James Franco on ‘being told you’re bad’ after 2021 accusations, ‘it’s painful’

James Franco got candid on how a lawsuit in 2021 changed his personal and professional life.

In an interview with Variety, published on Friday, Oct. 25, ahead of the Rome Film Festival premiere of his film Hey Joe, James Franco, 46, spoke about the lawsuit he settled in 2021, which stemmed from allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour made by five women, four of whom were his former acting students.

“Being told you’re bad is painful,” he told the outlet, seemingly happy for getting some sense knocked into himself.

“But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.”

“So now, after having the pause and, I think, changing priorities, I guess what I seek to fulfill me in life [is different],” Franco added about how the incident changed pretty much everything.

Franco's return to film came this year with the release of the French thriller The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure, his first movie since 2019. While the film premiered in France in July, there are no current plans for an American release.

“Ultimately, I think I’m kind of grateful because it did afford me a chance to just do whatever private work and really change what I need to change,” he continued.

“So now that I am working, I can just be there for the project. It’s not about me trying to fill some hole with work, it’s just about, ‘Wow, I have a really great life. I’m very grateful, and I hope to serve whatever project I do.’”

The Spider-Man star also talked about becoming a ghost in Hollywood after seeing massive fame.

“I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change. So that’s it, it’s over. I mean, I’ve worked in the U.S. too. So I’m just trying to move on,” Franco said.