James Franco is quietly drinking an Americano coffee in a corner of the lobby of a five-star hotel on Rome’s Via Veneto. Wearing a chocolate brown hoodie that he proudly says he co-designed, the actor and director looks relaxed and flashes his signature smile.
He is in the Eternal City to screen Italian director Claudio Giovannesi’s “Hey Joe” at the Rome Film Festival. In this gritty drama, Franco plays Dean, an alcoholic World War II veteran. Dean returns to Naples in the early ’70s in search of the son he fathered there before fleeing to New Jersey.
The film is his first to appear at a film festival since he took a break from his career following a lawsuit that was settled in 2019 for sexually exploiting young women who took his acting classes. As he drank coffee, Franco and I agreed that his character was in need of redemption. Could the same be said of Franco?
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, Seth Rogen’s stoner comedy Pineapple Express, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, and many more. After the role made him one of Hollywood’s hottest stars and earned him an Oscar nomination, Franco’s career nearly came to a halt after the lawsuit. He also likely missed out on his second Oscar nomination, having won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for 2018’s The Disaster Artist, which he also directed.
In a December 2021 episode of The Jess Cagle podcast, Franco admitted that he had slept with students at his drama school, saying, “It was wrong,” but added, “It was a master plan on my part. It wasn’t,” he said. Still, he was banished from Hollywood, and his first on-screen appearance since 2019 was this year’s French thriller The Price of Money: The Adventures of Largo Winch. The film was released in France in July, but there are no plans for a US release.
But these days, Franco is grateful for his fall.
“It hurts to be told it’s your fault,” he says. “But ultimately, that’s what I needed to stop going the way I was.”
He recently drew inspiration from The Second Mountain, a self-help book by New York Times columnist David Brooks. This book argues that you won’t be satisfied in midlife until you commit to a cause bigger than yourself. “From everything I’ve read, that seems like a more fulfilling life,” he says calmly. He often draws and paints, and recently co-founded a Hollywood streetwear fashion label with longtime friend Kyle Lindgren. But what about his movie career?
Now, apart from Hey Joe and The Price of Money, Franco recently reunited with Tommy Lee Jones for the American action thriller Razor’s Edge (currently in post-production). But “Arena of Cuba,” based on a book by Fidel Castro’s daughter who asked her to appear in the film as the communist leader, appears to have stalled. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with this release,” he says. He also recently filmed the serial killer thriller “The Policeman” in Portland with Vincent Gallo, but Gallo came under fire for making lewd comments to actors during auditions. Right now, Franco says, “there’s a fight going on over a pay cut,” so he doesn’t know how that will play out. And Bill August’s drama Me You, in which he was supposed to star opposite Tom Hollander and Daisy Jacob, “ruined us both,” he says glumly. .
In a candid, hour-long conversation, Franco talks about battling the fallout from a sexual misconduct lawsuit, the joys of being in a long-term relationship with actress and director Isabel Paczad, wanting to direct again, and speaking with Seth. He spoke to Variety about his rift with Rogen. .
James Franco and Francesco di Napoli in “Hey Joe.” Vision distribution courtesy of
How was “Hey Joe” born?
This movie was like a godsend. I have always loved European movies, and I had been watching Claudio’s films before this offer. And I met the writer Maurizio Braucci through another director named Pietro Marcello (“Martin Eden”). And then all of a sudden, I got this offer.
This is what I thought. “Oh, I love this.” I love the idea of redemption. ”And I love Italian movies, especially Claudio’s movies. It was a very easy yes. When I see this, I say: “Claudio Giovannesi, director of Piranha. Title: Hey Joe.” I play an American in an Italian movie. I couldn’t have asked for more. Then I read the script and it was great.
You speak Italian in the movie, but I know you’ve been to Italy quite a bit over the years. I remember that at one point you were very close to[Gucci’s former creative director]Frida Giannini and did a lot of Gucci-related work, including the Gucci document. So I’m wondering where the Italian word came from. Did you have to study it or did you already know it?
No, it wasn’t. When I was working with Gucci, I might have learned something then. But back then, I only came to Italy once a year, so I guess I was busy with other things. I wish I had learned it then. But yeah, that’s when I really started learning[Italian]. I can’t speak at all right now, but if I have a coach and play against Americans who aren’t very good, I think I can do a good job. It was a completely different experience. It was my first time appearing in a film in a language other than English.
His recent roles, including this one and his latest role in The Largo Winch Adventure, mark his return to acting after a nearly four-year hiatus. However, both are European works. How does it feel to be back? Also, do you feel like you’ve basically been “cancelled” in America?
I am very grateful to be able to work there. I actually went through a lawsuit, but I wasn’t working during the lawsuit. But then, due to the coronavirus, everyone was unable to work. So, I don’t know, that’s what it was all about…I mean, we all got caught up in it in a way. So I was like, “I don’t know what I am.”
But I certainly used my time for good purposes. And whatever was happening to me before, I had to change my whole way of life. So I’m proud of the work I did during that time. Yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I was definitely working a lot to change myself.
Up until the last eight years (before hiatus), I had a good career. But it was very difficult for me to enjoy it. I was a workaholic. I’ve been going there for a long time. And even when there were good moments, like when people liked a movie or when I got nominated for an award or whatever it was, there were good moments along the way that I wish I could have appreciated. I just didn’t because there were some weird things that always seemed like I needed more.
So what has changed now?
So now, after pausing and changing my priorities, I think what I seek to fulfill myself in life is (different) now. In the end, I think I’m grateful in a way because it gave me the opportunity to do whatever I wanted to do in my personal life and really change things that needed to change. So now that I have a job, I can just participate in projects. It’s not that I’m trying to fill some holes with work, it’s just, “Wow, I have a really great life.” I am very grateful and would like to contribute to any project. ”
Do you think it’s unfair that you were kicked out of Hollywood?
I mean, that’s what it is. Honestly, I’ve gotten over it. That was dealt with and I had to change. That’s it. I mean, I’ve also worked in America. So I’m just trying to move on.
Speaking of your passionate desire to find satisfaction and fulfillment in your work, how did you feel when your Best Actor nomination for The Disaster Artist was all but ignored after the accusations?
What I really found…I don’t want you to think this is a cliché, but to be honest, this is my experience. Sometimes life delivers something to you, but its delivery system is so painful. It really hurts. Well, I was really proud of my performance in “The Disaster Artist.” And, OK, I wasn’t nominated. Yeah, it hurt. But in the end, it might be for the best in the big picture I’m talking about. Who can I say? When I was working in that workaholic mode, a lot of it was just my younger version of what the good life was. And I was able to get out of there.
So what is the older version of yourself like?
There is a wonderful book called “The Second Mountain” that I like. And basically it talks about how that first mountain was all of our dreams when we were young and we’re trying to achieve that. Some people stay on their first mountain for the rest of their lives. But some people get thrown out. In that case, you can either try to get back to the first mountain or go to the second mountain. And the second mountain is a life that is more spiritually oriented, a life that is more service oriented, a life that thinks about the big picture and thinks about others. And from everything I’ve read, from all kinds of thinkers and writers and so on, it seems like that’s a more fulfilling life. And it was very painful, but of course it hurts to be rejected and it hurts to be told it’s your fault. But in the end, it was just what I needed to do to stop going the same way.
How has this thinking changed your life?
I mean, I’ve been in recovery for a long time, ever since I was a teenager. Although I never had a drug addiction relapse, I certainly drifted away from regular recovery efforts. And the word for that is dry—emotionally dry, mentally dry, and so on. And I think that was me.
So now I’ve made it a priority in my life to just stay involved and give back. Frankly, it’s been a big part of what I’ve been doing and it’s given me a lot of peace of mind. I don’t want to talk about it too much. Because it’s like you either get the credit or you get the salvation. So if you go around and keep talking about the good things you’re doing, you won’t feel secure about doing the work. So I don’t really talk about it or promote it and I don’t have social media. But it’s a big part of my life now.
I mean, I didn’t really have a personal life. I had friends, but it always seemed to be tied up with work. So, yeah, I spent a lot of time on my personal life. I’ve been in a relationship (with American actress and director Isabel Paczad) for seven and a half years. I couldn’t do that before. I was really too scared to have any real intimacy with anyone.
Do you want to return to directing?
I love directing. But I think one thing I’ve learned is just to be patient and understand that when the time is right, the right thing will come to you. My young brain sometimes says, “But I want this, I want it now!” And what I’ve learned is that you never know what’s on the other side. There may be something better than this that I can’t see. To be honest, as cliche as it sounds, that’s really how I try to live my life. I love directing, so I would like to try directing. I think it will happen when the time comes.
Are you still in touch with Seth Rogen?
No, I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth. We’ve had 20 wonderful years together and I think it’s time. It wasn’t for lack of trying. I told him how much he means to me.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.