James Franco has addressed the recent allegations against him. Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
A book James Franco wrote in 2013 is coming back to haunt him.
The actor's name has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately after being accused of sexual harassment by more than one woman, which he has denied.
And now excerpts from his novel Actors Anonymousare doing the rounds of social media ... and they don't make him look good.
The book is a work of fiction and contains stories about 12 actors, including one Hollywood star named James Franco (yes, it's confusing, isn't it).
The book is a work of fiction and contains stories about 12 actors, including one Hollywood star named James Franco. Photo / AP
In Actors Anonymous, the Franco "character" describes how he meets girls on the road.
"One of my favourite approaches was to ask the young girls that requested to take a photo with me to email me a copy of the photo; that way I can give them my info very quickly in front of a crowd of fans and later work out a way to see them."
Franco then writes about premiering his movie 127 Hours at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010. After a screening he meets an "okay-looking" girl who asks for a photo and he gives her his email.
"The Toronto girl, Barbara, eventually came to New York to visit her grandmother," the book reads.
"Well, in the intervening months she had sent me plenty of photos of her body and especially her ass bent over in a G-string, so when she arrived at my Lower East Side apartment, I was ready and she was ready. Not only did she allow me to do everything I wanted to her, she let me film it on my phone."
Again, the book is a work of fiction but the excerpts are being read in a new light now that Franco has been accused of sexual harassment.
The accusations started when The Breakfast Club star, Ally Sheedy, suggested James Franco was the reason she left the entertainment industry.
Ally Sheedy in 2016. Photo / Getty Images
Sheedy and Franco worked together on a 2014 play called The Long Shrift.
"James Franco just won," Sheedy tweeted after the actor won a Golden Globe on Monday.
"Please never ever ask me why I left the film/TV business."
Another tweet said: "Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much."
A couple of other women also made claims on Twitter that they were harassed by Franco, but none of the claims have been verified.
The actor appeared on Stephen Colbert's talk show last night and denied any wrongdoing, adding that the claims were "not accurate".
"In my life, I pride myself in taking responsibility for things I've done," Franco said.
"I have to do that to maintain my wellbeing. I do it whenever something needs to be changed.
"If I have done something wrong, I will fix it — I have to. That's how that works. I don't know what else to do."
Franco concluded the interview by referring to the Time's Up movement, saying: "The point is to listen. I am here to listen and learn and change perspective where it's off.
"I'm completely willing and want to."
You might recall that Franco made headlines back in 2014 when he was exposed for hitting on a 17-year-old girl on Instagram.
In a series of private messages which made their way to the press, the actor asked the Scottish student how old she was, to which she replied, "nearly 18".
James Franco with his brother Dave after winning the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes. Photo / AP
Franco went on to ask if he could see her and if he should rent a room.
The actor spoke about the incident on Howard Stern's radio show and said he acted like a gentleman in the exchange.
"I'm not going to high schools looking for dates," he said in his defence.
"I'm leaving my work and they're coming there. So I'm just seeing attractive women. And look, my fan base is like 17-year-old girls. If I do a book signing, it'll be 17-year-old to 30-year-old women. That's my biggest fan base.
"I was a gentleman. I said, 'Do you have a boyfriend?' And her response was, 'Not when you're around.' So that, to me, sounds like, okay, she's interested.
"Now people want to say I victim-bashed her. How is she a victim? I was like anybody, just trying to meet somebody. It's just that my dirty s**t gets put out internationally."
