James Franco has found himself in continuous hot water due to the flurry of allegations and corresponding lawsuits leveled against him. What is clear is that there are more than a few women who believe James constantly abused his power in some truly troublesome and, in some cases, reprehensible ways. James has simultaneously praised the women who have come forward for their honesty and simultaneously denied their claims. But the entertainment industry appears to be very much on their side. This includes James' longtime collaborator and best friend Seth Rogen, who claims to no longer want to work with the 127 Hour star.
But before the mainstream media started taking seriously what many claim was really going on behind the scenes in James Franco's acting classes as well as on his sets, some celebrities tried to warn us. At least, that's what some fans think was happening when Tom Hanks and James took part in a Hollywood Reporter Roundtable interview in 2017. In fact, they believe that Tom was straight-up calling out James' behavior...
Tom Hanks Spoke And James Franco Remained Silent
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Actor's Roundtable discussion was the fact that Tom Hanks, as well as other actors sitting at the table, used the opportunity to talk about the #MeToo Movement as well as the importance of every woman having a platform to tell her truth so that the public and the law can be more informed when passing judgment. This was a discussion that everyone there had a comment on... except for James Franco. He sat there, somewhat uncomfortably, and listened before being pushed by the interviewer, Steven Galloway, to add something.
While the world didn't know what the accusations against James were until 2018 (which bouldered into even more serious allegations in 2021), Hollywood insiders tend to hear rumors about certain individuals prior to them becoming public knowledge. In fact, it was just over two months after the 2017 interview that all the headlines about James Franco's alleged behavior came in. And everything Tom was talking about became applicable to James.
One Youtube user edited some of Tom's most honest comments about the importance of the #MeToo Movement with James' corresponding physical reactions. While fans can't be certain that Tom was calling James out specifically, it could be interrupted as such. Even the Hollywood Reporter added in title cards in their video after it aired to explain that the video was recorded just before the allegations were made public. This has likely contributed to the interpretation that Tom was calling James out to his face.
Other Celebrities Really Tried To Expose James Franco Before The World Took The Allegations Seriously
Whether Tom Hanks was actively calling out James Franco for his behavior to his face or not is up for debate. But if he was, Tom is certainly not the first and only celebrity to bring attention to this matter before the allegations were made public by the press.
Around the same time as the initial allegations against James Franco, his former Freaks & Geeks co-star, Busy Phillips, brought a lot of attention to the actor in his memoir. In her book, which really couldn't have been finished after the allegations were made public, Busy described James as a "f***ing bully". She also went on to say that James physically attacked her after she gently hit him in the chest as the script of the series required. According to Radar Online, James's aggression escalated quickly...
"And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me," Busy wrote in her memoir, "This Will Only Hurt A Little".
Two years before she made these comments in her book, Busy referenced her brutal feud with James in an interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. It was a clear warning that most people just brushed off.
Comedian and actor Charlyne Yi has been another very vocal celebrity in terms of what's been going on with James Franco. She has even stated that she was bribed not to speak out about the sexual assault allegations going on behind the scenes on The Disaster Artist. To this day, she has been speaking out against him, waiting for the hammer of justice to come down on the Pineapple Express star. However, it should be noted that not all of the allegations she's leveled at James have the same level of credibility as others, namely her accusation of him 'preying on children', according to Indie Wire.
Regardless, James has been ordered to pay $2.2 million to alleged victims Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, according to the BBC. And there's no doubt that with all the credible testimonies, James is likely to be facing a lot more consequences in the near future.
