Actor James Franco returns to acting four years after he was slammed with sexual misconduct allegations by five women.
The scandal-stricken ‘127 Hours’ star, 44, is making a return to the big screen after being cast as a ‘hardened fisherman’ in Bille August’s post-World War II drama ‘Me, You’.
“I am delighted to embark on this phenomenal project and to partner with the legendary Bille August. I’m a huge fan of his work, and Me, You is a really brilliant script,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He has also earned another acting credit for his return with a role in the action movie ‘Mace’.
In June 2021, Franco settled a $2.2 million sexual misconduct lawsuit after he and business partner Vince Jolivette were accused of “widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior towards female students by sexualizing their power as a teacher and employer by exposing the opportunity for roles in their projects’ at the drama school the couple once operated.
In addition to being accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2018, the “Disaster Artist” director also made headlines earlier for trying to arrange a meeting with a 17-year-old girl at a New York hotel in 2014.
After the scandal broke, Franco admitted the messages were legit and apologized, saying he was “embarrassed” and “used bad judgment”.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” last year, Franco said he was addicted to sex and “completely blind to people’s feelings.”
“In 2018 there were some complaints about me and an article about me and at that point I just thought I’m going to be quiet, I’m going to take a break,” he said.
Franco said it was “not the right time to say anything” because there were “people who were mad at me and I had to listen”.
“L [was] completely blind to power dynamics or anything like that… I didn’t want to hurt people,” the actor added.