James Franco Gay Rumors Aren't New -- And He Still Doesn't Care (Video)

Jan 22 2013 James Franco is not afraid to explore all aspects of sexuality in his latest string of projects, including two rather NSFW films. And while he's a Hollywood darling now, given complete control to take on any kind of project he wants and to explore whatever he wants in them, people didn't always understand Franco. "In high school these girls got mad at me and so they spread this rumor that I was having a gay relationship with one of my closest friends," he told MTV News about people's fascination with him and his sexual orientation. "And they even made up a little dance they would do in the girl's locker room about me being gay. I still don't know what the dance was." Cut to today, when Franco's sexuality is still a topic of the rumor mill, not that it concerns him at all. "It wasn't like it was anything new," he explained while out promoting his latest slate of projects at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. "And in fact, it wasn't something that frightened me, like if people think that, it's fine. I really don't care." Franco is out promoting "Kink," a documentary he produced about the world's largest producer of BDSM pornography, and the equally eye-raising "Interior. Leather Bar.," which is his take on the 1980 Al Pacino film "Cruising," about gay culture. Franco will also play Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in a biopic about '70s porn actress Linda Lovelace called "Lovelace." While speaking about his newest entries into the world of film, he mirrored those sentiments, noting that whatever your sexuality is and however it is represented in pop culture, you shouldn't be ashamed. "It's hard to put certain kinds of sex in film," Franco said. "Now, I could sort of understand that if it wasn't so easy to put other kinds of things in film, like violence. Obviously, there's some weird standard here that is just illogical." "Sex and sexuality are such big parts of our lives — the ways that we define ourselves, the ways that we interact with each other," he added. "Everyone thinks about it. Everyone knows about it. Even if you insist on living an incredibly chaste life and you're chaste in your thoughts, that's a conscious and concerted effort to keep sex from your thoughts. So you're still engaging with sex even if it's in a negative capacity. ... It's a huge part of our lives. It's part of being human."

http%3A//www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700597/james-franco-gay-rumors.jhtml



• Even though he has mostly been out of the public eye for the last year or so, he still manages to annoy me. What a pretentious sel-serving ass.

• He wants people to think he's gay. He thinks this makes him edgy and controversial. I find it rather exploitative. He's also losing his looks. There is no faster way to become irrelevant to the gays. He needs to take a long break and give us one too.

• Oh come on, he's adorable. And he's balancing this stuff with leads in big Disney movies and not worrying about any of it. I love him and not just because he's hot. He does whatever he wants to do, cynics be damned.

• I don't think anybody cares. It's obvious he courts the rumors only to brush them aside. A review of the Interior Leather Bar film calls it half movie, half Phd thesis, with Franco and another guy discussing their attitudes to the filming as straight men.

• So what's the verdict on DL? I thought we assumed he WAS gay. Now we're saying he isn't?

• If he's gay and denying it he's a closet case and the straights can have him.

• I find him offensive. He's using us gay men as props in his career, and I hate it.

• Why do people find him annoying? He's extremely gay friendly, is that it? Because I can't disagree with what he says at all. I'm not a big fan of his movies but I gotta give him huge props for doing exactly what he wants in his career. You won't see many young oscar nominated actors go do a soap opera at the height of their career, for example. And I wouldn't call him pretentious, simply because he certainly lacks any kind of snobbery. He just seems to love his craft and has the means to explore the things he's interested in, and I say good for him. Even if I don't really share his interests.

• R7 sounds old and a wannabe victim. I hope you get what you want.

• Sorry, James Franco is not gay. He, wisely, plays the gay community like a violin. He's taking advantage of you and getting buttloads of publicity at your expense.

• He hit the wall hard and looks like shit now. I was surprised to see the NY TImes praise his movie, Interior. Leather Bar. Stupid Name.

• A lot of resentful slime in this thread.

• It would be far less oblique and annoyingly shadowy in its quasi-arty obfuscation, if he would just say whether he was gay, bi or straight rather than talking about the experience of being rumored to be gay. Either don't talk about your sexuality at all or talk about it but don't gloss over it by merely discussing your image and others' perceptions of you.

• [quote]Oh come on, he's adorable. Are you joking? Maybe 4 years ago, but not now. He looks terrible. [quote]He hit the wall hard and looks like shit now. Agreed.

• I loved him in Donnie Darko. Great flick.

• He may not identify as gay, and I do believe he sleeps with women, but NO WAY has he not had a dick in his mouth.

• BORING

• I wish Franco and Anne Hathaway would just fuck off to the Z List.

• R10, I have always thought the exact same thing.

• I don't think he's gay, either, but think he is like most actors--incredibly vain, and flattered by the admiration he detects behind all this questioning. His artsy-intellectual posturing in no way mitigates the obvious narcissism that keeps him in the media all the time.

• [quote]Sorry, James Franco is not gay. He, wisely, plays the gay community like a violin. He's not playing me because I don't like him and don't see his movies.

• [quote]If he's gay and denying it he's a closet case and the straights can have him. I don't think he denied it. He basically said "Think what you want. I'm not going to answer." Most people would take that as a "yes," though I don't.

• Only 60% gay.

• Hiding in plain sight and fooling all of the gullible fraus who think "he's just being edgy."

• Every thread has the smearing crap of ageist homophobia. Would you little things please stop the divisiveness. It's gotten to the point that the DL isn't even safe for gay men. Is that really what you want? There's enough entitled, pompous egocentrism in Jimmy Franco for all of us to cringe and swoon.

• Here's what he said about the rumors. "It wasn’t something that frightened me, like if people think that, it’s fine. I really don’t care," he said.

• All he is saying is that sexuality is integrally related to human life and behavior and in all its forms is both interesting and informative on the human condition. He is one smart fellow. I like him. He is not taking advantage of the gay world. Rather he is expressing the full variety of sexual experience as an actor and film maker. Good for him because the more he does it, the more he will difuse ingnorance and homophobia in my opinion. I also believe him when he says he does not concern himself with what people think he is or is not because he thinks all of it is basically fine.

  charlie

• I'm with r1 on this one.

• I love Franco. I don't know what gives him a stiff dick. I would think if it was gay sex, he'd have a hell of time controlling himself in front of a camera. I think it's all part of his agenda to make his point, people get more upset about gay sex than countless forms of murder on screen. The logical conclusion in so far as it affects the young, parents would rather their kids become murderers than become curious or infatuated with gay sex. I think he's spot on. Any type of human sexual encounter should be of more interest to a normal thinking person than the act of killing another human.

• He's probably bi big deal...

• "I would think if it was gay sex, he'd have a hell of time controlling himself in front of a camera." Translation please.

• I wouldn't think he was gay but he is never linked to a woman from what I have heard and oh this, his fascination with gayness. I do love his brother though.

• I'm in my twenties, R9. It's nice to see that lots of other gays are annoyed by Franco.

  R7

• Jesus... if he were just giving us bland soundbites about how much he "loves the gays" or "doesn't judge the gays" (see Mary J. Fuckin' Blige thread), I could see the animosity. But he is taking major career risks with these films and NOT when he is post-peak. That "Oz" movie will be huge and he will keep doing what he wants (art or soap or all of it). In short, can we give him a fucking break? I find it fascinating that he would want to make a film about the "Cruising" set in 1980 (who else would?). I find it great that he wanted to make a film about Sal Mineo, didn't worry about "relevancy" or whatever bullshit. And I will always love him in "Milk". Can we please go after the true homophobes, please?

• Well stated, r34.

• R34's breasts were so dolefully crimson that day.

  Calm%20Yo%27%20Tits%2C%20Dear

• So true, Incarnadine Mammaries at R34. True homophobes? Sure. How about starting with the haters here who are using the "eldergay" meme as an all-purpose stab at anything for which the lack knowledge or interest?

• playing y'all like those straight athletes do...for the $$$!

• James Franco is the new pre-Golden Globes Jodie Foster.

• [quote]Either don't talk about your sexuality at all or talk about it but don't gloss over it by merely discussing your image and others' perceptions of you. It's more interesting the way James Franco is going about things.

• R32 He is supposedly dating Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars who was in that Justin Bieber video parody with him. I vote bi.

• He abandoned me! He took my Oscar hosting childhood in his stride and was gone before the first commercial came!!!

  AnnE

• I find him offensive, obnoxious and boring.

• RE: Either don't talk about your sexuality at all or talk about it but don't gloss over it by merely discussing your image and others' perceptions of you. In this case, the sexuality questions are tied into his work, the films he chooses to make, etc. He's not standing up at GLAAD and being cagey like Amber Heard. And these gay subject films take passion and a lot of time so he's investing a lot of himself -- maybe he figures that's enough (or his handlers are telling him to play it as cool as Franco will allow). P.S. I wrote a lot of gay themed films in Europe and most of the directors who took them on were straight as arrows. But still interested in exploring the subject for whatever reason, usually just the human element. Not one gay director, in fact (gay producer, yes). For what it's worth.

• [quote]And while he's a Hollywood darling now, Is he? After the Oscar hosting disaster, is he "a Hollywood darling"?

• [quote]I find him offensive, obnoxious and boring. And the operative word is boring.

• [quote]James Franco is the new pre-Golden Globes Jodie Foster. I hope you're wrong and I really, really, want him to be straight. The gay community deserves better.

• I agree (R24), he's hiding in plain sight. I didn't think so before but after reading that I do. He's probably a slutty bi who mostly likes men. But I don't think any frauen particularly care what he is. He's not a big sex symbol. I think he's teasing the men, basically.

• He's so ugly now. He should shave that disgusting facial hair, get a haircut (and comb his hair), get some dermabrasion, and get some Botox.

• [quote]He's using gays as props for his career Yeah, but when Judy or Barbra does it that's fine ?

• I love Franco. It's as simple as that! Any fag who feels otherwise is zero with me. Franco is the only guy I would consider getting a sex change for since he likes girls too.

  Willy%20Whackitoff

• [quote]James Franco is the new pre-Golden Globes Jodie Foster. He is?

• Adorable on "Kimmel" tonight. Alert for fans, warning for Haters to stay away. :) Such a cute "kid".