James Franco admits 20-year friendship with Seth Rogen is over after sexual misconduct claims

James Franco and Seth Rogen have been friends for more than two decades, working together on several films, but have not spoken recently, according to the actor

James Franco has admitted that his long-standing friendship with fellow actor Seth Rogen is "over".

The 46 year old American actor, who first starred alongside Rogen in the 1999 comedy show Freaks And Geeks and later in Pineapple Express, This Is the End and The Disaster Artist, faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2018 and his friendship Rogen fell apart shortly afterwards.

Currently promoting his post-war drama Hey Joe at the Rome Film Festival after a noticeable absence from Hollywood, Franco was asked by Variety if he still had contact with Rogen. His response: "No. I haven’t talked to Seth." He added, "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."

The comedy film Zeroville, which saw Franco both directing and starring alongside Rogen, was released in 2019. Franco has previously dismissed allegations from several women as "not accurate", but stated he did not want to "shut down" those who "did not have a voice".

However, on The Jess Cagle Podcast, he admitted it was "wrong" to sleep with students at his acting school, denying it was part of a "masterplan". Speaking to Variety, Franco confessed he used to be a "workaholic", expressing regret for not appreciating good moments, including being nominated for awards at the peak of his career. He concluded: "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."

Franco consented to a £1.6 million ($2.2 million) settlement in 2021, following allegations that he pressured female students into performing explicit sex scenes on camera. He was previously nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role in 127 Hours in 2010, and directed The Disaster Artist, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Adapted Screenplay.

Speaking earlier this year, Rogen admitted he had changed his mind about working with Franco again despite previously sharing plans for future projects. He told The Sunday Times' Culture magazine in July: "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."

Looking back on his past comments about his friendship with Franco in the wake of allegations being made against his former friend, Rogen added: "I look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now [...] I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic."

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