James Franco: It's Complicated

"GQ" is a magazine that I often dismiss as men's fashion fluff and a showcase for beefcake covers under the guise of class, but I must say sometimes they write amazing interviews. This current profile of James Franco is particularly fascinating as he is a complex man of many interests and extremely introspective. He's funny yet serious and very driven.

Here were 2 of my favorite bits from the article:

During the show’s run, three of the freaks—Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel—would meet at Segel’s house on Saturday mornings for extra, unofficial rehearsals. “I mean, they weren’t the most rigorous rehearsals,” says Franco. “For the most part we just liked hanging out.” In the end, he says, it was Rogen and Segel who became really good friends. At the time, Segel was dating Linda Cardellini, who was friends with Franco’s on-screen girlfriend, Busy Philipps, who had a problem with Franco. “And so I think Jason took her side and thought I was a jerk,” he says. “I’ll admit I was not a team player. A lot of it, I think, just had to do with being obnoxious when the camera was on someone else. Maybe I’d eat a banana in the background that would take focus away from other actors. I didn’t think about it that way, but now I could say, ‘Look, the scene’s not about me, it’s about them, just chill out, James. Don’t eat a fucking banana.’ ”


In the e-mail, Franco also expresses regret over the things we didn’t have a chance to discuss: “I felt like we didn’t talk about writing or art as much as I would have liked, as those are what take up most of my life now. But if we didn’t it’s because I closed those subjects because I was uncomfortable about this forum as a place to discuss those things. Who wants to hear an actor talk about books or art? No one. I just hope my interest in those areas, and my dedication to them, was apparent. But I know as an actor I’m not supposed to show interest in anything except charities and the environment. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m supposed to show interest in. (By the way, we didn’t talk about the work I do with orphans, but that’s OK. Maybe the next article.)” He closes with the words “I am just rambling. Thanks.”

Here is the full article:
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7397