Seth Rogen Explained Why He'll Never Work With James Franco Again

Seth Rogen recently opened up about why he’s likely never going to work with James Franco again, despite their long history of collaborating on numerous projects.

Over the years, they teamed up for several memorable movies, including Pineapple Express, The Interview, and This Is The End.

Their professional journey together began in 1999 when they both starred in the show Freaks and Geeks.

This partnership spanned almost two decades, finally concluding with the release of Zeroville in 2019.

However, everything took a dramatic turn for Rogen in 2018 when multiple women came forward accusing Franco of sexually inappropriate behavior.

These allegations significantly impacted their professional and personal relationship. 

Rogen and Franco worked together for 20 years Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon

Franco later reached a settlement with two of his former acting students who had accused him of sexual misconduct, resulting in them dropping their individual claims. 

During an appearance on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Podcast, Franco admitted to having inappropriate relationships with some of his students while he was teaching.

"Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong," he confessed. 

"But like I said, it’s not why I started the school and I wasn’t the person that selected the people to be in the class. So it wasn’t a ‘master plan’ on my part. 

"But yes, there were certain instances where, you know what, I was in a consensual thing with a student and I shouldn’t have been."

In the wake of these serious allegations, Rogen's perspective on working with Franco changed.

He expressed his thoughts in an interview with The Sunday Times’ Culture magazine, explaining that he could no longer envision future collaborations with Franco. 

Rogen and Franco in 'The Interview' Columbia Pictures

Rogen, who had previously talked about their plans for upcoming projects, stated:

"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."

Rogen also acknowledged that the accusations had a profound effect on his longstanding relationship with Franco.

He reflected on his past comments, saying: "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 right now [...]"

"I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic."

For his part, Franco accepted Rogen's decision with understanding and emphasized that he bore no resentment towards his former co-star. 

In his conversation with Cagle, Franco expressed his deep appreciation for Rogen, stating, "I love Seth Rogen. I worked with him for 20 years.

"We didn't have one fight for 20 years. Not one fight. He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator. We just gelled. What he said is true."

"You know, we aren't working together right now and we don't have any plans to work together. Of course, it was hurtful, in context, but I get it. 

"He had to answer for me 'cause I was silent'. He had to answer for me, and I don't want that. So that's why, that's one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you today: I don't want Seth or my brother or anyone to have to answer for me anymore."