James Franco met the press in Rome on Friday to discuss his new film Hey Joe, which had its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival. While discussing the film, in which he plays a WWII vet who returns to Naples 25 years after finding out he has a son there, the actor drew parallels to his own life.
“My character is a man who wasted his own life,” said Franco. “He catches the occasion to do something positive. That was the same for me as a person. I changed my way of seeing things. I understood that what I really wanted to obtain from success was an actual bond with other people, a spiritual growth. That’s what could give a meaning to my life.”
In 2018, five women accused Franco of sexual misconduct. A class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles in 2019 claimed he misused his position, offering acting opportunities in exchange for favors. In 2021, Franco agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging he pushed acting students at his Studio 4 Film School into performing in increasingly explicit sex scenes on camera.
Since then, Franco has kept a low profile, only appearing in the limited release of 2019’s Zeroville, which he actually directed in 2014. He also attended the Cannes Film Festival in May, where he was spotted in the VIP area of a Nespresso party.
Franco described his character in Hey Joe, which is directed by Claudio Giovannesi, as someone whose life is falling apart, but who finds a way to change. “My character destroyed his own personal life,” he said. “His marriage is in pieces, he is alone, he is becoming an alcoholic. And then, a miracle comes in his life. Some people could say ‘it’s too late.’ Other people — like him — could say ‘this is an opportunity, let’s see where it takes me.’ There is always the way to change our life.”
The actor also discussed the differences between filmmaking in Hollywood and in Italy.
“For film lovers, Claudio makes movies in a very particular way — inspired by Italian neo realism,” said Franco. “For most scenes we only used two angles. In a typical American movie you’re doing lots of coverage – the wide shot, the medium shot, the close up – with Claudio there was only two set ups. Because I was the main character he wanted the film to be from my point of view, so [the shots] were either over my shoulder or on my face for the whole scene.”
Hey Joe, directed by Claudio Giovannesi, is set for theatrical release in Italy on Nov. 28, 2024.