Entertainment
Seth Rogen has ‘no plans’ to work with James Franco again after sexual misconduct allegations
Seth Rogan says he will never work with James Franco again after allegations of sexual misconduct.
The pair were known to be friends and worked together on films including The Disaster Artist, Pineapple Express and This Is the End.
Actresses Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal filed a lawsuit against James in 2019 alleging he had intimidated students at Studio 4, his acting and film school which has now closed, into exploitative sexual situations.
It was claimed in the suit James ‘sought to create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education’, with the apparent offer of film roles for the students.
In February this year, a deal was struck with Sarah and Toni for them to drop the lawsuit.
Legal representatives for James insisted the claims were ‘false and inflammatory’.
Having previously said in 2018 he would work with James again, Seth has now told Sunday Times’ Culture Magazine: ‘What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that.’
He added: ‘I look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to do it right now.’
Explaining that his decision was ‘not a coincidence’, Seth stated: ‘I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic.’
The actor also spoke of his regret over a 2014 Saturday Night Live joke in which he said he posed as an underage girl on Instagram in a bid to get a date with James.
The joke was in reference to leaked messages James had sent to a 17-year-old girl on social media asking if she had a boyfriend.
James said of the messages at the time: ‘It’s the way that people meet each other today, but what I’ve learned – I guess because I’m new to it – is you don’t know who’s on the other end.
‘You don’t know who you’re talking to. I used bad judgement and I learned my lesson.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives for Seth Rogen and James Franco for comment.
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