Once an inseparable Hollywood comedic duo, James Franco and Seth Rogen's friendship hit rock bottom after Franco's 2018 "MeToo" scandal. Despite his recent efforts to atone and revive his career, their bond appears irrevocably broken.
In a recent interview with "Variety," Franco admitted he no longer communicates with Seth, stating, "I love Seth, we had 20 great years, but I guess it's over. It's not because I haven't tried. I've told him how important he is to me."
The duo first met on the 1999 comedy series "Freaks and Geeks." Subsequently, they became frequent collaborators, either co-starring or making cameo appearances in each other's projects. Their joint filmography includes "Pineapple Express" (2008), "The Green Hornet" (2011), where Franco made a cameo, "The Interview" (2014), and "The Disaster Artist" (2017).
More recently, Franco's Italian-produced drama "Hey Joe" premiered at the Rome Film Festival, where he expressed being "very grateful to be working again":
"I did go through a lawsuit, during which I didn't work at all," he said. "But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so nobody was working. So, I don't know, because everyone was in the same state, you feel lost."
"However, I did make good use of that time, and I hope I used it for the right purpose. Whatever happened to me in the past, I had to completely change my lifestyle. Therefore, I am proud of the efforts I made during this period. Although I wasn't making movies, I did a lot of work to change myself."
He added, "Although it was painful — yes, of course, being shut out is painful, and being criticized as worthless is also hard to bear. But ultimately, these were the strong doses I needed to stop me from continuing down the wrong path."
Franco's "MeToo" allegations first surfaced in 2018 when five women, including four of his former students, came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior. At the time, Franco stated that these allegations were "not accurate" but added that he did not want to "silence those who can't speak."
Two of the accusers, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, were students at the Playhouse West Studio 4 school, which Franco co-founded in 2014. They filed a lawsuit in 2019.
In June 2021, reports indicated that Franco agreed to pay $2.23 million (approximately £1.67 million) to settle the lawsuit. The suit alleged that he and his business partners "sexualized their power in the teaching and employment process, using opportunities to participate in projects as an inducement for widespread inappropriate and sexually suggestive behavior towards female students."
The lawsuit also cited a "Sex Scenes" class taught by Franco, claiming he "threatened them to perform unnecessary sex scenes" during lessons.
That same year, Franco admitted to "complete disregard for power dynamics" and confessed to having sexual relations with his acting students. Seth Rogen also admitted in an interview that same year that their friendship had clearly been affected by the allegations, and he would not consider working with Franco again.
via： Variety