James Franco has given a bleak update on the state of his friendship with Seth Rogen, three years after his former collaborator announced he had distanced himself.
Seth, 42, publicly cut off his Pineapple Express costar, 46, after he was accused and sued by his students over behaving inappropriately and sexually towards them.
And it seems as though Seth has had zero interest in rekindling their friendship.
In a recent interview ahead of the release of his new film, Hey Joe, James shared: ‘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.’Â
James Franco has given a bleak update on the state of his friendship with Seth RogenÂ
Seth distanced himself from his former friend and collaborator three years agoÂ
He added to Variety: ‘I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.’
In January of 2018, five women told the Los Angeles Times that James had been sexually inappropriate or exploitative with them.
One detailed how James removed plastic guards from actress’ vulvas during a sex scene while simulating oral sex.
Two of the women, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, sued James in 2019, claimed that he tried to ‘create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education’ while they attended his Studio 4 acting school.
At the time, James denied the allegations via his attorney.
He eventually settled the lawsuit for $2.2 million in July 2021.
Initially, when the allegations came out in 2018, Seth told Vulture that he would continue to work with James.
But in May 2021, he publicly revised his position, telling Britain’s Sunday Times that he would not.
In a new interview, James revealed he hasn’t spoken to Seth and believes that their friendship is now over (pictured together in Pineapple Express)
The duo had starred alongside each other in a number of projects, including the 2013 film This Is The EndÂ
‘What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that,’ Seth told the publication.
He added that it was ‘not a coincidence’ he hasn’t worked with Franco in recent years, as he faced sexual misconduct accusations in 2014 and again in 2018.Â
That December, James said it was ‘hurtful’ that Seth had ‘no plans to work with him in the future.’
Speaking on the SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast, James said: ‘Of course it was hurtful, you know, in context, but I get it, you know, he had to answer for me cause I was silent.
‘He had to answer for me, and I don’t want that.Â
James is set to return to the spotlight with his new film Hey Joe, which hits cinemas next monthÂ
‘And so that’s why, it’s one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you today is I just, I don’t want Seth or my brother or anyone to have to answer for me anymore.’
Over the course of their friendship, James and Seth had starred in a number of projects together, including the NBC Cult classic Freaks and Geeks.
They also appeared in films such as Pineapple Express, This Is the End, The Disaster Artist, and The Interview.
While James has largely kept out of the spotlight in recent years, he is gearing up for his Hollywood comeback with the release of his new film Hey Joe.
Directed by Claudio Giovannesi, James plays the lead star, Dean Barry, an American World War II veteran returns to Naples after 25 years to get to know his son.
The movie premiered at the 19th Rome Film Festival on October 25, and will receive a theatrical release in Italy on November 28.