James Franco confirms end of friendship with Seth Rogen
The bromance between James Franco and Seth Rogen was one of the most dependable relationships in Hollywood, but Franco revealed last week that the two are no longer on speaking terms.
Their history as friends and collaborators stretches back to 1999 when they starred in the high school comedy series Freaks and Geeks. They then worked on several movies together, including 2008’s Pineapple Express, and 2014’s The Interview.
Having received an Oscar nomination in 2011 for his role in Danny Boyle’s drama 127 Hours, Franco starred in a string of successes, including the controversial 2012 drama Spring Breakers and 2017’s The Disaster Artist, which he also directed.
However, his relationship with Rogen became strained in 2018 following a string of allegations against Franco in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
When asked about the status of the relationship during a conversation with Variety on October 25th, the 127 Hours actor said, “I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.”
What were the allegations against James Franco?
In 2018, Franco was accused by four of his former acting students and one other woman of sexual misconduct. The actor has denied the allegations, but reportedly settled the 2019 lawsuit for $2.23million.
The allegations included (via The Independent) claims that he and his business partner “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students by sexualising their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects.”
Additionally, Franco allegedly taught a sex scene masterclass in which multiple students felt uncomfortable with the gratuity of the actor’s involvement.
Speaking to The Times in 2021, Rogen distanced himself from his former friend and collaborator. “What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that,” he said.
James Franco’s response to the accusations
In the years since the allegations came to light, Franco has walked a delicate line between denying the claims of misconduct and saying that he didn’t want to shut down or silence those who were making the accusations.
In 2021, he acknowledged that he had had sex with some of his students at the acting school, but that the relationships had been consensual and had not, as some reporting had suggested, been the goal of founding the school in the first place.
Since the allegations in 2018, however, his prominent roles have been fewer and farther between. He even took a hiatus from movies between 2019 and 2024. His statements about his friendship with Rogen came during the press tour for his latest movie, Claudio Giovannesi’s forthcoming Hey Joe, in which he plays a World War II veteran in search of redemption for the son he left behind in Italy during the war.
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