Seth Rogen and James Franco used to be frequent collaborators, on projects like “Freaks and Geeks,” “Pineapple Express,” “This Is the End,” and “The Disaster Artist.” They were also part of the “Frat Pack,” a group of actors who frequently collaborated with director Judd Apatow. It was, by all accounts, a bromance.
The “Frat Pack” more or less disbanded after #MeToo and the 2018 sexual misconduct allegations against Franco, which also derailed the actor’s career. It wasn’t just Hollywood that distanced itself from Franco, but also his longtime friend and collaborator. During the scandal, Rogen distanced himself from Franco.
Rogen is now doubling down on Franco, telling The New York Times that he hasn’t spoken to his former friend in a “long time” and has “no plans” to work with him in the future. When asked about where his relationship stands with Franco after he faced allegations of sexual misconduct, Rogen answered:
I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing. There’s the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had, and I think the proof is in the pudding — I have not worked with him in years. But the personal side of it is just so nuanced, and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this. I don’t know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it. Nothing has changed since the last time I talked about all this, and I haven’t worked with him in a really long time and I have no plans to.
In a recent interview with Variety at the Rome Film Festival, Franco said he had tried to reconnect with Rogen, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.
In 2018, five women came forward and accused Franco of sexually exploitative behavior during his teaching tenure at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The actor denied the allegations, saying they were “not accurate.” Franco settled the accusers’ lawsuit in 2021, and records that PEOPLE obtained at the time showed that he agreed to pay $2M in the settlement.
Ever since the allegations, Franco has only acted in three films: “Future World,” “Kin,” and “The Pretenders.” However, he has since turned toward European projects, starring this year in French (“Le Prix de l’Argent”) and Italian (“Hey Joe”) films that are unlikely to be released in the United States. He is set to return to American movies next year with a supporting role in Lionsgate’s “Rambo” prequel.
As for Rogen, he has stayed far away from the raunchy male-dominated “hangout” comedies that made him famous in the 2000s.
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