James Franco: What The Demise Of His Friendship With Seth Rogen Means To Sexual Assault Survivors – And How His Sexual Misconduct Allegations Didn’t Actually Impact His Career

Back in October, James Franco did an interview with Variety to speak on his new projects that he’s been a part of since his explosive controversy that destroyed his career in 2018. During the interview, Franco was asked about his friendship with Seth Rogen and whether they were still in touch. Franco said, ‘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.’

The duo became friends after they starred together in the 90’s cult classic, ‘Freaks and Geeks’, and frequently collaborated together in movies such as ‘Pineapple Express’, ‘The Interview’, and ‘The Disaster Artist.’ Franco also spoke of Rogen in his 2021 interview on ‘The Jess Cagle Show. He said, ‘He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator. And we just gelled and what he said is true, we aren’t working together right now and we don’t have any plans to work together. Of course it was hurtful, in context, but I get it.’

Rogen, for his part, confirmed in an interview with The Sunday Times’ Culture magazine earlier this year that he’d never work with Franco again after previously stating of plans for future collaborations. He said, ‘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. I look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now. I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic.’ As a response to Rogen’s testimony, Franco said to Jess Cagle, ‘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 [actor Dave Franco] or anyone to have to answer for me anymore.’

Many called out Rogen for not supporting his friend during his time of need when he probably needed it most. There’s even an entire Reddit thread titled, Seth Rogen is a bad friend for bailing on James Franco after his accusations.’ The user went on to compare Rogen’s character in ‘Pineapple Express’, how his character mirrored the actions Franco was accused of, and argued that this comparison was reason enough for Rogen to support his friend and former collaborator. And just as a refresher or a reminder, or if you’ve been living under a rock and know nothing of the matter, Franco was accused of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior by 5 different women. Four of these women were his students, and the fifth was a woman he mentored.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of the five women who accused Franco of sexual misconduct, was one of many women who took to Twitter to vent anger over Franco’s win and his support of Time’s Up, the initiative combating sexual misconduct in Hollywood. She 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.’ In turn, during an interview with Stephen Colbert, Franco said, ‘Look, in my life I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I have done. I have to do that to maintain my well being. The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate. But I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long. So I don’t want to shut them down in any way. If I have done something wrong, I will fix it — I have to.’

Franco opened a film school – Studio 4 – where he taught and mentored hundreds of young women who aspired to be in Hollywood to work as actors and filmmakers. The school had two locations, in New York and Los Angeles. Both locations closed down in 2017. His troubling behaviour started to show itself when, in 2014, he used Instagram to message a young 17 year old teenage girl he met outside a New York theatre to ask her if she had a boyfriend and whether she was 18. And even when he learned of her real age, he still asked her for her number and asked if he should rent a hotel room for the both of them. After these events went public, Franco appeared on ‘Live! With Kelly and Michael’ to apologize. He said, ‘I’m embarrassed, and I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky. I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson.’

Hilary Dusome, one of Franco’s former student, at Playhouse West in North Hollywood, where Franco taught before opening his own school, said she initially thought of him as a a really generous spirit who was eager to help aspiring young actors. Her feelings changed, however, when she was selected by Franco to appear in what she thought would be an art film, but ended up being an unprofessional and hostile shoot at a strip club. She said, ‘I felt like I was selected for something based on my hard work and my merit, and when I realized it was because I have nice [breasts], it was pretty clear that was not the case. I don’t think he started teaching with bad intentions, but he went down a bad path and damaged a lot of people in the process.’ Natalie Chmiel, another former student of Franco’s, said of her experience, ‘He just took advantage of our eagerness to work and be a part of something bigger. We were all these up-and-coming actors who were so hopeful.’

There was an extensive power dynamic between Franco and his students. Violet Paley was a student at the school, and after he forced her to perform oral sex on him, they emerged in consensual romantic relationship. She said of the ordeal. ‘I was talking to him, all of a sudden his penis was out. I got really nervous, and I said, ‘Can we do this later?’ He was kind of nudging my head down, and I just didn’t want him to hate me, so I did it. I would say, ‘No, stop, get out of my car.’ The power dynamic was really off.’ Following the allegations, Franco won a Golden Globe, which didn’t sit well with Paley. She tweeted, ‘It’s been hard to come forward about this.’

Franco’s school had good intentions, and it even had a lot of rave reviews. Many were surprised when it was abruptly closed down. But there was also false hope and promises involved for students. The end result following students’ attendance wasn’t what they initially thought. They weren’t getting hired for what they were promised. Instead, they were either hired as extras or for sexual parts that they wouldn’t have signed up for. There was even a Sex Scene master class, which taught students about the art of being intimate on camera, included in Studio 4’s curriculum. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there such a thing as an intimacy coordinator for such a thing?

Tither-Kaplan starred in the film, ‘Hungry Girl’, as part of her curriculum. The movie was posted on video-sharing website Vimeo. She went topless in the video, and in 2017, she saw images of herself naked used for a porn site. She said, ‘Now, if you Google me, you can see me naked. Before I’ve ever been on TV or before I’ve ever had any real credits or before any of this — of course I regret that. I don’t want that. In 2015, the aspiring actress was called to appear in a film starring Josh Hutcherson, Courtney Love and Timothy Hutton. She agreed, but there ended up being more sexual content than she bargained for. She signed nudity agreements for each of the films she made with Franco, but was required to do more following her signing the contract. She said, ‘I got it in my head pretty quickly that, OK, you don’t say ‘no’ to this guy.’ Franco’s lawyer denied the allegations.

In the Variety interview published in October, Franco spoke candidly of how he was grateful of his career downfalls that were as a result of the sexual misconduct lawsuits and now to be back at work years later. He said, ‘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.’ But I did certainly use the time to, I hope, good purpose. And whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life. So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was. I was a workaholic; I was going all the time. And even when there were good moments — like a movie that people liked or, I don’t know, [being] nominated for an award or whatever it might be, whatever good moments along the way that I wish I could have appreciated — I just didn’t because I had this weird thing where it was just like, I always need more. So now, after having the pause and, I think, changing priorities, I guess what I seek to fulfill me in life [is different]. Ultimately, I think I’m kind of grateful because it did afford me a chance to just do whatever private work and really change what I need to change. So now that I am working, I can just be there for the project. It’s not about me trying to fill some hole with work, it’s just about, ‘Wow, I have a really great life. I’m very grateful, and I hope to serve whatever project I do.’ There’s a great book I like called ‘The Second Mountain,’ And basically, it talks about how the first mountain is all our dreams when we’re young and we’re trying to achieve that. Some people stay on the first mountain for their whole lives. But some people are thrown off, and you can either try and get back on that first mountain or you could go to the second mountain. And the second mountain is a more kind of spiritually-oriented life, a life that is more kind of service-oriented, thinking about the bigger picture, thinking about others. And from everything I’ve read, from all kinds of thinkers and writers and whatever, it seems like that’s the more fulfilling life. And so, as painful as it was — yes, of course rejection is painful, 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. And so now I just made it a huge priority in my life to just stay engaged, give back. It’s a large part of what I’ve been doing, frankly, and it’s given me a lot of relief.’

Franco and his business partner, Vince Jolivette, settled the lawsuits in June 2021 with a payout of $2,235,000. Not only did the 5 women claimed to there have been a sexual misconduct, but they also argued they were victims of fraud, paying $300 a month for an acting school. And even though the lawsuits were settled, the damage these 5 women, and many others, had endured at the hands of Franco will never be gone. His negative and demeaning behaviour goes beyond the 5 women who sued him; it goes beyond his personal relationships with his students; it goes beyond his very questionable school curriculum or fraud. For one, Busy Phillips, who co-starred with Franco and Seth Rogen on ‘Freaks and Geeks’, wrote in her 2018 memoir, ‘This Will Hurt A Little’, about the time Franco yelled at her face and shoved her to the ground. Coincidentally, Franco worked with Phillips’ best friend and former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ co-star, Michelle Williams on the 2013 hit movie, ‘Oz the Great and Powerful.’

Furthermore, at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2018, stood in solidarity with victims by wearing a “Time’s Up” pin to the 2018 Golden Globes that year. That was also the year that he was hit with allegations of sexual misconduct and lawsuits, which makes this ironic and cosmic. How could someone who was part of the problem and the cause of the #MeToo movement be in solidarity with those affected by it? As someone who’s been affected by the #MeToo movement myself, it was a slap in the face; a manipulation tactic at its finest. With that being said, Franco’s career suffered greatly after that, and rightfully so. There used to be a time that we couldn’t get enough for him. He was always on our screens, and not just with Seth Rogen. He had an entire career out of his friendship with the comedian. He was an actor, writer, director, and teacher. His talent wasn’t in question whatsoever. Franco became a victim of what’s called, ‘cancel culture’. But by 2024, he made a comeback. As of now, he has 5(!) pending projects awaiting to be released.

This begs a very serious question: Does James Franco even deserve to be working? Woody Allen and Roman Polanski saw themselves getting back to work after they’d endured sexual misconduct allegations, and even rape. They hadn’t seen the same reach in their careers ever since, of course, but they’re working and thriving nevertheless. Polanski, who was married to Sharon Tate before her death in 1969, moved to France with his wife and two kids to avoid jail time for raping an underage girl, and yet, he still endlessly works as a director. Russell Brand faced his own fare share of sexual assault allegations, and he avoided being canceled altogether. He now has his own YouTube channel where he talks everything politics. Mel Gibson even starred in Peacock’s ‘The Continental’ despite his own numerous controversial incidents, which also included antisemitism. Somehow, Hollywood has forgiven and moved on from the transgressions by these men. But do we even want to see these men succeed in the first place?

‘Being told you’re bad is painful’ – Franco said in his interview with Variety. As soon as I read that, my jaw literally dropped. Like, are we supposed to feel sorry for you, Franco? Are we supposed to see you as the victim of the entire ordeal? Rape and abuse isn’t a mistake; nor is it ever an accident. On the contrary, it’s a choice. It’s a preventable choice. Someone, man or woman, saying, ‘I didn’t mean to do it’ is utter bullsh*t. And yet, we allow predators to return to society as if nothing had happened. They’re treated with the same respect, love, and compassion. They’re applauded for their ‘bravery’ of getting themselves out there. Society treats them as the victim. And with that being said, the real victim feels betrayal. They feel violated, embarrassed, denied. They’re stripped away of their innocence, confidence, peace of mind, sense of being, self esteem, and human rights.

The actual victims wear their emotional scars on their sleeves for life, and yet their predators are given second chances time and time again. Victims are made to believe that their predators deserve their redemption arc. Victims are made to believe time and time again that their predators shouldn’t be reported because it’d ruin their lives; all because of ‘one night’ or because ‘you changed your mind.’ Victims are made to believe that it happened to them for a reason; that they asked for it. A Quara user who admitted to have been a serial rapist described his actions as follows:

‘This is probably not going to surface to the top being as I’m coming to this thread late in the game, but I am a post-colleged age male who raped several girls through use of coercion, alcohol, and other tactics over a course of 3 years.

First off, I must say, I was at a dark and horrible place in my life, that I’ve since grown from. I’m ashamed of the person I was, if the people who I’m close to now knew who I was, I would be ruined. I’m known for being a great guy, friendly and easy to get along with, a community/political activist, a fervent volunteer in the community, and a person who rises through the ranks quickly due to successes at work. That was my mask, and I was good at it, so good that maybe I convinced myself along the line that was who I could really be, and that may of helped me change, and stop doing what I did.

I’m somewhat remorseful for what I did to those girls, but I don’t think I could ever face them to apologize. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I had this certain insatiable thirst that brought me to do what I did. I didn’t know how to stop, and just when I thought maybe I could, I’d find myself back in my pattern, back on the hunt.

I’m a good looking guy, and I can get girls pretty easily. I’m currently married to a beautiful woman that I met during this time of my life (not someone I raped, but someone who knew my mask during this time). So, anyways, after a while it became boring to go after the sluts and sorority girls that would easily throw their cunt after you. I wanted the thrill of the chase, and that’s what led me to forcing myself on girls. I would find attractive girls that were self-conscious about their looks. Girls who were pretty in their own unique way, but not the outgoing sort, mostly introverts, and girls that didn’t party or do wild things. Hopefully a girl who was a bit damaged, had a shitty ex-boyfriend, or family issues, came from a small shut in town, that sort of thing. So, when I showed interest in them they’d be completely enamored, they’d almost be shocked that a popular, good-looking, and well liked guy would be talking to them. I’d have that initial meeting at the library, a coffeeshop, a work function, or a party where I had them convinced of what a great guy I was. I listened to them, and made them feel special, like they were a princess. Sometimes we might sort of hook-up that night (kissing, making-out, never anything more).’

The keyword in this entire thread is ‘somewhat’. The self-acclaimed rapist is SOMEWHAT remorseful. As a survivor of sexual trauma myself, this tells me everything I need to know about the person who’s done the deed. He’s not actually sorry for what he’d done and the damage he’d caused. All he’s doing is giving excuses. We all have dark phases in our lives, but it doesn’t mean that we all cause sexual harm to someone else. He even admitted to being too much of a coward to face his victims and apologize to them. I myself faced one of my exes who’d abused me years ago. He didn’t show any remorse for his past actions. In fact, he sexually assaulted me when my husband wasn’t looking. The worst part of it all wasn’t even that I was sexually assaulted by him again, but rather that my friends went to party with him days after even though they knew what had happened. One of those so called ‘friends’ proclaimed herself to be my best friend; someone who’d always be on my side and by my side. And then she did this. It was a slap in the face. I told another friend of what happened, and she texted, ‘Did she find nothing else to do that?’ But then, she came to another former friend’s birthday, who had hit me a few months prior and she knew of the situation. Hence, I could’ve asked her the same thing. And I faced that man too, thereafter. He didn’t even apologize to me. Instead, he just gave a whole lot of excuses.

I’d previously written on Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. They wrote character letters in support of their former ‘That 70’s Show’ co-star, Danny Masterson, who was convicted of rape and is now serving his time in prison for his crimes. There was a lot of backlash for their actions, and they were merely canceled for it. In their ‘apology’ video, which I wouldn’t even call it an apology in the first place since they it took them until the very end to actually say the word, the married couple explained that they wrote the letters because Masterson’s family reached out to them asking to write the character letters to ‘to represent the person that we knew for 25 years, so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.’

I was personally embarrassed for them. Defending such a disgusting creature was their own choice. They made the conscious decision to defend him when his family reached out to them. They could’ve easily refused. No one saw Topher Grace defending Danny Masterson. in fact, Topher’s wife wrote the following on her Instagram story following Masterson’s conviction, ‘To every rape victim that is retraumatized by witnessing society debate and focus their attention on what is going to happen to the RAPIST … I see you ❤️.’ I finally felt seen. I finally felt heard. I finally felt understood. As soon as I saw this on my Instagram feed, all I wanted to do was hug her.

That’s why hearing that Seth Rogen ended his friendship with James Franco was a relief. It made me respect him eleven more. Not as an actor, necessarily, but as a person and a human being. Back in 2014, Denver writer Lindsay King-Miller did an interview with No More Blog, where she spoke about ending her friendship with someone who she found out was a rapist. She said, ‘It took me about a year to work up to writing about it, but it was on my mind for a long time and writing is part of how I process emotionally difficult things. I kept thinking about how, when I found out what my friend had done, I didn’t know where to turn or who to ask for advice. It’s not something that anyone ever mentions to you: ”If someone you’re friends with commits sexual assault, here’s how you should respond…

The way we talk about sexual assault in our culture makes it really difficult to address that situation, because rapists are depicted as either faceless monsters with no redeeming characteristics—someone you’d never be friends with in the first place—or misunderstood “nice guys” who didn’t really do anything wrong.

There’s no road map for “he’s a person I really like who has done something I can’t forgive.” I wanted to offer other people in that situation one approach to thinking about it and dealing with it, even if it’s not the approach they would take.

I think we need more conversation about how people who aren’t sexual assault survivors can push back against rape culture, because that’s a responsibility all of us share.’

And lastly, she said, ‘I’m sad that rape culture is so entrenched that we see believing a rape survivor and not remaining friends with her attacker as an act of bravery.’

I wouldn’t call Seth Rogen brave for ending his friendship with James Franco. Rogen’s statement on the end of his friendship with him made it seem like it was such an easy decision for him; as though it was a no-brainer, and I loved him for it. They were friends for 20 years, and yet… I could cry. It meant the absolute world to me. You don’t have to be a sexual assault victim or survivor to stand in solidarity; to stand your ground in doing what’s right. Seth Rogen is proof of that. If you’re friends with someone that you find out raped or had done some bad things to someone else, you should do the following:

1. Be a good friend to him, so that he confides to you that he raped her.

2. Record the conversation.

3. Report to police and testify it before judge.

Rapists and those who’d done bad things as James Franco should be in jail and not on streets. Franco got off fairly easy for his deeds. He might’ve redeemed himself; who knows. Nevertheless, it’s not a good enough reason for Rogen to have stayed friends with him – even if it was a 20 year friendship. There’s no such thing as ‘there’s no right or wrong’ in this situation. There’s only a right, and Seth Rogen was man enough to realize that.