Seth Rogen: I Do Not Plan to Work with James Franco Right Now After Sexual Misconduct Claims
Seth Rogen confirmed in an interview with The Sunday Times that he does not plan to work with James Franco following several allegations of sexual misconduct made against the “Spider-Man” and “127 Hours” actor. Franco was accused in 2018 of forcing several of his acting students into sexual situations. A lawsuit on the matter was settled in February. Rogen and Franco starred together on the cult classic series “Freaks and Geeks” before teaming up on films such as “Pineapple Express,” “This Is the End,” “The Disaster Artist,” and “The Interview.”
“I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James,” Rogen told The Times, “and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now.”
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When asked if the allegations against Franco affected their personal relationship as much as their professional relationship, Rogen responded, “I don’t know if I can define that right now during this interview. I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic.”
Rogen said it is “not a coincidence” that his long-running professional relationship with Franco has ended. When The Times reporter mentioned the situation “must be painful,” Rogen noted, “Yeah. But not as painful and difficult as it is for a lot of other people involved. I have no pity for myself in this situation.”
The comedian also addressed a 2014 joke he made during an opening monologue on “Saturday Night Live” where he mocked a 17-year-old girl’s allegation that Franco had direct messaged her on Instagram to meet up. Rogen’s joke went as follows: “I decided to prank James Franco. I posed as a girl on Instagram, told him I was way young. He seemed unfazed. I have a date to meet him at the Ace Hotel.”
Speaking to The Times, Rogen said, “What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that. However, I do look back at a joke I made on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke. It was a terrible joke, honestly.”
Rogen’s comments come a month after “The Disaster Artist” co-star Charlyne Yi took to Instagram to call out the “predatory” and “toxic” behavior that took place during the film’s making. Yi said she tried to quit the movie because of the allegations against Franco, and she singled out producer Rogen as being among “enablers” who need to be held “accountable.”
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