Charlene Yi claims she tried to quit The Disaster Artist because of ‘sexual predator’ James Franco

Actress Charlyne Yi has accused James Franco of being a ‘sexual predator’ and claims she tried to quit The Disaster Artist after learning of the allegations against him.

In 2014, Franco, then 35, admitted to messaging a 17-year-old and trying to arrange a meeting in a hotel room.

Four years later, after the actor wore a Time’s Up pin at the Golden Globes, a number of allegations of sexual misconduct were made on social media, which Franco called ‘not accurate’.

The same year, the Los Angeles Times published a report of five women accusing Franco of sexual misconduct at his acting school, Studio 4, with Franco denying all allegations.

Two of the women filed lawsuits, which have been settled this year.

Yi filmed The Disaster Artist between 2015 and 2016 with Franco, who played Tommy Wiseau in the film, and claims that she attempted to quit the project. 

The 35-year-old wrote on Instagram: ‘When I tried to break legal contract & quit The Disaster Artist because James Franco is a sexual predator, they tried to bribe me with a bigger acting role.

‘I cried and told them that was the exact opposite of what I wanted, that I didnt feel safe working with a f***ing sexual predator.

‘They minimised & said Franco being a predator was so last yr and that he changed… when I literally heard of him abusing new women that week.’

Yi starred in the film as costume designer Safowa Bright-Asare.

The actress called Seth Rogen an ‘enabler’, claiming that the actor, who produced The Disaster Artist, ‘definitely knows about the bribe and why I quit’.

Franco went on to win the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role, and received a Screen Actors Guild nomination. 

She added in a separate Instagram post, shared to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month: ‘Why aren’t any of James Franco’s white male “feminist” peers holding him accountable for abusing women then using his power and platform to gaslight them?

‘Seth Rogen literally gave a statement saying that men’s opinions don’t matter about a men’s issue, but went on SNL using his white male voice and power to do a sketch with Franco, normalising preying on underage girls. Which is dehumanisation and patriarchal violence.’

Yi previously worked with Rogen on Knocked Up, and is best known for her screenwriting debut Paper Heart and her role as Dr Chi Park on House. 

Metro.co.uk has contacted Franco and Rogen for comment. 

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