James Franco Blasts Hollywood For Being Homophobic: "It's Weird"
James Franco is perhaps one of the most famous gay-baiters of our time.
The 37-year-old actor is straight, but has played gay to much success on more than one occasion. His performances in films like Milk, I Am Michael, The Broken Tower, and Interior. Leather Bar — or even that horrifying “Bound 2” parody with Seth Rogen — have made some question his sexuality in the past.
Those questions, Franco says in a new interview with the Independent, are indicative of Hollywood’s problem with homophobia.
“It’s weird,” he said of the endless barrage of gay jokes he took at his Comedy Central Roast in 2013, which he says came off a little homophobic. “I was a little shocked, I didn’t write those jokes, they did. I didn’t make any gay jokes. There is still a little bit of homophobia.”
Franco said that while he exploits gayness for humor sometimes, his commentary comes from a different perspective.
“I think part of it, when I do films with Seth, it’s more playing on straight male anxiety about any sort of same-sex interaction,” he said. “To me that is really a comment on a larger anxiety and not really anything about denigrating or criticizing anything about the gay community.”
Franco's next film, Every Thing Will Be Fine, premieres this Friday at Toronto Film Festival and will be released next year.
