James Franco Archives – We Got This Covered

No cap, people think this football player is James Franco in disguise

Ryan Galloway — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 23:38:12 +0000

You might have logged into social media today and seen James Franco trending. Naturally this probably had you wondering what controversy the actor had fallen into this time, but no, for once trending wasn’t due to his action, instead it was thanks to the NFL.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, the New York Giants claimed Greg Dulcich, former tight end of the Denver Broncos from waivers. This move was blasted onto social media where an image of the athlete began being instantly compared to James Franco’s, specifically his version of Tommy Wiseau from The Disaster Artist. Honestly, there are some similarities, but they don’t really look that much alike.

Still, the image that social media s are comparing is a shot of Dulcich on the field, and we’ll it, his facial structure does look similar. Enough so that the internet has done its thing and got the actor trending.

It's weird that James Franco changed his name and became a football player https://t.co/5vISXsXx1b
— Sean Thurmond (@seanthurmond) November 26, 2024

Nah, that’s James Franco in a scene from the future Greg Dulcich biopic. https://t.co/i9V3PYM0Be pic.twitter.com/q7Fa5HtLPQ
— Sports Stuff Hub LCS (@sportsstuffhub) November 26, 2024

Lmao this is why James Franco trending right now https://t.co/wS7m2NYXkm
— #LLR (@1JohnnyB_) November 26, 2024

We wouldn’t blame you if you had forgotten James Franco exists, given the star’s extended absence from Hollywood after being accused of sexual abuse. Back in 2019, the actor was sued by several of his former acting students for sexual exploitation and intimidation. While he has denied the accusations, the lawsuit was settled out of court with a reported $2.2 million payment.

Since then he has only appeared in a few small roles including Hey Joe, The Price of Money, and Karantina, all of which have been released in the past year. According to iMDB, Franco will be appearing in seven different projects that are either in their post-production or current production stages, so expect to see the star a little more in the coming years.

Fortunately for the Giants, Dulcich is not Franco, so his addition to the team should hopefully come with more success on the field, and not the troubles outside of it.

‘I guess it’s over’: James Franco addresses allegations, reveals he’s still blacklisted by Seth Rogen

Jackie Longo — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 23:53:21 +0000

James Franco has spoken out about his blacklisted relationship with Seth Rogen and how he’s handling the backlash following his sexual abuse allegations.

The Spider–Man actor was sued by multiple students of his former acting school, Studio4, on the grounds of sexual exploitation and intimidation in 2019.

Photo via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

While he denied the allegations, Franco and his co-defendants agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the case, according to CNBC.

The lawsuit alleged that Franco created “a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education” and that the women were led to believe that they would secure roles in his films if they went along with it, according to court documents. The actor’s production company, Rabbit Bandini, and his partners, Jay Davis and Vince Jolivette, were also named in the lawsuit.

Franco itted to sleeping with students at his acting school on “The Jess Cagle” podcast in 2021. At the time, he said, “that was wrong,” but added, “it wasn’t a master plan on my part.”

Moving on

In an interview published by Variety on Friday, Franco went into detail about the fallout from the lawsuit, saying, “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.”

The actor said he’s “been in recovery for a long time” and is trying to move past the experience. “I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change. So that’s it, it’s over,” he said.

Franco, who’s been in a relationship with American actress Izabel Pakzad for over seven years, has been focusing on his personal life. “I was never able to do that before. I was just too scared, really … to have any sort of real intimacy with anyone,” he said.

Friendship over

Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon

During the interview, Franco also addressed the status of his friendship with former co-star and friend Seth Rogan. The two men met as teenagers on the set of Freaks and Geeks in the 1990s and have starred in various other films together, including Pineapple Express, and This is The End.

“No. I haven’t talked to Seth,” Franco told the outlet. “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.”

Rogen briefly addressed the men’s relationship status in 2021, telling The Sunday Times he despises abuse and harassment and “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 also said that he had no plans to work with Franco again.

“I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic,” Rogan said.

The duo were last photographed together publicly at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, where they were nominated for their work together on producing The Disaster Act.

In 2018, Franco told SiriusXM radio that he still “loves” Rogen and that he’s never had a single fight with him in the 20 years that they’ve worked together.

“He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator, and we just gelled,” Franco said. “What he said is true — we aren’t working together and we don’t have any plans to work together.”

What movies and shows have James Franco and Seth Rogen starred in together?

Here is a list of all the movies and shows James Franco and Seth Rogen have starred in together and how to watch them for free without cable:

The Disaster Artist (2017) – Watch on Max
Sausage Party (2016) – Watch on Netflix
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What happened to James Franco In ‘Planet Of The Apes?’

David James — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:26:47 +0000

In 2011 hopes weren’t exactly high for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The dreadful 2001 Tim Burton movie was still relatively fresh in audiences’ minds and a prequel establishing the beginning of the Planet of the Apes story wasn’t an immediately enticing proposition.

Word soon got around that Rise was actually pretty damn great, all fuelled by a groundbreaking mocap performance from Andy Serkis as Caesar. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes followed, and we now have the far-flung simian future of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

But let’s wind back the clock to Rise and dig into the fate of the most consequential human in the franchise.

Who is James Franco’s character?

In Rise, James Franco plays pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman, who’s desperate to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. He tests his new drug on chimpanzees, realizing that the treatment greatly increases their intelligence. After his test chimpanzees are euthanized he secretly takes in a surviving baby chimp, naming him Caesar.

Will raises Caesar, treating him as a member of his family. Meanwhile, he continues working on his Alzheimer’s treatment, which further boosts ape intelligence but, unfortunately, is also a deadly virus for humans known as Simian Flu.

Superintelligent ape chaos on the streets of San Francisco ensues and the apes eventually escape into the forest. Will tracks down Caesar and begs him to return home, but Caesar says he is home and leaves Will for a new life.

Will Rodman’s life after ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’

That’s effectively the end of Will Rodman’s story. Franco makes an uncredited cameo in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in a scene where Caesar watches video footage of his youth, but does not actually appear in the movie’s timeline.

His ultimate fate is unknown but, like most humans, we can presume he died during the Simian Flu pandemic he caused. This is strongly indicated by the scene in which we return to Will’s now-ruined home and see it’s marked to indicate that there are sick humans inside.

Will is theoretically the protagonist of Rise, but if you take the trilogy as a whole it’s ultimately Caesar’s story. Either way, by the time of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Will’s pivotal role in creating this brave new world of superintelligent apes is almost certainly lost to history. If only we could say the same about Franco himself.

James Franco’s net worth, confirmed

Melanie Rooten — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:36:10 +0000

If you have never heard of American actor and filmmaker James Franco, have you seriously been living under a rock? For those who are unfamiliar, Franco is one of the biggest stars of our generation — despite falling into a bit of controversy over the years — and his net worth naturally reflects his awe-striking acting chops.

Franco is known for starring in movies like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Milk, Eat Pray Love, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spring Breakers, and more, as well as starring in television shows like Freaks and Geeks, James Dean, Hollywood Heights, General Hospital, The Deuce, and more. Garnering numerous awards and nominations in his career thus far — notably taking home two Golden Globes — it is clear that the 45-year-old has had a great deal of success as an actor thus far, but how much money is actually tied to his name as a result?

Fortunately, we got you covered. For Franco’s official net worth, just keep scrolling…

What is James Franco’s net worth?

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A post shared by James Franco (@officialjamesfrancoo)

According to sources like Celebrity Net Worth, Eric Singer, FandomWire, and more James Franco’s net worth is estimated to be about $30 million, with $12 million coming from the Spider-Man franchise alone. Aside from acting, Franco has been able to accumulate some cash in other avenues, such as brand deals and endorsements, writing, teaching, real estate investments, and other creative ventures. How impressive is that?

From working a late-night job at McDonald’s while studying at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and acting on the side — all in an attempt to himself, because his parents were unive of his acting aspirations — some may say that Franco went from rags to riches. He is a true — if not unproblematic — success story!

The 10 best and worst hosts in Oscars history

Staci White — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:46:34 +0000

For better or for worse, the Oscars are responsible for some of the biggest pop culture moments around the world (including the infamous slap from the 2022 Oscars). We’re more connected than we’ve ever been in our current internet age, but as most of us participate in our own nice online communities, monoculture moments like the Academy Awards are few and far between. While fewer viewers tune in to watch the ceremony in the streaming era, the memes and social commentary that stem from the awards show prove the Oscars are still relevant enough for us talk about with our friends in the weeks after the broadcast.

That being said, the Academy Awards would be far less interesting without hosts making memorable moments, both good and bad. Last year, Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the Oscars after hosting previously in both 2017 and 2018. Flash forward to now, and Kimmel has been rewarded with the hosting gig once again, giving him the perfect chance to rank amongst history’s best Oscar hosts. So in honor of the ceremony, let’s take a look at some of the best and worst hosts to ever grace the Academy Award’s stage.

Best: Hugh Jackman (2009)

In 2009, Hugh Jackman was tapped to host the 81st Academy Awards, and the actor put on a show reminiscent of old Hollywood, complete with a nine-minute musical number where he masterfully sang about that year’s nominees, with a cameo from Anne Hathaway. “The Academy loves to range,” the Wolverine actor says during his opening speech, and he proved his own in spades. Unfortunately for us, Jackman has only hosted the one time, and the Academy has cut back on musical numbers, reportedly due to time constraints. He has expressed interest in returning to host again, but until he does, we can enjoy his past Oscars gig on YouTube for the time being.

Worst: Chevy Chase (1988)

In 1987, comedian Chevy Chase successfully co-hosted the Oscars alongside Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan and was asked to return the following year. When he did, his condescending jokes and improv never connected with the crowd, resulting in an awkward program. For most people of a certain generation, Chase is best known for starring in Community (and for generally behaving like an entitled Boomer jackass), but in the late ‘80s, he was at the height of his career, with several high-budget comedies and Saturday Night Live behind him. Not even a snazzy opening number was enough to save Chase from flubbing his hosting gig, and after this Oscars, he never hosted an awards show again.

Best: Ellen DeGeneres (2007, 2014)

Ellen DeGeneres had hosted previously in 2007, but the 86th Academy Awards showed the then-Ellen host at her best. Her opening monologue did a good job balancing being funny without overstepping and offending the audience (unlike some other hosts you’ll see on this list), but it’s not just her effortless banter with the nominee’s that makes DeGeneres one of the best Oscars hosts of all-time. The moment she decided to take a selfie with some of the biggest stars of the night, she created one of the most talked-about Oscars moments, and simultaneously broke Twitter by becoming the site’s most-retweeted picture at the time — and she did all that while ordering pizza for the nominees.

Worst: Liza Minelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor and Walter Matthau (1983)

Exactly 40 years ago, the 55th Academy Awards was hosted by Walter Matthau, Liza Minelli, Dudley Moore, and Richard Pryor. For some unknown reason, the four hosts performed a musical number, but evidently only Minelli appeared to have practiced beforehand. Pryor looks moments away from a panic attack and forgets some lines, Moore tries to carry his performance with charisma and the occasional ad-lib, while Matthau looks like he’d rather be anywhere but the Oscars stage. It feels like this was meant to be funny (and with a lineup like that, it could have been) but the obviously anxious and unprepared hosts make this one of the worst Oscars hosting line-ups.

Best: Jon Stewart (2008)

Jon Stewart’s 2008 Oscars hosting gig was actually his second; his first time in 2006 wasn’t necessarily bad, but his delivery was off, and his time on the stage ended up able but underwhelming. Second time around, Stewart had the difficult task of opening the Oscars after the Hollywood writers’ strike, which ended only 11 days before the ceremony. Not an enviable task, but it was one he pulled off with aplomb; his confidence helped his jokes about a post-strike Hollywood’s emotional state land (He asks, “Does this town need a hug?” after listing “this year’s slate of Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies”) and he kept a playful tone throughout the night. Most notably, he brought back a then-19 year old Markéta Irglová so she could finish her acceptance speech, after she and co-writer Glen Hansard won Best Original Song with “Falling Slowly.”

Worst: Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, and Donald Duck (1958)

The 30th Academy Awards had many hosts, and some of them were even great when left to their own devices. However, the Academy changed things up this year by introducing an animated host, with Disney’s own Donald Duck stepping in to help front the Oscars. Reportedly, the actors made of flesh and blood had a difficult time working alongside their animated coworker, and the show was awkward at best. Unfortunately for us, Donald Duck did such a poor job as a host that the Academy has scrubbed the internet of any clips of the seven-minute segment. As a result, we tragically can’t confirm how bad it was and without the official Oscars recap, we might not even know it even happened.

Best: Whoopi Goldberg (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002)

In 1994, Whoopi Goldberg made history as both the first African American and woman to host the Academy Awards. She proved herself more than capable of providing comic relief while handling more sensitive moments, as she handed over the Best Picture Oscar for Schindler’s List. During the show’s opening ceremony, the host famously called herself an “equal opportunity offender” before launching into a rapid-fire list of all the causes she s. Many of the issues Goldberg brought up are still debated today, so it’s not hard to understand why she followed up the list by jokingly saying, “took care of everything, didn’t I? Including my career.” If anything, her first hosting gig helped her relationship with the Academy, and she was asked back for another three ceremonies.

Worst: Seth MacFarlane (2013)

https://youtu.be/ugiCxCfqPi4

Seth MacFarlane’s Oscars gig feels like an extended SNL sketch, which shouldn’t be a bad thing, if this were actually an SNL skit. In the opening, William Shatner descends via a screen as Captain Kirk to warn MacFarlane he’s about to put on one hell of a bad show. Unfortunately, this attempt at a tongue-in-cheek joke falls flat when MacFarlane proceeds to put on a bad show. The promo could be interpreted as a poorly-delivered warning against sexism, as all of the celebrities featured are in on the joke, but then, MacFarlane just continues to be legitimately sexist by joking about women giving themselves the flu to look “good” for the ceremony, saying Zero Dark Thirty is about “a woman’s innate ability to never let anything go,” and making an awful joke about Chris Brown and Rihanna that I don’t even want to put in print. Hey, at least he proved he can sing!

Best: Bob Hope

Bob Hope is an Oscars legend who hosted the ceremony a staggering 19 times between 1948 and 1978. For many, Hope’s steady voice and deadpan one-liners were what made the Academy Awards so memorable for many movie lovers during those golden years. His comedic timing was always on point, and his jokes were funny without being mean (though not without controversy; many of them have aged poorly as one might expect four decades after his last hosting gig). For many of the hosts on this list, Hope is the hosting blueprint, self-deprecating (“I hope your favorite wins tonight, although I know mine won’t.”) and able to poke fun at the Academy without stepping on too many toes. In 1966, he was presented with a special gold medal for his Oscars services throughout the years.

Worst: Anne Hathaway and James Franco (2011)

Quite honestly, Anne Hathaway does not deserve to be on this list. She has done nothing wrong; in fact, her only crime during the 2011 Oscars was being too enthusiastic. James Franco and Hathaway make for an awkward pair in the best of circumstances, and with millions of eyes on them during the broadcast, this was not the best of circumstances. Franco is incredibly low-energy compared to the wide-eyed Hathaway — it’s like watching your grade’s chill class clown give a class presentation with the overachieving president of the drama club. Even Franco isn’t necessarily that bad, it’s the combination of the two together that makes this one of the most painful Oscars ceremonies to watch. From Hathaway’s over-compensating line delivery to Franco’s poorly-received drag skit later in the evening, this is undeniably some of the worst hosting we’ve seen at the Oscars.

Why is Roger Howarth leaving ‘General Hospital’?

Chris Clemente — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:37:25 +0000

On November 17th, Roger Howarth said his farewell to his 12-year stint on General Hospital as Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt. His departure shocked daytime fans, as his character was shot fatally 3 times and laid in a pool of blood at the show’s ending.

What was ed off as a Friday cliffhanger, was confirmed by the actor in an interview with Soap Opera Digest that ABC executives did not “offer a new contract” upon renewal and that his “character Austin would be killed off.”

Although that news would be a disappointment to any actor with a stable recurring role such as that of “Dr. Nice Guy,” the actor later posted on his Instagram that he had to take a moment to “quickly adjust” and showed his gratitude by mentioning how “lucky I was to have been able to do something I really love” for so long. As fans are still dealing with the aftermath of the doctor’s departure, the question of “Why now?” becomes most blatantly obvious. Audiences still need to know “Why was Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt killed off?” and most mysteriously, “Who killed the doctor?” Here are some answers to provide devoted soap opera fans with the closure they need to move.

**Why the sudden exit from General Hospital?**

Image source via ABC

Executive producer Frank Valentini called the shots and told Howarth that ABC needed to kill off Dr. Austin in order to “move the story along.” Who’s to say that the story couldn’t exist without Howarth? But with generations of audiences spanning 60 years in production, keeping a storyline cold is something General Hospital can’t afford to do. Instead, why not raise the flame, and make GH into a suspenseful whodunit? With Dr. Austin’s death opens to a laundry list of seedy culprits, having viewers tune in to reveal the killer means high ratings.

As the mystery deepens, we can’t help but focus on Ava (Maura West), but there are other possible candidates to consider. Her vengeance is understandable given that Mason Gatlin (Nathanyael Grey), her cousin, abducted and nearly murdered her because of Austin’s betrayal. There are so many avenues the show can take, and keep the legendary soap on air for another 60 years.

Roger Howarth and his alter ego, Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt

Image source via ABC

Roger Howarth first came to the General Hospital scene in 2012 as the son of the late Jimmy Lee Holt and Charity Gatlin. He went to Port Charles to question the will of his grandfather, Edward Quartermaine, and get the owning shares that his late father had been denied. Throughout his tenure at Port Charles’ General Hospital, his character has been depicted as dedicated, but not entirely honest, and a bit quirky and downright strange. The untimely nature of his death may be shocking, but murder may be probable when they are the type of person who uses people when it suits their needs.

From plotlines dealing with covering up a friend’s death, involvement with the mob, and threats from one’s own cousin, it’s not a far stretch that we find Dr. Austin in a pool of his own blood. I’m surprised that it took 12 years for his character to seemingly get what he deserves. Now the Emmy award-winning show can shift to a juicy murder mystery, which is always a crowd pleaser and can attract a new audience of true crime enthusiasts.

Although Howarth has been a long-term anchor to the show, he’s no stranger to the world of soap operas. Howarth has been on daytime television for a long time now. Howarth played Todd Manning on One Life to Live before he ed GH. He had been on As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and Loving before that. He had primetime parts on Californication, The Flash, and Dawson’s Creek as well. With so many soap credits, Howarth is practically soap opera royalty, and finding another daytime role will come to him easily.

What’s in store for Roger Howarth?

Image source via ABC

When Soap Opera Digest continued to ask if the soap vet would return to daytime television, he quickly replied, “100 percent,” and “If somebody’s gonna ask me, I’m gonna go!” With that in mind, there are plenty of soaps Howarth has not appeared in and can make a big splash. He’s never appeared on The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful or Days of Our Lives, so the opportunities are there for the television veteran. He can also handle a recast, as he did on both As the World Turns and even General Hospital.

Before there was Dr. Austin Galtin-Holt, Howarth took over the role of Franco Baldwin from James Franco (yes, that James Franco – a guest appearance Franco was interested in doing for a short run) in May 13, 2013 until March 11, 2021. Before playing the questionable doctor, he was the questionable photographer. A world renowned artist and serial killer, who was a master of manipulation and mind games. From sociopaths to sleazy physicians, Hawarth has a knack for picking eccentric characters. Perhaps company will come in threes, and he’ll reprise another oddity on General Hospital.

What happened to James Franco in ‘Planet of the Apes?’

Danny Peterson — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 16:28:49 +0000

When 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out, audiences may have been under the impression that the first chapter of a new James Franco trilogy of films was upon us. However, by the time we got to the follow-up movie, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it was abundantly clear Franco was nowhere to be seen. So what happened to the character?

In Rise, Franco’s character is a chemist named Will Rodman who develops a viral-based Alzheimer’s cure called ALZ-112. This was the clever way the series explained how the apes became super-intelligent since the original 1968 Charleton Heston movie Planet of the Apes seemed to rely on that old somewhat flimsy standard of sci-fi that nuclear radiation from an atomic holocaust mutated the species to the point of becoming more intellectually advanced.

The Alzheimer’s medicine explanation was much more satisfying and we also got a potentially interesting main character for the series in Will. The very heart of the movie centered on the relationship between Will and Andy Serkis’ Ceasar – an ape who was born super intelligent because his now-deceased mother was injected with ALZ-112 while she was pregnant with him. However, as Dawn and the threequel — War for the Planet of the Apes — proved, each movie in the trilogy would have a completely different set of humans every time with the only mainstays for characters being the apes themselves.

There’s no doubt it was a bold move having CGI apes be the central protagonists of an entire movie trilogy, with the human characters largely being ing roles. However, was that the intention from the beginning? Or did some kind of scheduling conflict happen that prevented Franco from coming back? And did they address Will’s fate in the movies?

The deleted scene from Rise that would have changed everything

Photo via @DiscussingFilm/X/Twitter

On the surface, it seems like Franco’s absence from Dawn onward could be explained by some kind of last-minute recasting that caused the filmmakers to drastically change the direction of the story. However, it turns out that Will’s death was actually planned from the beginning. You see, the original script for Rise, penned by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, actually had the character die in a climactic and tragic sequence immediately after Will heard Ceasar speak for the first time. As ScreenRant explained:

“In the original script, Will was supposed to die in this sequence as Brian Cox’s character – who owned the primate shelter Caesar and the others escaped from – tried to shoot Caeser, only to hit [Will] instead.”

Will’s death was so cemented in the story that the filmmakers actually filmed the scene with Franco. However, the ending was changed so that his character didn’t die by the time the credits rolled. It got to the point that they had to do reshoots for Rise.

“We shot for three hours and (Franco) was back on the plane,” Fox’s president of postproduction Ted Gagliano explained (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Is there an in-story explanation for Will’s absence?

Image via @DiscussingFilm/X/Twitter

Clearly, Will wasn’t shot by Brian Cox’s John Landon — the San Bruno Primate Shelter manager — in the finished Rise. However, is there any kind of explanation for Will’s absence in the follow-up? All that can be derived from Will’s fate is only subtly implied but here’s what we know from what was hinted in Dawn.

In Dawn, it is established that the proliferation of people infected with ALZ-113 and the subsequent Simian Flu pandemic drastically reduces the population of the globe. Only a few humans who are genetically immune survive in small tribes as the rest of society has collapsed. This setup is the main basis for why we believe Will has died from the Simian Flu, like much of the rest of the world.

You see, there are scenes in Dawn where Ceasar takes refuge in the former home he shared with Will. We see Ceasar examine old photos and nostalgically watch camcorder footage of his human paternal figure teaching him sign language and such. A couple of subtle details point to Will having died in his home: a FEMA sign posted on the home’s exterior and his old car still in the driveway. If he had survived the infection, he likely would have been part of the human tribe led by Gary Oldman’s character in the region formerly known as San Francisco.

What happened to James Franco – is James Franco canceled?

Jesse Torres — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 05:51:09 +0000

James Franco’s unpredictability has always been part of his appeal. He could have been a traditional movie star, but he’s spent the last two decades toying with the idea of fame, and taking on roles that challenge his fans. Franco’s unpredictability took an extremely disturbing turn, however, when he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.

These accusations were published by the Los Angeles Times in January 2018. Five different women accused Franco of “inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior,” and two of them were students who worked alongside the actor at Playhouse West in Hollywood. The fallout from these accusations was swift, as Vanity Fair digitally removed Franco from its annual Hollywood issue, and famous pals like Seth Rogen cut ties with him. He was effectively “canceled.”

Has the “cancellation” stuck, though? Is Franco done for good or will the actor be able to rehabilitate his image like so many disgraced actors have before him? Well, the answer, as always, is trickier than a simple “yes” or “no.”

We can say, unequivocally, that Franco’s career has suffered since 2018. Several of the women in the LA Times article sued the actor for sexual harassment, and a private settlement was reached in February 2021, according to the New York Post. The Disaster Artist (2017), a film that earned Franco a Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy, was shunned at the 2018 Oscars, with many theorizing that the actor’s falling reputation doomed its chances.

In one sense, Franco’s career hasn’t been affected by the cancellation at all. He’s continued to write and direct independent films, and he’s even landed ing roles in acclaimed dramas like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). He’s been in nine films since the article was published, and he has three more scheduled for release in the next year. Bizarrely, one of these scheduled releases, Alina: La Hija Rebelde, will see him play Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He’s busier than ever.

What is James Franco’s new movie?

Franco’s indie credentials may be intact, but his mainstream reputation is permanently damaged. The actor catered to both these demographics in the past by doing a small film and then following it up with a blockbuster like Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) or a comedy like Why Him? (2016). It’s an approach that kept him relevant. Rogen was arguably his biggest tether to the mainstream, as they collaborated on hits like Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013) and The Interview (2014).

Rogen told The Sunday Times he has “no plans” to work with Franco again, and while the former doesn’t speak for other friends/co-stars like Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, the fact remains that none of them have voiced for Franco or acted with him since 2018. Zeroville, a comedy starring Franco, Rogen, McBride and Robinson, was released in 2019, but it was shot five years earlier.

Franco has denied all sexual harassment allegations, though he did it to sleeping with some of his acting students during a Sirius XM interview in 2021. He voiced regret over these relationships, and revealed that he was seeking out treatment for sex addiction.

Franco shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to acting and directing, but it seems as though the mainstream, leading man side of his career has come to an end. We will all have to wait and see what the future holds.

Fidel Castro’s daughter weighs in on James Franco playing her father

Shane Fraser — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 15:10:31 +0000

The controversial casting of James Franco as Fidel Castro has been endorsed by none other than Castro’s daughter.

“James Franco has an obvious physical resemblance with Fidel Castro, besides his skills and charisma,” said Alina Fernández, who was born to the Cuban revolutionary and his mistress in 1956 and is the subject of the film in which Franco is set to appear. Alina of Cuba was announced with little attention, until US-born Franco got the green light, for which he received a red light from of Hollywood’s Latino community. Colombia-born actor John Leguizamo said, “I don’t got a prob with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”

Fans and producer John Martinez O’Felan came to Franco’s defense, with the former citing the actor’s Portuguese heritage and the absurdity of ethnically-pure casting, and the latter calling Leguizamo’s comments “culturally uneducated and a blind attack” before emphasizing the project’s greater scope and merits.

Fernández extolled similar virtues about the film, telling Deadline:

“I find the selection of the cast amazing. Ana Villafañe is extraordinarily talented, and not only as an actress because she is also a great singer, a very complete performer. I’m sure that Mía Maestro, an actress I ire, will understand and interpret Naty, my mother, in a unique way and I can’t wait to see her building her character. The rest of the cast is going to be a wonderful surprise for all audiences. The filmmakers worked a lot and I can’t be more grateful to them for their overall inclusive selection. To me, the most important thing about this movie is that the conversation about Cuba is alive. Personally, the experience is so far too unexpected but more than anything, humbling.”

Alina of Cuba is to begin production on Aug. 15.

Producer of James Franco’s Fidel Castro movie calls John Leguizamo criticism ‘culturally uneducated’

Shane Fraser — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 11:19:12 +0000

After John Leguizamo slammed the casting of “non-Latino” James Franco as Fidel Castro in the recently-announced Alina of Cuba, producer John Martinez O’Felan implored the Colombia-born actor to expand his definition of Latino.

“A guy like John Leguizamo has historically been looked up to by Hispanics as one of America’s earliest actors of Latin descent since the ’90s and I’ve always ired him as a fellow underdog. But his comments are culturally uneducated and a blind attack with zero substance related to this project.
The reality of the ignorance piece falls within his statement suggesting his personal view on being ‘Latino,’ because a land mass or living area does not determine a person’s blood history or genetics.”

Moreover, O’Felan emphasized in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the film isn’t about Fidel. It’s about his daughter, Alina Fernández, whose unique story is being decentered over Leguizamo’s criticism of a secondary casting decision that Alina ostensibly s:

“I think he should move past himself and also acknowledge that this story is about a Latin female immigrant living in America who is of historical importance, led by a Latin woman and I’m just an underdog who is making it, so he should also understand that it’s kind of disappointing to see our work getting attacked by someone who claims to be a leader of the Latin community.”

O’Felan isn’t the only person feeling defensive about Franco playing Castro. Fans have noted that Franco and Castro descend from neighboring countries in Europe (Portugal and Spain, respectively). Further, they’ve thwarted accusations of “whitewashing” by stating that “Latino” is not a race, given that, among others, there are black Latinos, indigenous Latinos, and white Latinos. Castro would have likely fallen into the last of those categories; Malcolm X called him “the only white person that I have really liked.”

People getting offended over this are the same people that said there is nothing wrong with a Cuban actress playing Marilyn Monroe, it's not like they're Changing the race of the person. 'White' is not a nationality its a 'race' and there are white Cubans and castro was white
— Josh (@JCU_15) August 5, 2022

Finally, they’ve criticized Hollywood’s ethnic purity standard as being unethical and untenable, for Leguizamo would himself fail for having played characters who are Asian and European (not to mention women).

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There’s no release date for Alina of Cuba, but if John of Colombia has it his way, the film will die during production, or be without James of America.

John Leguizamo and others criticize James Franco as choice to play Fidel Castro

Jon Silman — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:27:33 +0000

There’s been a movement in Hollywood the past few years for the industry to pay more attention to white actors playing roles outside of their race. The issue was brought to the forefront once again recently with the news that actor James Franco would be portraying Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

John Leguizamo, who recently starred in Disney’s Encanto, took to Instagram to comment on the casting.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Leguizamo (@johnleguizamo)

“How is this still going on? How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F’d up! Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong! I don’t got a prob with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”

Franco will star as the dictator in an film called Alina of Cuba, which centers around the life of Castro’s daughter Alina Fernandez. Others shared similar sentiments, like Top Gun: Maverick star Danny Ramirez, who simply shared the news and said “What the f**k.”

https://twitter.com/DannyRamirez/status/1555306855232069634?s=20&t=dAlfe8ZyR7L86sNIb27z6Q

Actress Sol Rodriguez pointed out that Franco would have to learn an accent she’s been made fun of for having her whole life.

“Not me reading that James Franco will have to ‘build’ an accent for Castro, when my entire life I’ve been made fun of for not speaking English like an American and been told countless times to work hard to get rid of it…”

https://twitter.com/solrodriguez/status/1555328381310251009?s=20&t=XT6B9xFi_8OR85nBQAZ7cQ

Actor Jeff Torres said that he was being typecast as a drug dealer while Franco plays Fidel Castro.

“I’m auditioning for another generic Latin-American drug dealer and James Franco is dead ass playing Fidel Castro. Latinos gettin’ done dirty af out here and everywhere. Damn lol.”

https://twitter.com/iamJeffTorres/status/1555360678222839808?s=20&t=3nYw0Hk542HVdEdC4AuctQ

This would be one of Franco’s first high-profile role since he was accused of sexually exploitative behaviour toward women in 2018. He’ll also star in the movie Mace.

In 2021, he itted that he had sexual relationships with his students from an acting school he co-owned.

James Franco will play Fidel Castro in ‘Alina of Cuba’

Jamie Dunkin — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 00:22:20 +0000

Warning: This article discusses sexual assault and violence against women.

Disgraced Hollywood star James Franco will be returning to screens to play iconic Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the film Alina of Cuba. Because studios have attention spans the size of gnats, apparently.

Despite being caught up in serious allegations of sexual misconduct and allegedly being part of a Hollywood casting couch scenario, Franco will be making his way back into the public eye as revolutionary Cuban leader Fidel Castro, according to a report from Deadline. The film will not be focused on the former Spider-Man trilogy actor as Fidel, but instead on the daughter of Castro and socialite Natalia “Naty” Revuelta’s daughter: Alina.

Mía Maestro will play Naty Revuelta, while their daughter is to be portrayed by Ana Villafañe. It comes from a strong team, with The Motorcycle Diaries writer Jose Rivera tackling the script, and Spanish director Miguel Bardem behind the camera after helming several acclaimed comedies and documentaries.

The casting of Franco, though, leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. With how much Hollywood likes to big-up their commitment to change, and adequate handling of #MeToo, how exactly someone with lengthy controversies around misconduct can continue to bag roles is worthy of scrutiny.

Are filmmakers and studios serious about fostering healthy and safe environments for women when they hire someone who is alleged to have been violent with female co-stars like Busy Philipps? Is it safe after Franco has been accused of attempting to force himself upon women? The same guy who is alleged to have tried to bribe a female star into a bigger role if she ignored allegations?

Hollywood pays lip service to change, but if you’re a name brand, it does feel like you will be allowed plenty of second chances. Alina of Cuba does not have a release date confirmed, but will shoot in Puerto Rico.

If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.