Actor James Franco has revealed that his longstanding friendship with fellow actor Seth Rogen has ended. The news comes in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against Franco in 2018.
In a recent interview with Variety, Franco discussed his career and personal life, including his relationship with Rogen. “I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over,” he said. “And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.”
The two actors have collaborated on numerous films, including “Freaks and Geeks,” “Pineapple Express,” “This Is the End,” and “The Disaster Artist.”
Franco’s career was significantly impacted by the 2018 allegations. In 2019, two of his former acting students filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against him, which he settled in 2021.
In the aftermath of the scandal, Rogen publicly distanced himself from Franco. In a 2021 interview, Rogen stated that he had no plans to work with Franco in the future.
Franco, reflecting on the challenges he faced during this period, told Variety, “Being told you’re bad is painful. But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.”
As Franco now seeks to revitalize his film career, he acknowledges the need for personal growth and healthier relationships. “I didn’t really have a personal life” in the past, he admitted. “I had friends, but it was always sort of enmeshed with my work. And so, yeah, I put a lot of time into my personal life. I’ve had a relationship for seven-and-a-half years [with actress and filmmaker Izabel Pakzad]. I was never able to do that before. I was just too scared, really … to have any sort of real intimacy with anyone.”
