James Franco abuse allegations: We need to stop watching his movies
Since the world is finally ready to tear down the concept of celebrity worship and the internet has their fingers hovering over their Twitter keyboards ready to cancel the next gross celebrity, we thought we’d remind you about James Franco, who was accused of sexual harassment and messaging underage girls two years ago.
Somehow, this didn’t get him canceled, and it isn’t uncommon for people to still praise Franco and his movies. We can’t get behind him anymore though, with the idea of what he’s potentially done. So, let us remind you of what he was accused of.
Violet Paley
In January of 2018 Violet Paley went to twitter to call out James Franco for wearing a Time’s Up pin to the Golden Globes – a symbol which was part of the #MeToo movement.
Paley’s tweet said, “Cute #TIMESUP pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?”
Paley and four other women officially accused him in a Los Angeles Times article. Paley is open about the fact she had been in a consensual relationship with Franco, but says that he had forced her to give him oral that day in the car. She admits on Twitter the relationship is part of the reason she was hesitant to come forward originally.
The 2014 scandal
Screenshots of an Instagram conversation from 2014 between James Franco (who was thirty-five at the time) and a teen girl who was still seventeen at the time have been in the hands of the public for years now.
The screenshots show Franco asking the girl (who admits to still being seventeen) questions about where she lives, if she has a boyfriend, and if he should get a hotel room when she visits New York. James Franco didn’t even deny this happened or try to explain it – instead he called it bad judgement – which would be putting it lightly.
His acting school
In 2019 two actresses and former students of James Franco’s acting school Studio 4 filed lawsuits against Franco and two other men who ran the school. They describe his school (which no longer exists) as a scam which gave him access to young girls.
An NPR article, interviewing the two women who sued James Franco, describes creepy instances including a class solely about sex scenes which required an audition and an extra $750. The class also didn’t teach how to maneuver sex scenes professionally – it was about encouraging them to “take risks with their bodies”.
The lawsuit, although only two actresses were named, represented over one hundred women. The lawsuit said the school existed to, “create a steady stream of young women to objectify and exploit”.
Can we cancel him now?
James Franco hasn’t been charged with any crimes, and his lawyers maintain he is innocent of the crimes the lawsuit mentions. However, Franco never denied the accuracy of the Instagram messages – which should be creepy enough on their own to get people to stop watching his movies.
So many people have been canceled for so much less. We think it’s finally time everyone stops blindly praising James Franco and his movies.
Josh
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Innocent until proven guilty.
July 7, 2020Jack
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He is deemed hot by society and in this day and age that provides pardons vs Harvey Weinstein types who are no different
July 8, 2020Just shows you how doublefaced society is.
Lori
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He’s guilty. I worked on a film as an extra back in 2011 and he did this to some of the girls I knew on the set. He did exactly this, with texting his photo and asking them to get together with him. He even got girls to work on this weird vampire orgy film because he knew there were girls who would. A close friend of mine at the time was his double and knew how he really was behind the scenes. All of these allegations don’t surprise me at all.
July 14, 2020Eva
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Load of BS
July 17, 2020Innocent until proven!
SarahR
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I think Franco has consistently demonstrated behaviour that is skeevy af and there are so many red flags about the man and his practises… that said, any reporter or so-called journalist who hinges their work and opinion on statements like “the idea of what he’s potentially done” should find another line of work. Jfc
July 17, 2020Sean
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Sorry but you cannot convince me NOT to watch 127 Hours again.
July 19, 2020gi
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people who say that the art should be separated by the artist……..
January 3, 2021well, i wonder if they would be so callous and indifferent when the issue is abuse based on race, not gender. eg, if the karen in that dog park who called the police on that guy bird watching became an actor or director someday, no matter how great the film was, people would never want to support the film. ……..it’s too bad abuse of women is not taken as seriously……. just the way things for the black community are either too slow to change, or never change, society status quo just “accepts” police racial profiling/brutality /things that “are just gonna happen” to them,……… Even though women comprise more than 50% of the population, and each one of us shares blood with a mother, a sister, a female cousin, etc.,…… hence society turns an even blinder eye to things are just gonna happen to women………….. boys will be boys…………..
Jenn
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I’m OK with Franco. He doesn’t tell me who I’m allowed to be OK with.
July 20, 2020Joe Button
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Cancel the cancel culture. Rent all his films TODAY.
July 22, 2020Seth
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ahuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu
August 7, 2020Justme
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Some definitely consider this creepy and I’m not saying we shouldn’t shun or arrest pedophiles I hate any one who tries to ruin a childhood but the fact with this remains she’s 17 most places the legal age is 16 due to the fact that the courts deem this old enough to understand situations they put themselves in . She admited to willingly have a sexual relationship with him yet this article seems to ignore that fact and the fact that though very young they’re of legal age . So legally he hasn’t done anything wrong besides maybe be an asshole to these girls
December 27, 2020gi
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the letter of the law, at its heart usually has a spirit which has a moral issue, seeks to protect.
laws that protect against abuse sometimes involve age, as in statutory rape.
other laws/regulations protect against abuse by people in positions in authority, because unequal status or authority makes victims vulnerable to abuse. teachers, people in helping professions, a boss, etc.,………..thank god society recognizes that there are power imbalances and makes rules around protecting the vulnerable in these scenarios.
FRANCO WAS THEIR TEACHER
and,
he was in his 30’s and these were teenagers as young as 17.
think back to all you didn’t know when you were 17 compared to when you’re twice as old.
January 3, 2021imagine BEING A MOVIE STAR
and then IMAGINE THIS MOVIE STAR IS YOUR TEACHER…..
gi
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part 2:
HE WAS THEIR TEACHER
AND HE WAS THEIR EMPLOYER
AND, HE WAS/IS AT THE TOP OF AN INDUSTRY THAT BLACKLISTS WOMEN WHO ARE DEEMED “DIFFICULT”
January 3, 2021GI
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sexual harassment laws protect against power an employer has, to say if you don’t do this, then you can lose your job.
doctors aren’t supposed to get involved with patients, teachers aren’t supposed to get involved with students bc THE IMBALANCE OF POWER, or THE AUTHORITY POSITION makes the other party vulnerable.
FRANCO WAS THEIR TEACHER
January 3, 2021FRANCO WAS THEIR EMPLOYER
FRANCO WAS/IS AT THE TOP OF AN INDUSTRY THAT BLACKLISTS “DIFFICULT” WOMEN
FRANCO WAS IS HIS 30’S AND THESE WERE 17 YEAR OLDS
Augustins
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I don’t believe Franco did anything wrong. I’m not inclined to take someone at their word when they sue for money and not for criminal charges.
May 12, 2021