James Franco’s 2013 Book ‘Actors Anonymous’ Includes Story About Picking Up ‘Young Girls’ at TIFF
Zack Sharf
In the wake of sexual harassment allegations made against James Franco, the actor’s book “Actors Anonymous” is coming under scrutiny. Published October 15, 2013 via Amazon imprint New Harvest, it includes Franco’s short stories, personal anecdotes, and poems. One passage shared on Twitter by Entertainment Weekly writer Mary Solos finds Franco (or a character he very closely resembles) remembering how he picked up young girls while doing audience Q&As after screenings.
“One of my favorite approaches was to ask young girls that requested to take a photo with me to email me a copy of the photo; that way I can give them my info very quickly in front of a crowd of fans and later work out a way to see them,” Franco explains. “Usually this happens at an event, which means I am usually away from home, so I have girls all over the world. Usually they are ready when I go back to that city, whether it is Rome, Portland, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Asheville, or D.C.”
Read More: James Franco Responds to Sexual Harassment Allegations, Says Twitter Claims Are ‘Not Accurate’
Franco writes about a time at the Toronto International Film Festival when he screened “127 Hours” in 2010. During an evening screening, an “okay-looking” female student asked for a picture and he gave her his email address so that she could send him the photo. The actor didn’t get the opportunity to hang out with her during this trip, but Franco writes that he “had already spent the night with a Princeton student who was volunteering at the festival.”
Franco writes that he kept in touch with both women and a Berkeley student after exchanging emails with them at Toronto. The first woman, who Franco names Barbara, eventually came to New York City and the two reconnected.
“In the intervening months she had sent me plenty of photos of her body and especially her ass bent over in a G-string, so when she arrived at my Lower East Side apartment, I was ready and she was ready,” Franco writes. “Not only did she allow me to do everything I wanted to her, she let me film it on my phone.”
From James Franco’s book Actors Anonymous pic.twitter.com/YSMNauQbxf
— Mary Sollosi (@missollosi) January 10, 2018
Franco’s passages wouldn’t be the first time the actor-director has dealt with stories about picking up younger women. Franco made headlines in 2014 when he used Instagram to try to arrange a hookup with a 17-year-old at a hotel. His book includes other controversial stories as well, including his thoughts on hooking up with co-stars.
“When you’re portraying a romantic relationship onscreen, you can usually score with your acting partner after the first makeout scene,” Franco writes. “This applies even if the person is in a relationship.”
The actor also writes about women and their aging looks: “It’s like young women: When they have great bodies, they don’t want to show them, but when they’re older, and they’re no longer pretty, they do.”
But perhaps the most telling line in this one: “When actors are successful they build up asshole capital. That means they can be assholes for awhile and get away with it. If they keep having successes, they can keep being assholes. I guess this goes for anyone: directors, writers, producers, etc.”
