The actor and director James Franco has been accused of being “completely insensitive” and of causing “immense pain and suffering” after an interview made public on Wednesday in which he admitted to sleeping with students at his acting school and claimed that he suffered from sex addiction.
In his Jess Cagle Podcast interview, Franco said he “did sleep with students, and that was wrong” and denied that he had started the school to lure women for sexual purposes.
The statement added: “[Franco] continues to downplay the survivors’ experiences and ignore their pain, despite acknowledging he had no business starting such a school in the first place …
Both women received substantial sums in the settlement, alongside other students of Franco’s Studio 4 film school, which was set up in 2014 and closed in 2017.