By Admin 
James Franco has addressed the impact that the controversy surrounding his sexual misconduct allegations, and resulting silence on the matter, had on his brother Dave Franco and long-time co-creative Seth Rogen.
Franco was accused by five young actors of sexual misconduct or exploitative behaviour.
All five were either students of his acting school, or mentees of Franco.
This resulted in Franco being sued by two students, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, who attended Franco’s Studio 4 acting school which has since been shut down.
(Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
The pair settled with Franco out of court for £1.7 million.
The actor was also accused of ‘forcing’ a former girlfriend to perform oral sex on him in a car.
Following the allegations made against him, Franco stayed silent in the media, leading attention to turn to others close to him.
His brother Dave has never commented on the controversy to either support or decry him. However, Dave’s wife Alison Brie was asked about the matter on a red carpet.
Speaking to E! news, Brie said in 2018: “I think that above all what we’ve always said is that it remains vital that anyone who feels victimized should and does have the right to speak out and come forward.
Alison Brie and Dave Franco (Steven Simione via Getty Images)
“I obviously support my family, and not everything that’s been reported is fully accurate, so I think we’re waiting to get all the information.
“But of course, now is the time for listening, and that’s what we’re all trying to do.”
Seth Rogen also spoke in an interview with the Sunday Times in which he said he would not be working with James Franco moving forward.
Following this, Franco appeared on a podcast in 2021 on SiriusXM to discuss the allegations and resulting fallout.
When asked about Rogen’s comments, Franco said they were ‘hurtful in context’, but went on to say: “He had to answer for me ‘cause I was silent.
“He had to answer for me, and that’s why I am doing this interview. I don’t want Seth or my brother to have to answer for me anymore.”
Rogen’s full comments regarding the allegations were: “What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment.
“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.
“The truth is that I have not and I do not plan to [work with Franco] right now.”
When asked in the SiriusXM podcast why he stayed silent for so long on the allegations, Franco said it was because he needed ‘to listen’ to ‘people that were upset with’ him.
James Franco and Seth Rogen, once inseparable titans of the comedy industry, seemingly no longer work together, a fact James Franco ended up addressing.
This all came following the allegations against James Franco of sexual misconduct.
The pair worked together as far back as 1999 (NBC)
The pair starred together in projects as far back as 1999’s cult classic Freaks and Geeks, which also featured a young Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and even a cameo from Shia LaBeouf.
Going forward they appeared in This is The End, The Interview, and Pineapple Express together.
Why do they no longer work together?
Ultimately, the issue came when James Franco was accused of sleeping with multiple students he was teaching or mentoring.
Franco had opened his own acting school and was also mentoring young actors.
He was accused in 2018 of sexually inappropriate and/or exploitative behaviour by five former students.
One claimed he removed guards from actresses’ vulvas during a sex scene in which they were simulating oral sex.
The pair were creative partners for years (Michael Kovac via Getty Images)
Two women went on to sue Franco, saying that with his acting school he had tried to ‘create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education’.
The matter was settled out of court to the tune of £1.7 million.
In addition to this, an ex-girlfriend of Franco accused him of ‘forcing’ her to perform oral sex on him.
What has Seth Rogen said?
Seth Rogen, initially, did not end his connection to James Franco.
The actor told Vulture in an interview that he would continue to work with Franco following the allegations, saying: “The truth is that my perspective on this is the least relevant perspective”.
(Presley Ann via Getty Images)
He later amended this, stating that he had no plans to work with his long-time co-star.
Rogen told the Sunday Times when asked about working with him: “The truth is that I have not, and I do not plan to right now.
“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.”
How did Franco respond?
Franco has responded in two separate occasions to the end of his working relationship with Seth Rogen.
The first, which you can watch below, was a SiriusXM interview in which he addressed the fact they are no longer working together, saying his comments were ‘hurtful in context’.
In the interview he also admitted to sleeping with students, but claims there was no ‘master plan’.
Franco went on to say regarding Rogen: “He had to answer for me ‘cause I was silent. He had to answer for me, and I don’t want that.
“So that’s why, that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you today: I don’t want Seth, or my brother [Dave Franco], or anyone to have to answer for me anymore”.
Franco also addressed the ending of their working relationship in an interview with Variety.
He said: “Being told you’re bad is painful. But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.
“I’m so grateful to be working. I did go through a lawsuit, and during that lawsuit I wasn’t working.
“But then COVID hit so everybody wasn’t working. So, I don’t know, it was all… I mean, we were all kind of in it. So it was sort of like, ‘I don’t know what I am’.”
Franco opened up about the situation (SiriusXM)
Regarding Seth Rogen in specific and whether they have talked, he said: “No. 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.”
Sources told the Daily Mail that Seth Rogen was ‘hurt’ by the interview, saying: “There is no world where Seth will be friends with James Franco ever again”.
Featured Image Credit: Ivan Romano/Getty Images/Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon
Topics: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Film, TV and Film, Celebri
After James Franco faced several sexual misconduct accusations in 2018, a number of actors ended their working relationship with him.
Not least his former friend and movie star Seth Rogen, who has worked with him on numerous projects, starting in 1999 on the TV show Freaks and Geeks.
However, it seems Tyrese Gibson made his mind up on Franco way back in 2006.
The pair starred together in the Justin Lin-led Annapolis, which follows a young working-class man named Jake (Franco) who attends the US Naval Academy in Maryland.
Amid skepticism from his father (Brian Goodman), Jake comes across Midshipman Lieutenant Cole (Gibson), a tough superior determined to test his limits.
You can take a look at the trailer below:
While the two actors were making a name for themselves in Hollywood at the time, in Annapolis, Jake and Cole’s rivalry spills over in the Academy’s annual boxing tournament, the Brigades.
After confronting each other in the final match, Cole wins by decision, but recommends that Jake remain at the Academy due to his determination.
However, this scene is why the Fast X star doesn’t want to work with the Pineapple Express actor again.
The pair have spoke about the problems on set (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
“I was always like, ‘James, lighten up, man. We’re just practicing.’ He never lightened up,” he explained in a 2007 interview with Elle Magazine.
“I respect method actors, but he never snapped out of character. Whenever we’d have to get in the ring for boxing scenes, and even during practice, the dude was full-on hitting me.”
Gibson added to Playboy Magazine: “I never want to work with him again, and I’m sure he feels the same way. It felt very personal. It was f**ked up.”
Franco made his first public appearance in six years in May (Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Franco, who settled his sexual assault lawsuit in 2021, also said of the film in 2014: “I take full blame for any problems on that film. If he had a bad experience working with me, I was probably a jerk.
“I was not purposely cruel to him, but I was probably so wrapped up in my performance that I was not as friendly as I could have been.
“But when I’m asked about it in the press it makes it seem as if it’s still an issue.
“I think Tyrese is a sweet guy with a good heart. I wish him all the best.”
Well, it clearly wasn’t worth the fuss, after the film scored an underwhelming 10 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of writing