James Franco reveals he’s getting back to Hollywood days after finishing rehab. Yes, you heard that right! But, wondering, why from the rehab though? Well, James Franco had to undergo quite a lot of treatment to work through his issues of wanting to have sex with women without their consent, and it was getting out of control! But, now that he’s back and ready to dive in back to work. The question here though is, will he be able to control his urges and build himself the same audience as before? Keep watching till the end to find more on it!
James Franco has been at the center of controversy since his sexual misconduct allegations. Can his upcoming films do anything to help his reputation?
James Franco has been in the news, and it’s not for the right reasons. Along with Vincent Gallo, the actor has had allegations leveled against him that are difficult to defend and bounce back from. It is no wonder he is now attempting to rebuild his image with several upcoming roles on the horizon, even if they are far from his lead actor blockbuster days.
What is Franco trying to do, and will it work? The answers are a bit murky. It turns out that being accused of certain things during the post-#MeToo movement is not so easy to excuse. This is especially the case if the allegations are true. But Franco is attempting a comeback, so let’s decide if it will work.
The following article contains themes regarding sexual misconduct that some readers may find offensive or disturbing.
The Controversy Surrounding James Franco
Franco is no stranger to controversy. In 2014, he was found to have been messaging an underage girl (she was 17, and he was 35), to which he responded, “In my position, not only do I have to go through the embarrassing rituals of meeting someone, but sometimes it gets published for the world.”
Then, in 2018, Franco caused a stir by wearing a Time’s Up button to the Golden Globes. The button signified an allyship with those who experienced workplace harassment. However, the move completely backfired when a bevy of actresses started to post about his behavior. Then, later that same year, Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, claiming he used his acting school to groom, coerce, and have sex with him. Sarah Tither-Kaplan, a former acting student at Playhouse West Studio 4, said:
“I feel there was an abuse of power, and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women, and a culture of women being replaceable.”
These issues kept him from acting for over four years since his last major film role, Zeroville, which he also directed. This was not the end of his problems. As detailed by MovieWeb, further allegations arose during the filming of The Policeman this past year. It should be noted that Franco is not implicated in this situation, but his involvement and prior history call many things into question. The issues that arose concerned Vincent Gallo, a man who has courted a lot of controversy over the years. In this particular case, he stands accused of degrading and intimidating potential female castmates by telling them that since the biopic is about the Golden State Killer,
“The victim didn’t have a choice, and neither will you as the actress […] Of course we can’t actually have you give me head on screen, but the point is that I want someone who will not stop production to call their agent, or complain, etc. because they are offended.”
Although this is damning for Gallo, it tangentially affected Franco, who was very much involved in the film and audition process. His history and decision to work with the controversy-laden Gallo did not sit well with many people. Damage control was to become the name of the game.
Career Rehab for James Franco
Strangely, The Policeman could have been, and may still be, an attempt to rehab his image. In the film, Franco plays a detective searching for the Golden State Killer. The character is focused on capturing and prosecuting the mystery rapist and killer who terrorized California between 1974-1986. The Golden State Killer, identified as Joseph James DeAngelo, committed at least 120 burglaries, 51 rapes, and 13 murders during his years-long rampage. However, these are only estimates, as the numbers could be far higher.
Franco may have taken the role because it shows that he wants to be on the right side of the law, especially when it comes to sexual crimes. However, this plan seems to have backfired due to the allegations against Gallo. It remains to be seen if people will be able to separate the character from the actor’s image and whether people will look at it the same way they looked at his Times’ Up pin and consider it too little, too late.
Alina Fernandez, whose life story is told in Alina of Cuba, has no problems with James Franco playing her father Fidel Castro.
The actor is also working on the film Alina of Cuba. The film follows the life of Alina Fernandez, the exiled daughter of Fidel Castro. Franco plays the former Cuban dictator. The independent film was meant to be another attempt at reentering mainstream film (Franco has been no stranger to the independent circuit). Unfortunately, Franco has taken heat for the role, but not because of any behind-the-scenes personal issues, but rather for the fact that he, a white man, is playing Fidel Castro, who was Latino. Actor/Comedian John Leguizamo called out Franco and director Miguel Bardem for their blind casting while there was a glut of Latino actors looking for work. Leguizamo wrote:
“How is Hollywood excluding us by stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This is F’ed up! Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement, which would be wrong! I don’t got a problem with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”
Leguizamo may be hedging his bets by saying he doesn’t have a problem with Franco, but he certainly seems to be calling him into question. When one of the most prominent, mainstream Latino voices in the US calls you out for misappropriation, it does affect how people view your film. It may also hurt the potential audience for such a movie. If a film concerns itself with a biopic about a person of Cuban descent, producers would want to look for someone in that area first instead of simply grabbing the biggest name to audition. Producers were quick to fight back, though Franco has not released any statements about Leguizamo or his allegations.
Will the James Franco Comeback Work?
Franco seems to resurface every few years with a new mainstream film directed toward those who are happy to excuse any prior behavior. He’s not untouchable, but he does have a slippery quality that allows him to still work on big-budget films that continue to bring in significant numbers, though that hasn’t been the case in recent years.
Franco also has the ability to duck behind roles in smaller films to bide his time until he feels it’s safe to reemerge, bruised but not completely beaten by bad press. It remains to be seen if his following projects will bring him enough accolades to cloud his fans’ short-lived memories. The Policeman is currently in pre-production, while Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde is in post-production.
