.html|title=James Dean TV Review|access-date=August 13, 2008|date=August 3, 2001|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=April 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421115244/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,255462,00.html|url-status=dead}} He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG).{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29141|title=HFPA — Awards Search|access-date=August 8, 2008|publisher=Golden Globes|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127141328/http://www1.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29141|archive-date=January 27, 2011}}{{cite news|title=8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards|publisher=Screen Actors Guild Awards|access-date=November 10, 2018|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/8th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards}}{{cite news|title=2002 Emmys Nominees/Winners|publisher=Television Academy|access-date=November 10, 2018|url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2002}}

Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention in the 2002 superhero film Spider-Man, when he played Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and best friend of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire). Originally, Franco was considered for the lead role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the film.{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2002/2002-05-03-spider-man.htm#more | title=Mike Clark review |newspaper=USA Today | date=May 3, 2002 | access-date=January 23, 2007}} Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that there are "good moments" between Maguire and Franco in the film.{{cite news|url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117917507&categoryid=31&cs=1|title=Spider-Man Review|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|date=April 19, 2002|newspaper=Variety |access-date=March 2, 2009}} Spider-Man was a commercial and critical success. The movie grossed $114 million during its opening weekend in North America and went on to earn $822 million worldwide.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=jamesfranco.htm|title=James Franco Movie Box Office Results|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=March 2, 2009}}

File:James Franco 2007 Spiderman 3 premiere.jpg premiere, April 2007]]

He next starred in Sonny, a 2002 release in which he was directed by Nicolas Cage, whose involvement had attracted Franco to the film.{{cite web |url=http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aasonnyintb.htm |title=James Franco Talks About 'Sonny' |last1=Murray |first1=Rebecca |last2=Topel |first2=Fred |publisher=About.com |access-date=April 28, 2011 |archive-date=August 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110802043522/http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aasonnyintb.htm |url-status=dead }} Set in 1980s New Orleans, Sonny follows the titular character (Franco) returning home after just being discharged from the Army. To prepare for his role, he met with sex workers or people who had previously been prostitutes. The movie was panned by critics. Franco was cast as a homeless drug addict in the drama City by the Sea (2002) after co-star Robert De Niro saw a snippet of his work in James Dean. He lived on the streets for several days to better understand the subject matter{{cite web |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/370/370015p1.html |title=An Interview with James Franco |work=IGN |publisher=IGN Entertainment |author=B., Scotty |date=September 4, 2002 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724124703/http://movies.ign.com/articles/370/370015p1.html }} as well as talking to former or still-using drug addicts. He also co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's ballet movie The Company (2003). The success of the first Spider-Man film led Franco to reprise the role in the 2004 sequel, Spider-Man 2. The movie was well received by critics, and it proved to be a big financial success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spiderman2.htm|title=Spider-Man 2 (2004)|date=June 30, 2004|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=December 9, 2008}} With a revenue of $783 million worldwide, it became the second highest-grossing film in 2004. The following year he made and starred in the black comedy The Ape and the 2005 war film The Great Raid, in which he portrayed Robert Prince, a captain in the United States Army's elite Sixth Ranger Battalion. In 2006, Franco co-starred with Tyrese Gibson in Annapolis and played legendary hero Tristan in Tristan & Isolde, a period piece dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring British actress Sophia Myles. For the former, he did eight months of boxing training and for the latter, he practiced horseback riding and sword fighting.{{cite web |url=http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/11/02/james-franco-facts/ |title='127' Facts About James Franco |first=Kim |last=Potts |work=Moviefone |publisher=AOL Inc |date=November 2, 2010 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807173916/http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/11/02/james-franco-facts |archive-date=August 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }} He then completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in Flyboys,{{cite news |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/09/29/10-things-you-dont-know-about-james-franco/ |title=10 Things You Don't Know About James Franco |first=Lindsay |last=Soll |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |date=September 29, 2006 |access-date=December 6, 2021}} which was released in September 2006; the same month, Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man, the remake of the seminal horror film. Also in 2006, he made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy The Holiday.

File:James Franco Blue Angels.jpg No. 7, with Patrick Palma in a two-seat F/A-18B, in August 2006]]

He again played Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3 (2007). In contrast to the previous two films' positive reviews, Spider-Man 3 was met with a mixed reception by critics. Nonetheless, with a total worldwide gross of $891 million, it stands as the most successful film in the series, and Franco's highest-grossing film to date. In this same year, Franco made a cameo appearance as himself in the Apatow-directed comedy Knocked Up, which starred Freaks and Geeks alumni Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. Franco co-starred with Sienna Miller in the low-budget independent film Camille, a dark fantasy dramedy about a young newlywed couple and Interview, where he appears in a voice only role, both 2007 movies that were ignored by audiences and critics alike. Among his other 2007 projects were Good Time Max, which Franco wrote, directed and starred in. The movie premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and tells the story of two talented brothers who take very diverse paths in life, one going on to become a doctor whilst the other sibling (Franco) experiences unemployment and uses drugs. The actor chose to cast himself in that role because, "It was really just a process of elimination. I was better suited for this role than the responsible surgeon".{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-franco-is-good-time_b_47234 |title=James Franco is Good Time Max |newspaper=HuffPost |first=Katherine |last=Thomson |date=April 30, 2007 |access-date=April 28, 2011}}

He next starred in Pineapple Express (2008), a stoner comedy co-starring and co-written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow.{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Travers|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/pineapple-express-249504/|title=Pineapple Express Review|access-date=December 6, 2021|date=August 7, 2008|newspaper=Rolling Stone|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080822110043/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/15138038/review/21896158/pineapple_express |archive-date = August 22, 2008}} Of Franco's character, Apatow said, "You tell him, 'Okay, you're going to play a pot dealer', and he comes back with a three-dimensional character you totally believe exists. He takes it very seriously, even when it's comedy".{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/james_franco/biography|title=James Franco Timeline|newspaper=People|last=Mock|first=Janet|access-date=January 8, 2011}} In her New York Times review, critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "He's delightful as Saul, loosey-goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy, despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor). It's an unshowy, generous performance and it greatly humanizes a movie that, as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise, becomes disappointingly sober and self-serious".{{cite news|first=Manohla|last=Dargis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/movies/06pine.html|title='Pineapple Express' – Stoners Who Put the Bud in Buddies|access-date=August 24, 2008|date=August 6, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times}} His performance earned him a second Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. He has stated in some interviews that he no longer uses cannabis (although he has occasionally alluded to smoking it, most notably during an extended segment on The Colbert Report).{{cite web|url=https://www.cc.com/video/91jml7/the-colbert-report-james-franco-pt-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203074514/https://www.cc.com/video/91jml7/the-colbert-report-james-franco-pt-2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2021 |title=James Franco Pt. 2 – The Colbert Report|date=April 5, 2011|publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=December 6, 2021}} He was awarded High Times magazine's Stoner of the Year Award for his work in Pineapple Express.{{cite news|first=Steven|last=Hager|url=http://hightimes.com/video/hager/4693|title=Franco's First Time|access-date=January 4, 2010|date=September 30, 2008|newspaper=High Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130113248/http://hightimes.com/video/hager/4693|archive-date=January 30, 2010}} In 2008 he also appeared in two films by American artist Carter, exhibited at the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris.{{cite news|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-04-07-james-franco_N.htm|title=Franco takes 'Erased James Franco' to art|last=Freydkin|first=Donna|date=April 7, 2009|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=December 6, 2021}} On September 20, 2008, he hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL),{{cite news|title="Saturday Night Live" with James Franco improves in week two, but still far from its peak|last=Boedeker|first=Hal|date=September 21, 2008|work=Orlando Sentinel}} and a second time on December 19, 2009.{{cite news|first=Soraya|last=Roberts|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/james-franco-hosts-saturday-night-live-actor-pulls-adam-lambert-man-on-man-kiss-article-1.436178|title=James Franco hosts 'Saturday Night Live': Actor pulls an Adam Lambert with man-on-man kiss|access-date=December 6, 2021|date=December 20, 2009|newspaper=Daily News| location = New York City}}

File:127 Hours 1 (5412795196).jpg]]

Franco starred with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch, in Gus Van Sant's Milk (2008).{{cite news|first=Donna|last=Freydkin|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-08-03-james-franco_N.htm|title='Pineaple' star Franco digs deep, plays stoner and serious|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=August 3, 2008|newspaper=USA Today}} In the film he plays Scott Smith, the boyfriend of Harvey Milk (Penn). Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, in review of the film, wrote: "Franco is a nice match for him [Penn] as the lover who finally has enough of political life".{{cite news|url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/la-et-milk26-2008nov26,0,1941714.story |title=Review: 'Milk' |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |date=November 26, 2008 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 23, 2009 |archive-date=August 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805065648/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/la-et-milk26-2008nov26%2C0%2C1941714.story |url-status=dead }} For his performance in the film, Franco won the Independent Spirit Award in the category for Best Supporting Actor.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7904366.stm|title=Rourke steals Spirit award show|last=Smith|first=Neil|date=February 22, 2009|work=BBC News |access-date=February 23, 2009|quote=Other acting awards went to Melissa Leo and Penélope Cruz, both of whom are also up for Oscars, and to James Franco for his supporting role in Milk.}} In late 2009 he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital on a recurring basis. He plays Franco, a multimedia artist much like himself,{{r|anderson20100725}} who comes to Port Charles to do an art exhibition and becomes obsessed with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Bryant|title=James Franco to Appear on General Hospital|url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Franco-General-Hospital-1010386.aspx|newspaper=TV Guide|date=October 1, 2009|access-date=October 1, 2009}} Franco has called his General Hospital role performance art.{{Cite news|url=https://jezebel.com/5418901/james-franco-general-hospital-stint-is-performance-art|title=James Franco: General Hospital Stint Is Performance Art|last=Stewart|first=Dodai|work=Jezebel|access-date=September 12, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=April 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410175019/http://jezebel.com/5418901/james-franco-general-hospital-stint-is-performance-art|url-status=dead}}

Franco began 2010 by making an appearance on the sitcom 30 Rock where he played himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in a scheme concocted by their respective agents.{{cite news|first=Kate|last=Stanhope|title=James Franco to Guest-Star on 30 Rock|url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Franco-30-Rock-1011547.aspx|newspaper=TV Guide|date=November 3, 2009|access-date=November 5, 2009}} After appearing in the commercial successes Date Night, an action comedy, and Eat Pray Love, an adaption of a novel, Franco played poet Allen Ginsberg in the drama Howl, released on September 24.{{Cite news |last=Ganahl |first=Jane |date=January 23, 2010 |title=Howl's Cast and Crew on the Road to Sundance |newspaper=Vanity Fair |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/01/howl-cast-and-crew-on-the-road-to-sundance.html |access-date=October 15, 2010 |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128074306/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/01/howl-cast-and-crew-on-the-road-to-sundance.html |url-status=dead }} The latter, about his most known poem and the trial about the work, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned modest reviews.

In his next project, 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, Franco portrayed real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston. It was given a limited release starting on November 5, 2010. 127 Hours centered on Ralston trying to free his hand after it became trapped under a boulder in a ravine while canyoneering alone in Utah and resorting to desperate measures in order to survive, eventually amputating his arm. During the five-week, 12-hours-per-day shoot, Franco would only leave the gully set to use the lavatory and would read books such as academic textbooks to keep busy.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8209459/A-class-apart-interview-with-James-Franco.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8209459/A-class-apart-interview-with-James-Franco.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=A class apart: interview with James Franco |first=Tom |last=Shone |work=The Daily Telegraph Limited |date=January 4, 2011 |access-date=March 7, 2011 |location=London}}{{cbignore}} Franco later called making 127 Hours a once-in-a-lifetime experience.2011 Independent Spirit Awards To date, 127 Hours is one of his most well-reviewed movies{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/james_franco/| title=James Franco |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=March 7, 2011}} and was also a commercial success, earning $60.7 million against an $18 million budget.{{cite web |title=127 Hours |website=Box Office Mojo |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=127hours.htm | access-date=March 7, 2011}} His performance earned him universal acclaim from critics. Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG award, as well as winning an Independent Spirit Award.

On February 23, 2011, Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC's Minute to Win It where the real-life Ralston was participating as a contestant playing for charity.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-franco-gives-encouragement-aron-160981|title=James Franco Gives Encouragement to Aron Ralston on 'Minute to Win It' |newspaper=Hollywood Reporter |date=March 4, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011}} After having an uncredited cameo in the opening scene of The Green Hornet (2011),{{cite news |url=http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/13/2579741/the-green-hornet-is-swarmed-by.html |title='The Green Hornet' has dull plot, lame humor |first=Robert W. |last=Butler |newspaper=Kansas City Star |date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=March 7, 2011|archive-date=January 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116055010/http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/13/2579741/the-green-hornet-is-swarmed-by.html}} he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Danny McBride in the Medieval fantasy comedy Your Highness.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE54T0L320090530|title=Natalie Portman signs on for comedy "Your Highness"|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=May 30, 2009|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|agency=Reuters |access-date=June 1, 2009}} In the film, he plays Fabious, a prince who teams up with his brother (McBride) to rescue the soon to be bride of Fabious (played by Zooey Deschanel). In May 2010, he was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt's $93 million budgeted Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series{{cite news|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/james-franco-to-star-in-apes-1118019653/|title=James Franco to star in 'Apes'|access-date=May 23, 2010|date=May 20, 2010|newspaper=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525120904/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118019653.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|archive-date=May 25, 2010|url-status=live}} which was released on August 5, 2011. Franco starred alongside Winona Ryder in The Letter, originally entitled The Stare, directed by Jay Anania. He was cast as a drug-addicted lawyer in About Cherry, also starring Heather Graham, which started shooting the following month in California.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/franco-graham-patel-board-indie-cherry-1118037296/ |title=Franco, Graham, Patel board indie 'Cherry' |first=Jeff |last=Snieder |newspaper=Variety |date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2011}} He dropped out of the indie film While We're Young{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/2011/03/06/noah_baumbachs_while_were_young_loses_james_franco_cate_blanchett_ben_still/ |first=Kevin |last= Jagernauth |title=Noah Baumbach's 'While We're Young' Loses James Franco & Cate Blanchett; Ben Stiller Still In |work=IndieWire |publisher=Snagfilms |date=March 6, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011|archive-date=July 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713030025/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/2011/03/06/noah_baumbachs_while_were_young_loses_james_franco_cate_blanchett_ben_still/}} to star in Oz the Great and Powerful, a Disney prequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Filming began in July 2011, and the film was released on March 8, 2013. He has signed to do a sequel to it.{{cite web |first=Sean |last=O'Connell |url=http://www.fandango.com/movieblog/chatter-who-should-replace-sam-raimi-as-director-of-oz-sequel-736024.html |title=Chatter: Who Should Replace Sam Raimi as Director of the Oz Sequel? |website=Fandango |date=March 11, 2013}}{{cite web |first=Ethan |last=Anderton |url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/cast-signed-for-oz-the-great-powerful-sequel-but-not-sam-raimi |title=Cast Signed for 'Oz: The Great & Powerful' Sequel But Not Sam Raimi |website=FirstShowing.net |date=March 11, 2013}}

At the end of September 2010, the actor acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott's The Adderall Diaries, with the intention to adapt, direct, and star in the film.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2010/09/james-franco-buys-the-adderall-diaries-70981/ |title=James Franco Buys 'The Adderall Diaries' |newspaper=Deadline Hollywood | first=Mike |last=Fleming |date=September 29, 2010 |access-date=March 6, 2011}} It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in, but direct himself in The Night Stalker, a film version of author Philip Carlo's book about the 1980s serial killer, Richard Ramirez. Co-screenwriter of the screenplay, Nicholas Constantine, was initially unconvinced that Franco would be right for the movie, until he learned of Franco's desire to be a director and later watched three of his short films, one of which featured a serial killer, ultimately confirming to the writer that the actor had a darker side.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-franco-to-play-night-stalker-serial-killer-make-directorial-debut_n_809670 |title=James Franco: 'The Night Stalker' Star And Director |newspaper=HuffPost | date=January 16, 2011 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |first=Jordan |last=Zakarin}} Franco also directed a film version of William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying;{{cite magazine |last=Friedman |first=Devin |title=Leading Man: James Franco |magazine=GQ |date=December 2010 |pages=286–288}} the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/59652.html |title=2013 Official Selection|date=April 20, 2013|access-date=April 20, 2013|work=Cannes}} In late 2013, Franco starred in This Is the End as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, and Danny McBride, also fictionalized versions of themselves.{{cite web|last1=Wallace|first1=Amy|title=James Franco and the All-Star Cast of This Is the End|url=https://www.gq.com/story/james-franco-this-is-the-end-june-2013|website=GQ|access-date=December 2, 2017|date=June 3, 2013}}

In February 2012, Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's 1973 novella Child of God, which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard. The film chronicles the depraved and violent impulses of the young Tennessee backwoodsman after he is dispossessed of his ancestral land. Child of God was selected in official competition at the 70th Venice Film Festival, an official selection to the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and an official selection to the prestigious 51st New York Film Festival. In 2013, Franco starred as the gangster "Alien" in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, with Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Gucci Mane and Rachel Korine. A24 films began a campaign in September 2013 in support of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Franco's performance.{{cite news|last=Rosen|first=Christopher|title=James Franco's 'Spring Breakers' Role Gets For Your Consideration Oscar Ad|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-franco-spring-breakers_n_3860080|newspaper=HuffPost|date=December 6, 2021}} In March 2013, it was announced that Franco was set to make his 2014 Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.{{cite news|last=Dzieemianowicz|first=Joe|title=James Franco Says He's Coming to Broadway to Star in 'Of Mice and Men'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/node/136221|access-date=March 10, 2013|newspaper=New York Daily News|location=New York City|date=March 6, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029230123/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/node/136221|archive-date=October 29, 2013}} In October 2013, Franco appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.{{cite news|last1=Grow|first1=Kory|title=Thirty Seconds to Mars Recruit Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan for 'Angels'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/thirty-seconds-to-mars-recruit-kanye-west-lindsay-lohan-for-angels-20131029|access-date=August 8, 2014|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=October 29, 2013|archive-date=December 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215075048/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/thirty-seconds-to-mars-recruit-kanye-west-lindsay-lohan-for-angels-20131029|url-status=dead}}

On March 8, 2013, Franco received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-franco-honored-with-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star/ |title=James Franco honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star |first=Ken |last=Lombardi |date=March 8, 2013 |work=CBS News }}

File:James Franco.jpg]]

In April 2014, Franco directed and appeared in "Techno Color Sunglasses", which promoted Gucci's eyewear collection.{{cite web | url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/back-again-7631818?src=nl/mornReport/20140407 | title=James Franco Directs Video for Gucci | publisher=WWD | date=April 7, 2014 | access-date=April 8, 2014 | last=Turra | first=Alessandra}} In December, Franco starred in the controversial Sony comedy thriller, The Interview, a film which played a central role in the real world diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea as they related to the 2014 Sony hacking incident.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/movies/the-interview-with-james-franco-and-seth-rogen.html |title=On, Then Off, Now On Again 'The Interview,' With James Franco and Seth Rogen, Is Back On |newspaper=New York Times |first=A.O. |last=Scott. |date=December 25, 2014 |access-date=December 26, 2014}} In April 2015, two of his projects, titled I Am Michael and True Story, were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. In I Am Michael, Franco plays a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a conservative Christian pastor with a girlfriend. In True Story, based on a true story, Franco played Christian Longo, a man who was on the FBI's most wanted list for murdering his wife and three children in Oregon, and who had also been hiding under the identity of Michael Finkel, a journalist played by Jonah Hill.{{cite web|first=Max |last=Nicholson |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/02/27/hill-franco-join-pitt-for-true-story |title=Hill, Franco Join Pitt for True Story|date=February 27, 2012 |publisher=ign.com |access-date=May 13, 2012}}

In 2015, Franco was cast in the lead role for the Hulu limited series 11.22.63 which is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/james-franco-hulu-112263-stephen-king-1201432525/ |title=James Franco to Star in Hulu's Stephen King Series '11/22/63' |work=Variety |first=Elizabeth |last=Wagmeister |date=February 12, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2016}} The eight-episode series premiered on February 15, 2016.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/10/stephen-king-11-22-63-event-series-premiere-hulu-1201599490/ |title=Stephen King's '11.22.63' Event Series Gets Premiere Date On Hulu |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Denise |last=Petski |date=October 30, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2016}} In 2016, Franco co-produced and starred in King Cobra, a true story about the rise of gay pornographic actor Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis. Franco played Joseph Kerekes who (along with his partner) was convicted of the murder. In the comedy Why Him?, released in December 2016, Franco played an immature tech-billionaire whose girlfriend's conservative father tries to intervene in the couple's relationship, with Zoey Deutch playing the girlfriend and Bryan Cranston as her father.{{cite web|last1=Bradshaw|first1=Peter|title=Why Him? review – Bryan Cranston in disposable festive fun|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/22/why-him-review-bryan-cranston-james-franco|website=The Guardian|access-date=December 16, 2017|date=December 22, 2016}} He briefly appeared in the Alien prequel, Alien: Covenant, alongside his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Danny McBride, as well as Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace. He played Branson, the captain of the Covenant ship and husband to Daniels, played by Katherine Waterston. The film was released on May 19, 2017.{{cite web|last1=Anderton|first1=Ethan|title='Alien: Covenant' Adds James Franco To The Cast|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/james-franco-in-alien-covenant/|website=/Film|access-date=December 16, 2017|date=December 9, 2016}}

In 2016, Franco directed, co-produced, and starred in The Disaster Artist, the film adaptation of actor Greg Sestero's non-fiction book of the same name, about the making of The Room, which is considered to be one of worst films ever made.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/02/james-franco-disaster-artist-movie-the-room-679560/ |title=James Franco's Production Company Acquires Book About So-Bad-It's-Good Cult Movie 'The Room' |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=February 7, 2014 |access-date=August 24, 2014}} In the film, Franco portrayed the film's star, director, screenwriter, and producer Tommy Wiseau, while Franco's brother, Dave, portrayed Sestero.{{cite magazine|last1=Rosen|first1=Christopher|title=James Franco's The Disaster Artist receives standing ovation|url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/13/the-disaster-artist-sxsw/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=December 2, 2017|date=March 13, 2017}} Franco remained in character as Wiseau throughout the entirety of the shoot.{{cite web|last1=Pearson|first1=Ben|title=James Franco Directed 'The Disaster Artist' in Character as Tommy Wiseau|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/james-franco-the-disaster-artist/|website=/Film|access-date=December 16, 2017|date=October 27, 2017}} The Disaster Artist was released on December 1, 2017, to positive reviews, while his portrayal of Wiseau gained near-universal praise.{{cite web|title=The Disaster Artist (2017)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_disaster_artist_2016|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=December 2, 2017}} His performance won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.{{cite magazine|last=Huff |first=Lauren |title=Golden Globes: James Franco, Tommy Wiseau Accept Award for Best Actor for 'The Disaster Artist' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-franco-wins-best-performance-by-an-actor-a-motion-picture-comedy-musical-golden-globes-2018-1072155 |date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 7, 2018 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter}}

At the end of 2017, Franco, almost 40, said he was slowing down to focus on himself.{{cite interview |last=Franco |first=James |work=CBS Sunday Morning |date=December 31, 2017 |title=Sunday Profile: James Franco |interviewer=Tony Decopal}} On December 23, 2021, Franco gave his first interview in nearly four years when he appeared on an episode of the Jess Cagle Podcast.{{cite magazine|last=Byrne |first=Suzy |title=James Franco addresses allegations of sexually exploitative behavior, admits he used his 'fame like a lure' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/james-franco-addresses-allegations-sexually-exploitative-behavior-200353157.html |date=December 23, 2021 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |newspaper=Yahoo! Entertainment}} In August 2022, Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in Alina in Cuba, a casting decision that was supported by Fidel Castro's daughter.{{cite news |first=Paulina |last=Villegas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/08/10/latino-representation-hollywood-james-franco/ |title=How James Franco as Castro highlights exclusion of Latinos in Hollywood |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 10, 2022}}{{cite web |first=Lisa Respers |last=France |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/09/entertainment/james-franco-fidel-castro/index.html |title=Fidel Castro's daughter endorses James Franco playing her father |date=August 9, 2022 |publisher=CNN}}

File:James Franco (6142833753).jpg

Franco produced and directed a documentary titled Saturday Night, which documented a week in the production of an episode of SNL.{{cite news|first=Dave|last=Itzkoff|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/things-we-learned-about-saturday-night-live-from-james-francos-documentary/|title=Things We Learned About 'Saturday Night Live' From James Franco's Documentary|access-date=July 30, 2010|date=May 3, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times}} The film began as a short for an NYU class, but grew due to his two episodes as host, while short stories he wrote for other classes appeared in Esquire and McSweeney's.{{r|anderson20100725}} In summer 2010, the fictional Franco from General Hospital held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, while the real Franco held an exhibit at the museum based on his experiences on the soap opera.{{r|anderson20100725}}

In 2008, Franco was named as the face of Gucci's men's fragrance line.{{cite news |title=James Franco a big man in 'Milk' – and on campus |last=Pearlman |first=Cindy |date=November 30, 2008 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}} His short films as director The Feast of Stephen and Herbert White were both presented within Maryland Film Festival in May 2010. Another of his short movies, The Clerk's Tale, was screened in competition at the Hamptons Film Festival at the end of 2010. In June 2010, James Franco presented his first solo exhibition, "The Dangerous Book Four Boys", presented at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City. Curated by Alanna Heiss, the show featured video, drawings, sculptures and installation.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/arts/design/20franco.html|title= When an Actor Casts Himself as an Artist |newspaper=The New York Times| first=Roberta | last=Smith |date=August 19, 2010|access-date=October 27, 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704198004575311181326946698|title= Portrait of the Artist as a Young Movie Star |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal| first=Erica| last=Orden |date=June 17, 2010|access-date=October 27, 2014}}

On October 19, 2010, Scribner published a collection of short stories, Palo Alto, by Franco.{{cite news |first=James |last=Mottram |url=http://www.iol.co.za/tonight/movies/a-life-in-constant-motion-1.1008128 |title=A life in constant motion |publisher=IOL |date=January 5, 2011}} The book is named after the California city where Franco grew up, and is dedicated to many of the writers he worked with at Brooklyn College. Inspired by some of Franco's own teenage memories, as well as memories written and submitted by high school students at Palo Alto Senior High School,{{cite web |url=http://palyvoice.com/2007/11/26/node-19035 |title=James Franco requests Paly students' short stories |first=Megha |last=Ram |work=PalyVoice|date=November 26, 2007 }} Palo Alto consists of life in that city as experienced by a series of teenagers who spend most of their time indulging in driving drunk, smoking marijuana, and taking part in unplanned acts of violence. Each passage is told by a young narrator. The book has received mixed reviews; Los Angeles Times called it "the work of an ambitious young man who clearly loves to read, who has a good eye for detail, but who has spent way too much time on style and virtually none on substance". The Guardian reported that Franco's "foray into the literary world may be met with cynicism in some quarters, but this is a promising debut from a most unlikely source".{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jan/02/palo-alto-james-franco-review|title=Palo Alto by James Franco – review|first=Killian|last=Fox |work=The Guardian |date=February 1, 2011}} Writing in The New York Times, reviewer and fellow author Joshua Mohr praised Franco for how, in the story "American History", he juxtaposed historical parts with a present-day social commentary that "makes the we wonder how much we've actually evolved in post-bellum America".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/books/review/Mohr-t.html |first=Joshua |last=Mohr |title=Teen Spirit, Soured |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 22, 2010 |access-date=March 31, 2011}} At least one editor of a literary journal testified he would not publish Franco's stories, claiming he has been published due to his star power, not literary talent.{{cite web|first=Jeff|last=Berglund | website=Purdue Exponent Online |url=http://www.purdueexponent.org/features/article_2966b824-4021-11e0-9ae3-0017a4a78c22.html |title=Oscar host's stories wouldn't get published in Purdue journal |date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=December 5, 2013}} Publishers Weekly reviewed the collection, stating "The author fails to find anything remotely insightful to say in these 11 amazingly underwhelming stories".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4391-6314-6|title=Fiction Book Review: Palo Alto by James Franco |magazine=Publishers Weekly | access-date=July 9, 2021}}

In January 2011, Franco screened his multimedia project, entitled Three's Company The Drama, in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12749711 |title=James Franco Talks 'Crazy Projects' at Sundance |work=ABC News |publisher=American Broadcasting Company |date=January 25, 2011 |first=Alicia |last=Rancilio |access-date=March 6, 2011}} Franco reunited with Milk director Van Sant to make Unfinished, a project that features two movies: Endless Idaho and My Own Private River. Endless Idaho showcases edited outtakes, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage from the 1991 movie My Own Private Idaho, while My Own Private River focuses on actor River Phoenix. The idea for the exhibition was conceived after Van Sant introduced unused footage from the 1991 film to Franco, inspiring him to turn it into something more. Unfinished opened from February 26 to April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills.{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/02/james-franco-gus-van-sant-exhibition-coming-this-week-to-gagosian-gallery.html |first=David |last=Ng |title=James Franco, Gus Van Sant exhibition coming this week to Gagosian Gallery |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 23, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011}}

File:James Franco (Cropped).jpg

On February 27, 2011, he and Anne Hathaway hosted the 83rd Academy Awards. The two were selected to help the awards show achieve its goal of attracting a younger audience.{{cite news |first=Susan |last=King |title=James Franco, Anne Hathaway to host Oscar telecast |date=November 29, 2010}} Franco had previously said that he accepted the job for the experience and because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.Jimmy Kimmel Live!. December 2, 2010. ABC Studios. Numerous media viewers criticized Franco for his discontent and lack of energy on stage and the show was widely panned, with some reviewers dubbing it the worst telecast in its history.{{cite news|url=http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/entertainment/022811-critics%3A-oscars-were-historic-bomb|title=Critics: Oscars Were Historic Bomb|access-date=February 28, 2011|date=February 28, 2011|publisher=WTXF-TV|archive-date=March 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303081519/http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/entertainment/022811-critics:-oscars-were-historic-bomb }}{{cite news |author=TheVideoMan |date=February 28, 2011 |title=83rd Oscars Review: To Hip To Be Square? |work=CNN |url=http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-563277 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303074246/http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-563277 |archive-date=March 3, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110227%2FOSCARS%2F110229986 |title=Oscars: "King" wins, show loses |author-link=Roger Ebert |last=Ebert |first=Roger |access-date=February 28, 2011 |date=February 27, 2011 |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |archive-date=March 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302092730/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110227%2FOSCARS%2F110229986 |url-status=dead }} The actor later spoke about his hosting in an interview on the Late Show with David Letterman. He explained that when accepting the job he never had high hopes, adding "It was never on my list of things to do. It doesn't mean I didn't care and it doesn't mean I didn't try, right?" Regarding allegations that he was under the influence of marijuana while hosting, Franco commented "I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway. She has a lot of energy!" He concluded that he tried his best and could have had "low energy" during the telecast.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20478170,00.html |title=James Franco & David Letterman Swap Oscar Horror Stories |first=Dahvi |last=Shira |magazine=People |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116081334/http://people.com/awards/academy-awards-james-franco-david-letterman-talk-hosting/ |archive-date=2018-01-16}}

In May, Franco made his dance-theater directorial debut at New York's Stella Adler Studios, where he narrated all the performances. Entitled "Collage" and described as a "mixed-media piece", the show featured live dance, theater, music, and poetry. Tickets were free, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.{{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/04/james_franco_dance.html |title=James Franco to Mount Dance-Theater Show |author=Buchanan, Kyle |newspaper=New York Magazine |date=April 29, 2011 |access-date=April 30, 2011 }} The actor also directed two short films for songs ("Blue" and "That Someone Is You") by R.E.M. from their album Collapse into Now (2011).{{cite web |first=Alan |last=Woodhouse |url=https://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/55253 |title=James Franco, Sam Taylor-Wood guest direct new REM videos |work=NME |date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011}} Franco continued his career as a filmmaker with The Broken Tower, a 90-minute docudrama shot in black and white about poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.{{cite news |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/james_franco_q_a_his_film_on_tortured_gay_poet_hart_crane_20110615/ |title=James Franco Q & A: His Film on Tortured Gay Poet Hart Crane |first=Naomi |last=Pfefferman |newspaper=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles |date=June 15, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-date=June 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110620213420/http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/james_franco_q_a_his_film_on_tortured_gay_poet_hart_crane_20110615 |url-status=dead }} It originally started out as his master's thesis.{{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/12/james_franco_on_playing_drunke.html |title=James Franco on Playing Sailor-Chasing Poet Hart Crane |newspaper=New York |first=Mike |last=Vilensky |date=December 10, 2010 |access-date=June 19, 2011 }} It was screened at 2011's Los Angeles Film Festival {{spaced ndash}} among more than 200 feature films, short projects, and music videos from more than 30 countries.{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/05/los-angeles-film-festival-guillermo-del-toro-green-lantern-drive-james-franco.html |title=2011 Los Angeles Film Festival will welcome stars Guillermo del Toro, James Franco, Ryan Reynolds and more |first=Amy |last=Kaufman |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2011 }} It was released on DVD in 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Tower-Michael-Shannon/dp/B006MHZ7ZS/ |title=Amazon.com: Broken Tower: Michael Shannon, James Franco, Dave Franco: Movies & TV |website=Amazon.com |date=March 26, 2012 |access-date=September 11, 2015 }}

In 2011, Franco taught a graduate-level film course at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.{{cite news |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/03/29/james-franco-nyu-course/ |first=Keith |last=Staskiewicz |title=James Franco to teach film course at NYU, but no syllabus as of yet |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=December 6, 2021}}{{cite news |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/my-teachers-a-movie-star-and-all-he-wants-to-talk-about-is-poetry/ |title=A Teacher? This Actor Fits the Part |first=Meredith |last=Hoffman |work=The New York Times |date=September 23, 2011 |access-date=June 13, 2019 }} He has also taught film classes at USC and UCLA, as well as a screenwriting class on the online learning community Skillshare.{{cite web |first=Sarah |last=Kessler |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3031674/for-25-you-can-now-take-a-film-class-taught-by-james-franco |title=For $25, You Can Now Take a Film Class Taught by James Franco |website=Fast Company |publisher=Mansueto Ventures |location=New York City |date=June 10, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2018 }} For his students' film projects, Franco has helped to attract actors, including Seth MacFarlane, Kate Mara, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde.{{cite web|first=Husam Sam|last=Ali|url=http://ukscreen.com/articles/interviews/james-franco-the-great-wizard-of-academia/ |title=James Franco: The Great Wizard of Academia |work=UKScreen |date=February 26, 2013|access-date=February 26, 2013}}

Franco developed an aptitude for art—painting in particular—during his high school years while attending the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). Franco has said painting was the "outlet" he needed in high school, and he "has actually been painting longer than he has been acting".{{cite interview |last=Franco |first=James |website=Lindzi.com |title=James Franco |url=http://www.lindzi.com/interviews/james.htm |access-date=February 1, 2007 |archive-date=February 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216233441/http://www.lindzi.com/interviews/james.htm |url-status=dead }} His paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, from January 7, through February 11, 2006.{{cite news |first=Ann|last=Oldenburg|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/2002-08-14-celebs-painting_x.htm|title=Celebrities pour passion into artwork|access-date=August 8, 2008|date=August 14, 2002|newspaper=USA Today}} He launched his first European art exhibition in 2011 at Peres Projects in Berlin.{{cite news |first=Helen |last=Pidd|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/feb/20/james-franco-art-oscars-interview |title=The many lives of James Franco |work=The Guardian |location=London, england|date=February 20, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011 }}

In September 2012, Franco announced the release of his band Daddy's first single Love in the Old Days and their first EP MotorCity.{{cite magazine|last=Collins|first=Sean|title=Premiere: James Franco's Motown-Inspired 'Love in the Old Days'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/premiere-james-francos-motown-inspired-love-in-the-old-days-20120921|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 21, 2012|archive-date=September 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923000924/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/premiere-james-francos-motown-inspired-love-in-the-old-days-20120921|url-status=dead}} On July 9, 2013, Franco announced that he would be the featured roastee on the next Comedy Central Roast.{{cite web|url=http://instagram.com/p/bkXysJS9cg|title=Comedy Central roast – wsup – James Franco – Instagram|publisher=Instagram|access-date=July 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820154944/http://instagram.com/p/bkXysJS9cg/|archive-date=August 20, 2013}} The roast aired on September 2, 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/roast-of-james-franco|title=Comedy Central Roast of James Franco|publisher=Comedy Central|access-date=July 17, 2013|archive-date=July 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715003828/http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/roast-of-james-franco|url-status=dead}}

In February 2014, Franco wrote an article in The New York Times in support of the metamodernist performance art of Shia LaBeouf, describing LaBeouf's project as one "in which a young man in a very public profession tries to reclaim his public persona".{{cite news |first=Ben|last=Beaumont-Thomas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/21/james-franco-shia-labeouf-new-york-times | title=James Franco supports Shia LaBeouf in New York Times piece | newspaper=The Guardian | date=January 21, 2014 | access-date=July 23, 2014}}{{cite news |first=James|last=Franco| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/opinion/james-franco-on-shia-labeoufs-recent-antics.html | title=Why Actors Act Out | newspaper=The New York Times | date=January 19, 2014 | access-date=July 23, 2014}} In April 2014, the literary publisher Graywolf Press issued Franco's first collection of poetry, Directing Herbert White. The title alludes to a poem (made by Franco into a 2010 short film) by Frank Bidart, who has served as friend and mentor to Franco.{{cite book|publisher=Graywolf Press|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|title=Directing Herbert White|first=James|last=Franco|date=March 18, 2014|isbn=978-1555976736}}

Viewed as a sex symbol, Franco was named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009 by Salon.{{cite news|first=Sarah |last=Hepola |title=Sexiest Man Living 2009 |url=https://www.salon.com/2009/11/20/james_franco/ |work=Salon |date=November 19, 2009 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403024033/http://www.salon.com/entertainment/sexiest_man_living_2009/2009/11/19/james_franco/index.html |archive-date=April 3, 2010 }} There has often been frequent media coverage of Franco, particularly regarding his interest in going to colleges. In addition to that, Franco has also claimed to have been strongly misquoted by reports in the media and news outlets reporting erroneous information about him.{{cite AV media |work=Charlie Rose |title=James Franco |publisher=Public Broadcasting System |date=2011-05-06 |url=https://charlierose.com/videos/18578}} This led to the actor being parodied in an episode of SNL{{'}}s Weekend Update segment, which an Entertainment Weekly writer deemed "clever".{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/02/06/saturday-night-live-dana-carvey-linkin-park/ |title='Saturday Night Live' recap: Dana Carvey brought his old characters, some old friends, and Justin Bieber |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Ken |last=Tucker |date=February 6, 2011 |access-date=December 6, 2021}} In a 2011 interview, he stated:{{blockquote|I've been perceived as this guy yelling, 'Hey, look at me. I want attention'. I'm not going to school to get articles written about me. I'm just going to school. But the fact that I'm going to school or that someone takes a picture of me sleeping is like, 'We're gonna jump on that and criticize him for his antics'. What antics? I write. I make movies. I'm going to school. I hosted the Oscars. I take these projects seriously.}}

Franco has deliberately garnered a reputation for publishing "selfies" and wrote an explanatory article for The New York Times in December 2013. He stated:{{blockquote|[A] well-stocked collection of selfies seems to get attention. And attention seems to be the name of the game when it comes to social networking. In this age of too much information at a click of a button, the power to attract viewers amid the sea of things to read and watch is power indeed. It's what the movie studios want for their products, it's what professional writers want for their work, it's what newspapers want {{mdash}} hell, it's what everyone wants: attention. Attention is power.{{cite web|last=Franco|first=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/arts/the-meanings-of-the-selfie.html?_r=0|title=The Meanings of the Selfie|work=The New York Times|date=26 December 2013|access-date=28 December 2013}}}}

In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked Franco and his brother, Dave, together as number two on its list of 50 talented and attractive Jewish men.{{cite news|url=http://www.shalomlife.com/culture/17032/top-50-hottest-jewish-men-10-1/ |title=Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men (10-1) - Page1 |newspaper=Shalom Life |access-date=December 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531055725/http://www.shalomlife.com/culture/17032/top-50-hottest-jewish-men-10-1/ |archive-date=May 31, 2012 }} In 2013, Franco was featured as the cover model and featured focus in the men's magazine Man of the World.{{cite news|last=Wallace|first=Chris|title=James Franco|url=http://www.manoftheworld.com/gallery/james-franco.html|newspaper=Man of the World|access-date=April 4, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407020618/http://www.manoftheworld.com/gallery/james-franco.html|archive-date=April 7, 2013}}

In other forms of media, a Chicago-based theater company, Under the Gun Theater, developed a show inspired by and titled after Franco. The 2015 production of Dear James Franco used, parodied and deconstructed letters penned to or by celebrities. The performances used improvisation to satirize their subject matter.{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-gift-theatres-ten-2016-dear-james-franco-and-eight-more-new-reviews/Content?oid=20773479 |title=The Gift Theatre's Ten 2016, Dear James Franco, and eight more new theater reviews |last=Hayford |first=Justin |access-date=January 6, 2015 |date=January 6, 2016 | newspaper=Chicago Reader}}

Franco has described himself as Jewish; regarding his secular upbringing, he told The Guardian that he feels as if he has "missed out on the Jewish experience", but has been told not to worry about that by his Jewish friends and said in the same interview that he likes "the idea of religion as a source of community". When asked if he was a "believer", he responded, "In God? I don't know. Yes. To a certain extent. It's a complicated question." In 2015, he had an official bar mitzvah ceremony, presided over by a rabbi.{{cite web|first=Esther D.|last=Kustanowitz|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywood/article/james_francos_bar_mitzvah_spectacular|title=James Franco's bar mitzvah spectacular|work=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|date=October 20, 2015|access-date=December 8, 2017}}

Due to his support for the LGBT community and his portrayal of gay characters in his projects, Franco's sexuality has been a subject of discussion in media sources.{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Donnelly|title=James Franco's Maybe I'm just gay'- and why we love it|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/01/james-franco-gay.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 7, 2011|access-date=January 8, 2011}} In a March 2015 interview with Four Two Nine magazine, Franco again opened up about his sexuality, stating, "In the twenties and thirties, they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept with. Sailors would fuck guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren't considered gay. Well, I like to think that I'm gay in my art and straight in my life."{{cite web|first=Nick|last=Duffy|title=James Franco opens up about his sexuality|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/18/james-franco-opens-up-about-his-sexuality/|website=PinkNews |date=March 18, 2015|access-date=March 19, 2015}}

After meeting on the set of Whatever It Takes in 1999, Franco dated co-star Marla Sokoloff for five years. He was later in a relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly until 2011.{{cite news| first1=Mai|last1=Dinh|first2=Janet|last2=Murphy|title=James Franco Biography|newspaper=People|location=New York City}}{{cite news|first=Donna|last=Freydkin|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-08-03-james-franco_N.htm|title='Pineapple' star Franco digs deep, plays stoner and serious|newspaper=USA Today|location=McLean, Virginia|date=August 3, 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}} He confirmed their separation in an interview for Playboy magazine's August 2011 issue, saying that his interest in education got between them.{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Rebello |url=http://www.playboy.com/magazine/james-franco-interview/2 |title=Playboy Interview: JAMES FRANCO |newspaper=Playboy |publisher=Playboy Enterprises |location=Chicago Illinois |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714052314/http://www.playboy.com/magazine/james-franco-interview/2 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

In 2024, People reported that Franco had been dating Isabel Pakzad since 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/who-is-isabel-pakzad-james-franco-7643166|title=Who Is James Franco's Girlfriend? All About Isabel Pakzad|website=People.com|last=Weaver|first=Emily |date=August 17, 2024}}

Franco, dissatisfied with his career's direction,{{r|anderson20100725}} reenrolled at UCLA in autumn 2006 as an English major with a creative writing concentration. He received permission to take as many as 62 course credits per quarter compared to the normal limit of 19,{{cite news|first=Randi|last=Schmelzer|title=Smart Set|url=http://magazine.ucla.edu/features/smart_set/|newspaper=UCLA Magazine|publisher=UCLA|location=Los Angeles, California|date=January 1, 2009|access-date=September 6, 2010}} while still continuing to act, receiving many of his credits from independent study for his involvement on the set of Spider-Man 3. He received his undergraduate degree in June 2008 with a GPA of 3.5/4.0.{{r|anderson20100725}}{{r|schmelzer20100101}}{{cite news|first=Rosemary|last=Black|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/brad-pitt-explores-options-article-1.316395|title=Brad Pitt explores other options|newspaper=New York Daily News|location=New York City|page=2|date=August 27, 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}} For his degree, Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson.{{r|anderson20100725}}

Franco was selected as the commencement speaker at UCLA, and was to speak at the ceremony on June 12, 2009. Several months before commencement, an editorial in the student newspaper questioned his "caliber" and a student created a Facebook page protesting the choice.{{cite magazine |first= Dan | last = Snierson| url = https://ew.com/article/2009/06/04/james-franco-drops-out-of-ucla-graduation-speech/ | title = James Franco drops out of UCLA graduation speech | magazine= Entertainment Weekly | date = June 4, 2009 | access-date = December 6, 2021}} On June 3, Franco withdrew, citing a date conflict with location pre-production on a film.{{cite press release | title = James Franco not speaking at UCLA commencement ceremony | first = Elizabeth Kivowitz | last = Boatright-Simon | date = June 3, 2009 | url = http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/james-franco-not-speaking-at-commencement-93699.aspx | publisher = UCLA Office of Media Relations and Public Outreach | access-date = February 25, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192505/http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/james-franco-not-speaking-at-commencement-93699.aspx | archive-date = October 29, 2013 | url-status = dead }}{{cite news|url=http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2009/06/franco-cancels-commencement-keynote|title=Franco cancels as commencement keynote|last=Schaefer|first=Samantha|date=June 3, 2009|newspaper=Daily Bruin|access-date=June 4, 2009|archive-date=January 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111201706/http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2009/06/franco-cancels-commencement-keynote|url-status=dead}} On January 26, 2011, Franco and the Harvard Lampoon released a satirical video on prominent comedy website Funny or Die mocking his last-minute cancellation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OQ-udxpdTU|title=James Franco's Rejected UCLA Commencement Speech|date=July 19, 2013 |via=www.youtube.com}}

Franco moved to New York to simultaneously attend graduate school at Columbia University School of the Arts for writing, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking,{{cite news|first=David|last=Kamp|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/12/franco200812|title=Franco cum Laude|work=Vanity Fair |location=New York City|date=December 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}}{{cite news|first1=Sean|last1=Evans|first2=Shallon|last2=Lester|author-link=Shallon Lester |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/side-dish-write-james-franco-article-1.313342|title=Side Dish: Write on, James Franco|newspaper=New York Daily News|location=New York City|date=August 6, 2008|access-date=December 6, 2021}} and Brooklyn College for fiction writing,{{r|schmelzer20100101}} while also attending the low-residency MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina's Warren Wilson College for poetry.{{r|anderson20100725}} He received his M.F.A. from Columbia in 2010.{{cite web| first=Leah | last=Finnegan| url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-franco-yale_n_517769 |title=James Franco To Get Yet Another Degree at Yale?| website=HuffPost | location = New York City| date=March 29, 2010|access-date=April 25, 2018}} As of 2010, Franco was studying in the Ph.D. program in English at Yale University.{{cite news|first=Esther|last=Zuckerman|url=http://www.yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2010/03/28/now-he-can-fall-asleep-lc-too/|title=Now He Can Fall Asleep in LC Too|newspaper=Yale Daily News|publisher=Yale University|location=New Haven, Connecticut|date=March 28, 2010|access-date=March 31, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402184644/http://www.yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2010/03/28/now-he-can-fall-asleep-lc-too/|archive-date=April 2, 2010}}{{cite news |last=Foderaro |first=Lisa W. |date=March 3, 2011 |title=James Franco Straddles Two Roles at Yale |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/nyregion/04franco.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York, NY}} He has also attended the Rhode Island School of Design.{{r|anderson20100725}}

In an interview with Showbiz411, on September 23, 2010, Franco made the erroneous public announcement that he received a "D" grade in "Acting" class at the NYU Graduate Film School.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Nmf-Chm1w | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/B9Nmf-Chm1w| archive-date=2021-10-28| title=EXCLUSIVE: James Franco talks to Roger Friedman about his 'D' in acting class & falling asleep | date=September 23, 2010| publisher=Youtube | access-date=October 2, 2013}}{{cbignore}} He had, in fact, received that grade in a "Directing the Actor" class.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/20/james-franco-lawsuit-nyu-professor |title=James Franco's bad grade got NYU professor fired, lawsuit claims |first=Henry |last=Barnes |date=December 20, 2011 |access-date=June 13, 2019 |work=The Guardian }} Franco's professor, José Angel Santana, alleged that Franco did not earn his grades while attending that school and stated that Franco only received high marks and a degree because of his celebrity status as an actor.{{cite news | url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/professor-nyu-fired-me-for-giving-james-franco-a-d/ | title=Professor: NYU Fired Me for Giving James Franco a 'D' | work=Fox News | date=December 19, 2011}} Franco made unfavorable comments about Santana's teaching. In September 2012, after having been terminated from his position Santana filed a lawsuit against Franco for defamation; Santana claimed that Franco's comments were false and had led to his termination.{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Child |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/sep/06/james-franco-teacher-sues-defamation |title=James Franco's former teacher sues actor for defamation | work=The Guardian |location=London, England|date=September 5, 2012 |access-date=September 26, 2012 }}{{cite web |first=Meriah |last=Doty |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/bully-james-franco-being-sued-former-nyu-professor-180200888.html |title='Bully' James Franco being sued by former NYU professor |work=Yahoo! Movies |date=September 6, 2012 |access-date=September 26, 2012}} In September 2013, Franco and Santana settled the defamation lawsuit. "The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties," said Santana's attorney Matthew Blit.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Franco defended himself on the Howard Stern Show, stating that he had told the professor before the semester began that he would have to miss most classes to film 127 Hours and that they had agreed that Franco would receive a "D" in the course.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLVKk0kst20&t=1h3m56s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228193840/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLVKk0kst20&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2018-12-28| title=Howard Stern Show: James Franco 03/25/13 P.5 | publisher=Youtube | access-date=October 2, 2013}}

In March 2013, Franco was featured in half-page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA which celebrated the university's famous alumnus as a "prolific academic" and carried the tagline: "Some A-Listers Actually Get A's".{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|title=UCLA ad|date=March 24, 2013|page=21}}

Franco is a teetotaler.{{cite magazine|last=Hedegaard|first=Erik|title=The Doobie Brothers: Lighting Up With the Stars of 'This Is the End'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=4 June 2013|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/the-doobie-brothers-lighting-up-with-the-stars-of-this-is-the-end-127663/|access-date=29 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728131203/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-doobie-brothers-lighting-up-with-the-stars-of-this-is-the-end-20130604?page=2|archive-date=28 July 2017}} In 2021, Franco stated that he had, at one time, entered recovery for substance abuse.

{{See also|Weinstein effect}}In 2014, a seventeen-year-old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and Franco on Instagram. The messages showed that Franco, then aged 35, tried to meet her in a hotel room after she told him she was seventeen. He sent multiple pictures of himself to prove his real identity. Franco admitted on Live! With Kelly and Michael that he had written the messages. Franco and his supporters argued that his actions were legal as the age of consent in New York is seventeen. He initially responded to the scandal by tweeting, "I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you." Franco also said: "I'm not going to high schools looking for dates." He later stated he was "embarrassed" and that "I learned my lesson."{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/04/04/james-franco-admits-flirting-17-year-old-girl-learned-my-lesson.html|title=James Franco admits to chasing 17-year-old girl: 'I learned my lesson'|date=April 4, 2014|website=Fox News|access-date=March 27, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/537462/james-franco-on-trying-to-pick-up-a-17-year-old-i-m-not-going-to-high-schools-looking-for-dates|title=James Franco: I'm Not Going to High Schools Looking for Dates|last=Johnson|first=Zach|date=March 1, 2014|work=E! Online|access-date=March 27, 2018}}

At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Franco wore a Time's Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement, to protest sexual harassment against women.{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/james-franco-sexual-misconduct-allegations-not-accurate-121649/|title=James Franco: Sexual Misconduct Allegations 'Not Accurate'|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=January 10, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 6, 2021}} His wearing of the pin immediately drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy, who hinted that she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play.{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Allie |title=What Did James Franco Do to Ally Sheedy? |url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/james-franco-golden-globes-ally-sheedy.html |access-date=8 November 2023 |work=The Cut |publisher=New York |date=7 January 2018}} A former girlfriend, Violet Paley, also alleged that he once forced her to give him oral sex in a car while they were dating.{{Cite magazine |first=Samantha |last=Cooney |url=https://time.com/5099415/violet-paley-james-franco-allegations/ |title=James Franco Accuser Violet Paley: 'I Wish He Made a Promise to Change' |magazine=Time |access-date=November 13, 2019}}

On January 9, 2018, The New York Times, citing the allegations, canceled a planned event with Franco: "The event was intended to be a discussion of the making of the film, 'The Disaster Artist.' Given the controversy surrounding recent allegations, we're no longer comfortable proceeding in that vein," the Times said in a statement.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/james-franco-timestalk-cancelled-1202659239/|title=James Franco TimesTalk Cancelled|last=Lopez|first=Ricardo|date=January 9, 2018|work=Variety|access-date=January 9, 2018}}

On January 10, Franco said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the accusations made against him on Twitter were "not accurate". Franco added, "'If I have done something wrong, I will fix it — I have to'".{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-03/james-franco-class-action-lawsuit-acting-school|title=James Franco's former students sue, alleging sexual exploitation and fraud at his defunct school|date=October 4, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|last=D'Zurilla|first=Christie}}

On January 11, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women were accusing Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when Franco was serving as their acting teacher or mentor. One former student stated that Franco "would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts" in his projects. Another alleged that Franco held a sex scenes class and removed students' vaginal guards while simulating oral sex with them. Franco's attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed the allegations.

In her 2018 memoir, Busy Philipps puts forth an account in which Franco screamed at her before violently shoving her to the ground while on the set of Freaks and Geeks.{{Cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/busy-philipps-james-franco-assault-freaks-and-geeks-1202973054/|title=Busy Philipps Says James Franco Physically Assaulted Her on 'Freaks and Geeks' Set|last=Yang|first=Rachel|date=October 9, 2018|magazine=Variety |access-date=October 6, 2019}}

On October 3, 2019, two former students of Franco's film and acting school, Studio 4 (defunct) filed a lawsuit against him and his partners. According to The New York Times, the complaint alleged that the program "sought to create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education". The lawsuit claimed that pupils were subjected to "sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots" and had to sign away their rights to the recordings.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/03/movies/james-franco-nudity-lawsuit.html|title=2 Women Say James Franco's Acting School Sexually Exploited Them|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|date=October 3, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 6, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}} More specifically, the lawsuit alleged that Franco taught a class on sex scenes in which students were "'encouraged to audition nude or partially nude if a scene called for nudity'" and were "'routinely pressured to engage in simulated sexual acts that went far beyond the standards in the industry'". The lawsuit further alleged that the school "'created, fostered and maintained a "boy's club" culture wherein female students were sent a very clear message' that if they refused advances from staff or refused to perform partially nude, they would not be considered for substantial roles". The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any questionable material. Franco denied the plaintiffs' claims through his attorney.{{Cite magazine|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/james-franco-sued-sexual-exploitation-fraud-acting-school.html|title=James Franco Sued for Fraud, Sexual Harassment by Two Students of Shuttered Acting School|last=Phelan|first=Matthew|date=October 4, 2019|magazine=Slate Magazine |access-date=October 9, 2019}}

On February 21, 2021, it was reported that the lawsuit was settled and that, according to documents filed on February 11, both students had agreed to drop their individual claims.{{cite web|last=Dalton|first=Andrew|title=James Franco Settles Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit Brought By Former Students|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-franco-sexual-misconduct-settlement_n_60328f1ec5b673b19b693316|website=HuffPost|date=February 21, 2021|access-date=February 21, 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Actors Involved In James Franco Suit Settle, Drop Claims|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/22/970133637/actors-involved-in-james-franco-suit-settle-drop-claims|access-date=2021-05-10|website=NPR|date=February 22, 2021 |last=Blair|first=Elizabeth}} The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval by March 15, 2021.{{Cite news|date=February 22, 2021|title=James Franco sexual misconduct case settled |website=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56153010|access-date=2021-02-22}} In June 2021, terms of the settlement were revealed, and it was disclosed that Franco, pending a judge's approval, would pay more than $2.2 million to resolve two legal disputes: one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation (they will receive $894,000), and another class-action plaint by approximately 1,500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded. A joint statement by the plaintiffs and defendants reads in part: "While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood."{{Cite news|last=Paybarah|first=Azi|date=July 1, 2021|title=James Franco Agrees to Pay $2.2 Million to Settle Sexual Misconduct and Fraud Lawsuits |work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/30/us/james-franco-sexual-misconduct-settlement.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/30/us/james-franco-sexual-misconduct-settlement.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|access-date=2021-07-03|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}

Charlyne Yi worked with Franco on The Disaster Artist. In April 2021, Yi stated that after she attempted to quit the film over the allegations against Franco, the filmmakers responded by offering her a larger role. Yi viewed this enticement as an attempted bribe and also accused Franco's long-time co-star Seth Rogen of enabling his behavior.{{Cite news|date=April 9, 2021|title=Charlyne Yi Accuses James Franco of Being a 'Sexual Predator'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/charlyne-yi-james-franco-seth-rogen-the-disaster-artist-b1829282.html|access-date=May 10, 2021|newspaper=The Independent }}{{Cite web|last=Lattanzio|first=Ryan|date=April 9, 2021|title=Charlyne Yi Says She Tried to Quit 'Disaster Artist' Over James Franco Sexual Misconduct Allegations|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/charlyne-yi-james-franco-allegations-disaster-artist-1234629255/|access-date=May 10, 2021|website=IndieWire }} A month later, Rogen commented on the allegations against Franco and expressed doubts that he would ever work with him again.{{cite web |last1=Choe |first1=Brandon |title=Seth Rogen Stays Silent On Future Plans With James Franco Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/seth-rogen-stays-silent-on-future-plans-with-james-franco-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations-1234752599/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=10 May 2021 |date=9 May 2021}}{{Cite web|first=Toyin|last=Owoseje|title=Seth Rogen says he has no plans to work with James Franco again|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/entertainment/seth-rogen-james-franco-intl-scli/index.html|access-date=May 10, 2021|website=CNN|date=May 10, 2021}}

On December 23, 2021, Franco admitted to having had sex with students and stated that he had undergone treatment for sexual addiction since 2016; he did not address other allegations of sexual misconduct.{{cite news | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-franco-is-not-taking-ownership-of-the-accusations-that-matter | last=Bradley | first=Laura | title=James Franco Is Not Taking 'Ownership' of the Accusations that Matter | work=The Daily Beast| date=December 23, 2021 }}

Franco has volunteered at the charity the Art of Elysium, which helps children with serious medical conditions. He said the experience helped save his life. In January 2011, at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles, Franco was honored for his work at the hospital, receiving the Spirit of Elysium accolade.{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/ent/celeb/articles/2011/01/17/20110117james-franco-kirsten-dunst-charity-advice.html |title=James Franco saved by Kirsten Dunst's charity advice |newspaper=The Arizona Republic |location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=January 17, 2011 |access-date=April 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316070055/http://www.azcentral.com:80/ent/celeb/articles/2011/01/17/20110117james-franco-kirsten-dunst-charity-advice.html? |archive-date=2013-03-16}}

On March 31, 2011, the actor took part in "An Evening with James Franco", a Washington D.C. dinner benefit for 826DC, a non-profit after-school literature program. Franco became involved with Dave Eggers' 826 National after Eggers asked him to do a conceptual idea for the program, and he directed a documentary for them and has since been a supporter of them. At the event, he spoke about how he thought schools needed to be more original with their literature programs. "Writing can do things that video cannot", he added.{{cite news |first=Roshan|last=Farazad|url=http://www.washingtonlife.com/2011/04/04/charity-spotlight-evening-with-james-franco/ |title=Charity Spotlight: Evening With James Franco |newspaper=Washington Life Magazine |location=Washington DC|date=April 4, 2011 |access-date=April 13, 2011}} In April 2011, Franco autographed a T-shirt that would be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation, with the proceeds being donated for Japanese tsunami relief.{{cite web |first=Jocelyn |last=Vena| url=http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/04/13/robert-pattinson-japan-relief/ |title=Robert Pattinson Takes Off Shirt For Japan Relief |work=MTV |publisher=Viacom |location=New York City|date=April 13, 2011 |access-date=April 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417074146/http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/04/13/robert-pattinson-japan-relief |archive-date=April 17, 2011 }} On June 14, he was honored by amfAR, the foundation for AIDS research, at the Museum of Modern Art. Franco received the Piaget Award of Inspiration for his humanitarian work and contributions to men's style.{{cite news |url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/05/31/James_Franco_Honored_by_amfAR/ |title=James Franco Honored by amfAR |newspaper=The Advocate |location=San Francisco, California|date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603045330/http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/05/31/James_Franco_Honored_by_amfAR/ |archive-date=June 3, 2011 }}

In April 2013, Franco received the Ally Award at the 15th annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The award was presented to him in recognition of his unwavering support of the LGBT community.{{cite press release|title=James Franco to accept ally award|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/james-franco-to-accept-ally-award-at-the-15th-annual-miami-gay--lesbian-film-festival-202099751.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=April 9, 2013}}

In April 2014, Franco presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Leighton Meester and Chris O'Dowd, after raising donations at his Broadway show Of Mice and Men.{{cite web|first1=David|last1=Gordon|first2=Seth|last2=Walters|url=http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/04-2014/bryan-cranston-james-franco-idina-menzel-and-more-_68349.html|title=Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Idina Menzel, and More in Highlights From the 2014 Easter Bonnet Competition - Photo Flash - Apr 23, 2014|date=April 23, 2014|work=theatermania}} In June 2014, Franco performed in the BC/EFA benefit Broadway Bares.{{cite web|first=Tommy|last=Wesely|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/tommywes/james-franco-bared-his-bum-for-broadway-bares|title=James Franco Bared His Bum For "Broadway Bares"|work=BuzzFeed|date=June 23, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2018}}

{{main|James Franco filmography|List of awards and nominations received by James Franco}}

• Franco, James. "[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704107104574570313372878136#printMode A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art]". The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2009.
• Franco, James. "[http://www.esquire.com/fiction/james-franco-fiction-0410 Just Before the Black]". Esquire, March 24, 2010.
• {{cite book|title=Metamorphosis: Junior Year [With Earbuds]|last=Franco|first=Betsy|year=2009|publisher=Candlewick Press|isbn=978-0763-6-3765-1}}
• {{cite book|title=Palo Alto: Stories|last=Franco|first=James|year=2010|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-1-4391-6314-6|title-link=Palo Alto (book)}}
• {{cite book|title=Ploughshares Winter 2011–2012|last=Hoffman|first=Alice|year=2011|isbn=978-1933-0-5821-4|title-link=Ploughshares|publisher=Ploughshares }}
• {{cite book|title=The Speed Chronicles|last=Mattson|first=Joseph|year=2011|publisher=Akashic Books|isbn=978-1617-7-5028-1}}
• {{cite book|title=n+1 Issue 13: Machine Politics|year=2012|publisher=n+1|isbn=978-0982-5-9775-0|title-link=n+1}}
• {{cite book|title=My Ideal Bookshelf|last=La Force|first=Thessaly|year=2012|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|isbn=978-0316-2-0090-5}}
• {{cite book|title=Dangerous Book Four Boys|last=Franco|first=James|year=2012|publisher=Rizzoli International Publications|isbn=978-0847-8-3813-4}}
• {{cite book|title=113 Crickets: Volume 2|last=Franco|first=James|year=2012|publisher=Dymaxicon|isbn=978-1937-9-6506-8}}
• {{cite book|title=The Coffin Factory (Issue 3)|year=2012|publisher=The Coffin Factory|title-link=The Coffin Factory}}
• {{cite book|title=Strongest of the Litter: (The Hollyridge Press Chapbook Series)|last=Franco|first=James|year=2012|publisher=Hollyridge Press|isbn=978-0984-3-1005-0}}
• {{cite book|title=A California Childhood|last=Franco|first=James|year=2013|publisher=Insight Editions|isbn=978-1608-8-7202-2}}
• {{cite book|title=Actors Anonymous|last=Franco|first=James|year=2013|publisher=Little A / New Harvest|isbn=978-0544-1-1453-1|url=https://archive.org/details/actorsanonymousn0000fran}}
• {{cite book|last=Franco|first=James|editor-last=Wilson|editor-first=Carl|title=Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste|date=2014|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4411-6677-7|chapter=Acting In and Out of Context|pages=233–243}}
• {{cite book|title=Directing Herbert White: Poems|last=Franco|first=James|year=2014|publisher=Graywolf Press|isbn=978-1555-9-7673-6}}
• {{cite book|title=Hollywood Dreaming|last=Franco|first=James|year=2014|publisher=Insight Editions|isbn=978-1-60887-343-2}}

• 2011: Turn It Up EP – collaboration with Kalup Linzy
• 2012: MotorCity EP – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy"{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/motorcity-ep/557048747|title=Motorcity – EP by Daddy|publisher=iTunes|date=September 25, 2012|access-date=November 30, 2016}}
• 2016: Let Me Get What I Want – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy"{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/let-me-get-what-i-want/1072169364|title=Let Me Get What I Want by Daddy|publisher=iTunes|date=March 18, 2016|access-date=November 30, 2016}}

• 2013: "Hanging with Da Dopeboys" – featuring DangeRuss from album Spring Breakers: Music from the Motion Picture
• 2013: "I Love You" – featuring Kalup Linzy from album Romantic Loner
• 2015: "11/22/63"

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category|James Franco}}

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{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in a Comedy}}

{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}

{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}

{{Golden Globe Award Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy}}

{{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVMiniseriesFilm}}

{{Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor}}

{{Hasty Pudding Man of the Year}}

{{Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}

{{IndependentSpiritBestMaleLead 2000-2020}}

{{Independentspiritbestsupportingmale 2000-2020}}

{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}

{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}

{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}

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Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male writers

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male non-fiction writers

Category:American male television actors

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:American male soap opera actors

Category:American male video game actors

Category:American people of Portuguese descent

Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent

Category:American people of Swedish descent

Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners

Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners

Category:Brooklyn College alumni

Category:California Institute of the Arts faculty

Category:Columbia University School of the Arts alumni

Category:Film directors from California

Category:Film producers from California

Category:Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead winners

Category:Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male winners

Category:Jewish American male actors

Category:Jewish American non-fiction writers

Category:Jewish American screenwriters

Category:Jewish American television writers

Category:Television writers from California

Category:American LGBTQ rights activists

Category:Male actors from Palo Alto, California

Category:New York University faculty

Category:Palo Alto High School alumni

Category:People of Madeiran descent

Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni

Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni

Category:UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television faculty

Category:USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty

Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

Category:Warren Wilson College alumni

Category:Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:Yale University alumni