In a new interview, actor James Franco opened up about the self-work he’s done since he was accused of sexual misconduct and explained why his outlook on life has shifted.
It’s been years since James Franco’s career took a drastic turn due to the sexual misconduct allegations made against him in 2018. But, now, the 46-year-old actor is looking back at the trials and tribulations with gratitude and a whole new perspective on life.
In a new interview with Variety, Franco — who stars in the upcoming Italian film “Hey Joe” — opened up about the self-work he’s done since he was accused of coercing his film students into performing explicit sex scenes on camera and explained why his outlook on work, life and everything in between has shifted for the better.
“I’m so grateful to be working”, said Franco, who portrays an alcoholic American WWII veteran in the new movie. “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”, he continued. “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.”
Franco, who is best known for his roles in “Pineapple Express”, “Spider-Man”, “127 Hours” and more, said that while he had a “good career” before his hiatus began, it was difficult for him to fully enjoy it.
“I was a workaholic; I was going all the time”, he said.
