James Franco met the press in Rome on Friday to discuss his new film Hey Joewhich had its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival. While discussing the film, in which he plays a World War II vet who returns to Naples 25 years after finding out he has a son there, the actor drew parallels with his own life.

“My character is a man who wasted his own life,” Franco said. “He takes the opportunity to do something positive. That also applied to me as a person. I changed my way of seeing things. I understood that what I really wanted from success was an actual connection with other people, a spiritual growth. That is what could give meaning to my life.”

In 2018, five women accused Franco of sexual misconduct. A class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles in 2019 alleged that he abused his position and offered acting opportunities in exchange for favors. In 2021, Franco agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that he induced acting students from his Studio 4 Film School to perform in increasingly explicit sex scenes on camera.

Since then, Franco has kept a low profile, only appearing in the 2019 limited release Zerovillewhich he actually directed in 2014. In May he also attended the Cannes Film Festival, where he was spotted in the VIP area of ​​a Nespresso party.

Franco described his character in Hey Joe as someone whose life is falling apart, but who finds a way to change. “My character destroyed his own personal life,” he said. “His marriage is in pieces, he is alone, he is becoming an alcoholic. And then a miracle happens in his life. Some people might say, ‘it’s too late.’ Other people – like him – might say, ‘Here’s an opportunity, let’s see where it takes me.’ There is always a way to change our lives.”

The actor also discussed the differences between filmmaking in Hollywood and in Italy.

“For film lovers, Claudio makes films in a very special way – inspired by Italian neorealism,” says Franco. “For most scenes we only used two angles. In a typical American film you have a lot of coverage – the wide shot, the middle shot, the close-up – with Claudio there were only two setups. Because I was the main character, he wanted the film to be from my point of view, so (the shots) were over my shoulder or on my face for the entire scene.

Hey Joedirected by Claudio Giovannesi, will be released theatrically on November 28, 2024 in Italy.