Seth Rogen has addressed his current stance on his past friendship and professional partnership with James Franco, saying there has been no change in their relationship and no plans to work together again.
Speaking on The New York Times‘ podcast The Daily, the Superbad actor reflected on questions about distancing himself from the Don Quixote star following allegations that emerged in 2018.
“I mean, I’m trying to think how much I want to personally share about this.”
Previously, both the actors had worked together on many successful films, such as Pineapple Express, This is the End, and The Interview.
In this regard, Rogen stated that the matter remains personal and complicated as he has previously commented on this choice in separate interviews.
The actor also said he did not want to comment more on the subject, explaining that some parts of this history have other parties not included in the discussion.
“I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing, and I think there’s like the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had.”
The Platonic star went on:
“And I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything. I have not worked with him in years, you know, but the personal side of it is just … it’s so nuanced, and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this.”
Seth Rogen commented that, although the issue is generally discussed in terms of responsibility and forgiveness within the entertainment industry, his personal views on the matter have remained constant.
Moreover, he mentioned that he has maintained the professional distance from James Franco for quite some time now.
“I don’t know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it in this moment, but I’d say everything I’ve said … nothing has changed really since the last time I talked about all this.”
Further, Seth Rogen also stated clearly that no future collaborations are planned between the two, marking the clearest update yet on their working relationship.
Timeline: James Franco’s sexual misconduct allegations
James Franco’s career had taken a drastic turn after the allegations made against him regarding sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior towards the students from his acting school, Studio 4.
In 2017, a 17-year-old woman accused him of sending her text messages luring her into a hotel in New York. At that time, James Franco had apologized and admitted he had exercised poor judgment.
However, in 2018, just when James Franco received a Golden Globe Award for The Disaster Artist, five women stepped forward in a Los Angeles Times article, explaining how there is a culture of sexual misconduct within the film industry.
Actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Violet Paley further made statements on TV and social media about being subjected to unhealthy relationships through mentorship with the actor.
Kaplan, alongside Toni Gaal, filed a case in class action against James Franco, his production company, and associates in 2019 due to sexual abuse, harassment, and fraud allegations.
James Franco and his associates agreed to pay a $2.235 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit in June 2021, although the actor continued to deny the allegations.
However, by December, he finally broke his four-year silence and admitted to sleeping with students from his acting school. Still, he maintained that he did not start the school to lure women. He also revealed that he had been in treatment for sex addiction.
The lawsuit was finally closed in 2022 following the settlement.
Edited by Gladys Altamarino