HELLO AMERICA!—If you loved Marlon Brando and James Dean as most actors did, then you will easily understand where James Franco’s head is. He’s unpredictable, outrageous and does exactly what he wants on and off screen which causes many Hollywood people to exclaim, “Oh, my god, that boy is posing stark naked in a magazine, making out with another actor!”
No matter how startling or unsettling he is, people look forward to another issue to see what Franco might do or come up with next. In other words, the guy understands Tinsel Town marketing, and makes the most of it. This is one of the reasons he is considered a winner.
I must admit I was one of those who was quite disturbed by some of his publicity and the way it was being handled, but then I remembered how many people received the nude shots of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield and all those who followed. Once they realized that it was another way of getting noticed it ultimately resulted in more film offers.
When speaking with Franco he made it very clear that even though he loves and enjoys acting, he has a greater passion for the director’s chair.
“I love connecting with the journey of the actor working to find the center and seed of a character to make it believable enough that others will believe everything he or she does while in a scene. It’s an extraordinary feeling, yes, I can even say spiritual when watching how an actor discovers how to bring a character to life. Suddenly, you realize why there is a Laurence Oliver, Charles Laughton, Kate Hepburn, Bette Davis are still referred to in film and acting classes everywhere. They knew how to take you on a journey of discovery and make you laugh, sing, cry and sometimes utterly lose it.”
There is no mystery why Franco is constantly in demand since his TV debut “Freaks and Geeks” (1999) and the TV miniseries “To Serve and Protect.” He later co-starred in Sean Penn’s “Milk” which earned him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
“Of course, being recognized like this meant the world to me, because it showed people, the industry that I was on the right path,” he noted.
“That there was a reason an objective behind all the mad decisions they watched me coming up with. Nothing is pre-planned, I go by my gut, instincts, if I feel it’s something that makes sense to me and the character, [and] I go with it. My objective is making it honest and real. This is something I learned while watching and reading what Brando and some of the other fantastic actors deal with when giving birth to their personal journey in creating a character. Believe me it’s an extraordinary ride, difficult to describe, well, it’s like when you walk in a gallery and there are these great paintings, breathtaking works of art which compares to listening to an overwhelming symphony that takes your breath away! It’s magic time! And you want to take hold of it and claim it as your own. Now, that’s a real spiritual journey!”
