Before 2018, you couldn’t go more than a few months without at least one James Franco project hitting theaters or TV. The guy was a workaholic and was everywhere. Just as his career seemed to be hitting its peak, with his movie about The Room, The Disaster Artist, being tipped for Oscar nominations and his HBO show The Deuce a hit, his career hit the skids. After appearing at the 2018 Golden Globes wearing a “Time’s Up” pin, accusations of sexual misconduct were lobbed at the actor, and suddenly he was persona non grata, with everyone, including his former pal and co-star Seth Rogen, seemingly cutting ties with him overnight.
After many years of lying low (although he did film two more seasons of The Deuce), Franco has re-emerged, with him acting now mostly in European fare, such as the Italian-language film Joe, plus a sequel to the French film Largo Winch, and some U.S indie flicks. In a recent interview with Variety, Franco said he was “grateful to be working”. However, he admitted that several of his wrapped films, including a controversial one where he’s playing Fidel Castro, are stuck in limbo. “I honestly don’t know what’s happening with that release,” he says about the Castro project, while there’s “fighting over the cut” over a serial killer film he did with Vincent Gallo.
While he also wrapped an action film called The Razor’s Edge with Tommy Lee Jones, Franco sounds philosophical about a return to directing or prominence, saying, “…I think one thing that I’ve learned is just patience and to understand when the time is right that right things will come to you.”
As for his relationship with Rogen, he admits the two are still estranged. “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.”
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