James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. His first prominent acting role was the lead character Daniel Desario on the short-lived cult hit television program Freaks and Geeks. He later played the title character in the TV biographical film James Dean, for which he won a Golden Globe Award. For his role in 127 Hours, Franco was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He is also known for his roles in Spider-Man, Pineapple Express, Rise of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth19 April 1978
CityPalo Alto, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I guess what I enjoy most is directing, because it incorporates all aspects of filmmaking. Directing is in the same line as acting - both are popularity contests, and in both you're trying to tell a story through the film as a medium.
There's a tacit belief that actors shouldn't write books, they're sort of allowed to direct movies but there will be a lot of skepticism, and they shouldn't do artwork or music. There are these invisible roadblocks to gain entree to these areas for actors, and you kind of have to crash through those invisible barriers.
I might have to stumble a little bit more in public than others, but that's fine, I don't mind, I've developed a thick skin.
A lot of things can be read into it, but essentially it's about the desire to be an artist and what a struggle that is. It's about everything. You've got issues of being a man, finding meaning and the struggle to express oneself. The sad thing is that sometimes someone doesn't really have the talent or the voice to do that.
As far as... what they've given me so far, in the last two movies -- I feel like I have the most kind of tortured character in the movies and so it's always great to play as an actor,
He's a warrior, but everything changes when he meets Isolde.
I acted professionally for about eight years, and I was writing all that time but never showed anybody any of it. There just came a point after those eight years when I thought, 'There's a lot I can do with acting - there are a lot of things I can express and do creatively, but there are also limitations.'
Because acting was my only professional outlet, I put a ton of pressure on the roles that I did. I overstepped my bounds, I tried to control things that were out of my purview as an actor and in some cases even tried to direct my scenes because I felt I knew how they should run rather than trust the director.
In the end, I do have a group of friends and teachers whose opinions I respect, and so I guess I just have to be content with their feedback.
I don't know if I could do it. I have a lot of respect for what they do. The 'Annapolis' consultant told us the biggest challenge for most people is the mental shift that's required to go there. And you really have to leave your ego at the door. You know, it's a really different way of life than most people are used to.
I feel like because I've done more gay characters, gay scenes, or gay projects than most straight actors, people see it as some sort of mission. It's more of a case-by-case basis, and just trying to capture figures that I love. I guess that a lot of the figures that I love were gay.
I'm going to try to not let anyone put me in a box, and that certainly applies to the things I do outside of acting.
The general view is that actors start on soaps and then maybe graduate to prime-time television or film; normally you don't see a film actor going to do a soap.
You work really hard to make it, and maybe you get some acclaim, but then you realize there are certain limitations as an actor.