Dave Franco has always found solace in the support of his older brother, James Franco. The 21 Jump Street alumnus offered a rare glimpse into their relationship, including what the Freaks and Geeks alum made of his monumental year. "At this point," Dave told Bustle in an interview published on October 28, "I think he's thrilled just to see me trying new things and watching me grow."
Although the 40-year-old actor starred in four movies and had an Emmy-nominated appearance in The Studio this year—reuniting with James' former BFF Seth Rogen—Dave acknowledged that he previously lived in the shadow of his brother's name. While he credited the Pineapple Express actor with getting him an agent and a foot in the door, he had to put in the subsequent work to establish himself in the industry. "No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco's little brother," emphasized Regretting You. "If I sucked, I would've disappeared very quickly."
Since Dave—who married Alison Brie in 2017—made his film debut in 2007's After Sex, he went on to star alongside James, 47, in multiple projects, including Milk, The Disaster Artist, and Zeroville. However, James' career ultimately took a hit after he was accused of sexual misconduct by five people, including four former students, in 2018. In 2021, the Spider-Man alum—who co-founded the acting and filmmaking school Studio 4 in 2014 before shutting its doors in 2017—agreed to pay a $2.2 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by two of his former students.
Following the settlement, he didn't shy away from his actions. As he explained on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show that December, "Look, I'll admit I did sleep with students." He noted, "I didn't sleep with anybody in that particular class, but over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students and that was wrong. It's not why I started the school." He emphasized that "I wasn't the person that selected the people to be in the class," but admitted there were certain instances where he was in a consensual relationship with a student that he shouldn't have been involved in. He acknowledged that at the time, he believed the interaction was OK since it was consensual, despite now recognizing the power imbalance inherent in the dynamic.
Years later, the 127 Days actor has come to terms with his fall from grace. "Being told you're bad is painful," he told Variety in October 2024. "But ultimately, that's kind of what I needed to stop going the way I was going." He added, "Whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life. So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn't working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was."
