James Franco described his split from longtime collaborator and buddy Seth Rogen as "painful."
Franco acknowledged the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him in January 2018 for the first time in a new, in-depth interview on SiriusXM's Jess Cagle Podcast, which will be released in its entirety on Thursday (23 December).
The 127 Hours actor discussed his current relationship with "absolute closest work friend" Seth Rogen in the aftermath of the claims throughout the program.
Rogen openly distanced himself from Franco in a May interview with The Times, stating that he had no plans to collaborate with his The Interview co-star at the time.
"What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment, and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone who commits them, or knowingly place someone in an environment where they are exposed to someone who commits them," Rogen stated.
"The truth is that I have not worked with Franco and have no plans to do so at the moment," Rogen stated, adding that the claims against Franco had impacted their friendship.
Franco told podcast host Jess Cagle that while Rogen's statements were "inappropriate in context," he understood the 39-year-old actor's perspective.
Franco continued, confirming that the actors had no collaboration plans, "He had to speak for me because I was silent." He was forced to answer for me, which I do not desire. That is one of the primary reasons I wanted to speak with you today: I don't wish to Seth, my brother [actor Dave Franco], or anyone else to have to answer for me."
In January 2018, five women — four of whom were students at his acting school – accused the Oscar-nominated actor of sexual assault.
Two of his accusers, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, pursued legal action against the actor in 2019.
Franco taught both at the Studio 4 school in Los Angeles' Playhouse West neighborhood, which he co-founded in 2014. In 2017, the school was closed.
Franco has categorically denied these charges.
Franco agreed earlier this year to pay $2.2 million (£1.7 million) to settle a lawsuit alleging that he and his business partners "engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior toward female students by sexualizing their authority as teachers and employers by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects."
Franco acknowledged having sex with his acting pupils during the interview with Cagle, stating that he was "completely blind to power dynamics" at the time.
He also admitted that he sought "validation" from women through sexual acceptance, adding, "It's such a powerful drug, and I was hooked for another 20 years."
