Dave Franco’s rare comments on brother James after he was ‘cast out’ of Hollywood leave people divided
Dave Franco’s comments about his older brother James Franco have left some people divided.
Both James and Dave are successful actors, but the younger of the Franco siblings seems to have become the better-known of the two in recent years.
James was a huge household name in the mid- to late 2000s with Dave becoming famous in his own right for featuring in 2010s classics like 21 Jump Street, Neighbors, and Now You See Me.
James has been in the acting game for some time, but he took a step back from the limelight in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct were brought forward against him.
What were the allegations James faced?
Five women accused James of sexual misconduct, four of whom used to be students at his acting school Studio 4.
Two of the accusers filed a suit against James, who reportedly ended up paying out more than $2,000,000 to settle. He has always denied the assault allegations, however.
While he denied any misconduct, James did admit that he’d previously slept with his students and understood that it was ‘wrong’.
What has Dave said about his brother?
In a recent interview with Bustle, Dave spoke about breaking into Hollywood as James’ sibling.
“No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother,” he insisted.
Dave added: “If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly.”
What have people said about his remarks?
Dave might be adamant that he didn’t initially get acting jobs purely because he was James’ brother, but others pointed out that it will have definitely been a leg up for the Together star.
Somebody said on Reddit: “Well, there’s directly helping, then there’s having a wildly famous last name. Whether he wants to admit it or not, that name alone has opened doors.”
“I think it’s delusional to say he would’ve gotten any of his foundational acting opportunities if not for his brother,” added a second.
A different person wrote: “Not saying he ‘owes’ James anything but make no mistake that James helped him get his career started.”
Others were more on the fence, and agreed that Dave wouldn’t have made it as far as he has if he wasn’t a good actor. It was also suggested that the 40-year-old is trying to distance himself from his brother in light of the previous allegations he has faced.
One person argued: “I mean, he’s half right. If he had sucked he’d have gone the way of Frank Stallone. That said, the fact he got a break in the first place isn’t because he was good, there’s tons of great actors who never catch a break, it’s because he was connected.”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s denying the fact that it gave him a foot in the door, just that he would’ve disappeared by now if he wasn’t any good,” someone else said in Dave’s defense.
James Franco largely keeps out of the spotlight these days
Dave Franco might be the little brother of James Franco, but he’s gained prominence through his own hard work.
Dave has starred in films like Now You See Me, 21 Jump Street, Superbad, and Neighbors over the years, with one of his most recent movies being Together — a horror movie he featured in with his wife Alison Brie that went on to receive critical acclaim.
Dave has arguably become the better-known Franco brother in recent years in light of James being ‘cast out’ of Hollywood.
In 2018, the 127 Hours star was hit with sexual misconduct claims by five women, four of whom were his former acting students.
Two of his accusers and former students went on to launch legal action against him. While James denied the allegations, he settled with the two women in 2021 and agreed to pay over $2 million.
As a result, James took a step back from Hollywood and his long-time friend Seth Rogen pledged to never work with him again.
Dave came onto the acting scene before the controversy surrounding James surfaced, but he insists that while his brother did help him get an agent, his success is down to his own talent and hard work.
Speaking about his brother in an interview published this week, Dave told Bustle: “No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother. If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly.”
He also addressed how his big brother feels about his ongoing success.
“At this point, I think he’s excited just to see me trying new things and to see me grow,” he shared.
One of Dave’s next movies is Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third instalment of the Now You See Me franchise with Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Morgan Freeman all reprising their respective roles alongside Dave.
But Dave has been linked to another project — that being a Luigi Mangione biopic.
Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 and trial hearings are set to start on December 1.
Addressing the speculation that he’s going to play Mangione, Dave told Andy Cohen on his show: “No one has approached me about it yet, I’ll say that. This is something that more people in my life reached out about this exact thing than anything else that has ever happened.
“Let’s just say, I’m open if it is the right people but let’s leave it at that.”