Dave Franco rejects nepotism claims: “If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared”
Dave Franco has made a rare comment about his brother, James Franco, to combat claims that his career has prospered thanks to nepotism.
In a recent interview with Bustle, the younger Franco asserted that “no one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother”.
While both brothers continue to enjoy successful acting careers, he did admit that his brother’s celebrity status helped him get his foot in the door, while noting, “If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly”.
Honing in on the specifics of their relationship, the Love Lies Bleeding actor added, “At this point, I think he’s excited just to see me trying new things and to see me grow”.
Dave Franco first starred in the WB drama, 7th Heaven, before moving on to the movie sphere, starring in comedies like Superbad, Fright Night, 21 Jump Street, and the magic con-man flick Now You See Me, and his brother, James, followed a similar pattern, starring first in the TV show Freaks and Geeks, before landing a key role in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. However, in 2019, a lawsuit was filed against James alleging that he engaged in “inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students”, which was eventually settled for a sum over $2million.
On the other end, Dave has also not been able to steer clear of controversy, with one of his recent pictures, Together, being in the news for plagiarism allegations aimed at the actor and co-star and wife Alison Brie, as well as director Michael Shanks. The lawsuit alleged Together is a “blatant rip-off” of Better Half, a 2023 independent movie written and directed by Patrick Henry Phelan, with the script being pitched to the couple for leading roles in the venture.
In terms of going the Hollywood route of picking up on historical cultural moments for screen adaptations, the actor admitted that he is open to the idea of playing the alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Luigi Mangione, while also recently landing an Emmy nomination for his guest role on Seth Rogen’s industry-insider series The Studio.
He will next appear in the Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You, as well as a sequel in the Now You See Me series, titled Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, hitting theatres on November 14th, clearly nowhere close to disappearing, his feet firmly planted in the soil of the industry. Whether that’s all to his pre-established background, or some of his own salt, is up for the endless debate regarding the meritocracy of nepo babies.
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