James Franco used to be one of the A-List celebrities in Hollywood until his name got embroiled in serious s*xual misconduct issues. Seen as Harry in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Franco gained huge popularity in the Marvel movie. The actor has since been in many critically acclaimed movies such as Milk, The Disaster Artist, and 127 Hours. Everything was going well for the Golden Globe-winning actor until he found his name entangled with some highly controversial allegations.
In 2018, numerous girls came forward to raise their voices against James Franco and reveal how his presently shut acting school was a center for all odd things. Reports also revealed that the Marvel actor approached an underage girl to get s*xually involved with him.
What happened between James Franco and the Scottish girl?
The Milk star’s name appeared in the media for the first time in 2014 when some screenshots were leaked by a girl who accused the star of inviting her to a hotel room. According to reports, the Scottish 17-year-old girl recorded a video with Franco after visiting New York.
As per the screenshots of the text leaked by the girl named Lucy, James Franco repeatedly asked her if she can meet him in a hotel. He asked her questions like:
“Who are you with?” “Do you have a bf?” “When is your bday?” “Where are you staying?” “Should I rent a room?”
The girl even asked for photo proof twice and Franco also responded with his photos which thereby corroborated the authenticity of her accusations. Even though the actor avoided legal repercussions as the age of consent in New York is 17, the 127 Hours actor was subjected to intense backlash. The Marvel fame later apologized and said that he was embarrassed for his actions but what followed after was way more terrifying and completely turned his career.
The Marvel star’s involvement in s*xual misconduct issues
While the 2014 case brought James Franco’s actions in front of the public eye, 2018 completely changed his life and his highly successful movie career. When the Alien: Covenant actor went to receive his Golden Globe for The Disaster Artist, his pin welcomed another level of internet hate.
James Franco was wearing a Time’s Up pin that was used to show protest against workplace harassment and the MeToo case. When the Marvel actor was spotted sporting the pin, Pandora’s Box of allegations was opened and many girls came forward to reveal Franco’s real persona. The majority of these girls were from his presently shut-down acting school, Studio4.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, five girls from the school raised allegations against the actor. Besides the students, his former girlfriend Violet Paley also revealed that he forced her to give him oral s*x in a car. The case became more intense when two former students filed a lawsuit against the Kin actor and his partners for s*xual exploitation. Although the lawsuit was settled later, the actor lost a significant amount of stardom and even his long-time friend and collaborator, Seth Rogen, parted ways with him.
Last year in December, the Marvel star also admitted that he had consensually slept with his students and is also taking treatment for his s*x addiction. The actor was last spotted in the HBO series The Deuce and is said to be ending his acting hiatus with the upcoming movie titled Me, You.
Source: The Cut