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
My job is what I love. I don't need an escape from it.
One of the things I've learned as a filmmaker is to have some aspect of the movie be something that I admire greatly, whether that's an actor I'm working with, the subject matter, or a book.
My favorite role ever was Alien in 'Spring Breakers'.
Both were equally strenuous. I might feel a little sillier swinging the sword, but it's just as hard as boxing. The difference is when you make a mistake in the boxing you just get tapped a little and you shake it off. But with the swords they use real steel. Every actor had cuts on his hands and people get hit on the arms, so it's a little harder.
When I sign on for a project, I'm there to give the director all the material he or she might need to tell their story, and that's the number one priority.
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.'
I'm a huge Cormac McCarthy fan and have read every book of his.
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.
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.
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.
You work really hard to make it, and maybe you get some acclaim, but then you realize there are certain limitations as an actor.
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.