Film

James Franco denies allegations of sexual misconduct

Actor says claims by women are ‘not accurate’ during interview with Stephen Colbert

Actor James Franco has denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. Photograph: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Wed Jan 10 2018 - 13:19

James Franco has described sexual misconduct allegations made against him as "not accurate" during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday.

The actor, who on Monday received a Golden Globe for his performance in comedy biopic The Disaster Artist, responded to claims made by two women on Twitter in the wake of his victory. Actor-director Sarah Tither-Kaplan alleged that Franco exploited her by asking her to perform nude in two of his films for $100 per day, while actor Violet Paley alleged Franco tried to force her to perform oral sex on him while in a car.

In a later tweet, Paley claimed that Franco had apologised to her and several other women over the phone several weeks before the allegations came to light.

Colbert addressed the claims during Tuesday's episode of The Late Show, noting that Franco had received criticism online for wearing a badge supporting the Time's Up movement and asking whether he wanted to respond to allegations made against him.

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“The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long,” Franco told Colbert, adding that he didn’t “want to, you know, shut them down in any way. It’s, I think, a good thing and I support it.”

He said: “The way I live my life, I can’t live if there’s restitution to be made. I will make it. So if I’ve done something wrong, I will fix it. I have to. I mean, I think that’s how that works. I don’t know what else to do.”

Franco also addressed a series of tweets by Breakfast Club star Ally Sheedy, who he had directed in 2014 in the off-Broadway play The Long Shrift.

“James Franco just won. Please never ever ask me why I left the film/TV business,” Sheedy wrote, later adding a second tweet which read: “Why is a man hosting? Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much. Nite love ya #goldenglobes.”

Sheedy has since deleted the tweets. However, screenshots have been widely circulated online.

“I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy,” Franco said during the interview on Tuesday. “I directed her in a play off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her and I have total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset.”

Earlier on Tuesday the New York Times cancelled an event scheduled for Wednesday with Franco and his brother Dave in the wake of the allegations. "The event was intended to be a discussion of the making of the film, The Disaster Artist. Given the controversy surrounding recent allegations, we're no longer comfortable proceeding in that vein," the Times said in a statement.

A representative for Sheedy was contacted for clarification on the comments made against Franco. –Guardian

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