It is the end of an era for James Franco and Seth Rogen. The Spider-Man actor dished on his friendship with his longtime collaborator after it was impacted by Franco’s 2019 sexual misconduct scandal. With Franco returning to the screens after a five-year hiatus, he is opening up on where they stand.
In a new interview with Variety to promote his new movie, Hey Joe, Franco revealed he and Rogen haven’t spoken in a long while. “No. I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth. We had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over,” he confessed. According to the disgraced actor, their broken friendship wasn’t due to a “lack of trying” on his part. “I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” Franco said to the publication of his attempt to repair things.
Franco and Rogen have known each other since they were teenagers. They often collaborated on projects, including This Is The End, Pineapple Express, and Freaks and Geeks. However, their relationship hit a stumbling block when five women, four of whom were his acting students, accused Franco of inappropriate sexual behavior. A sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by two of those students resulted in a $2.235 million settlement, People reports. In the aftermath of the allegations, Rogen declared he had no plans to keep working with Franco.
Fans Support Seth Rogen Cutting Off James Franco
Following Franco’s revelation, fans took online to praise Rogen for his actions. “This makes me respect Seth Rogen more,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“This is what I expect from a real man: cut ties with the “buddy” accused of sexual misconduct, harassment, violence, rape, or other heinous crimes. (Looking at you, Ashton),” a second fan remarked.
“Considering how close James and Seth were, it must have been really hard on Seth to cut ties with his friend of so many years,” observed one fan. “Kudos on him for making that decision.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to hang around creeps,” a user said of Rogen’s decision, while another praised, “Seth Rogen’s stock just went up 100%.”
