The producers heard that the actor will be in town to host the prestigious awards event so they took a chance to invite him and he said yes.
- Dec 9, 2010
AceShowbiz - Striking while the iron is hot, James Franco is to make a return to daytime soap "General Hospital" and reprise his role as the serial killer. The actor has twice appeared on the ABC show but he has agreed to do two more episodes which air just in time for his hosting stint at the Oscars.
For his critically-acclaimed performance in "127 Hours", Franco has been poised to take a nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards. He has been tapped to host the show with Anne Hathaway who is also a potential contender due to her role in "Love and Other Drugs". The "General Hospital" appearance would coincide this event, airing a day before and the day after the February 27 ceremony.
"When we realized James would be in L.A. for the Oscars and all the other awards shows, we asked if he'd consider coming back and doing a little something for us," executive producer Jill Farren Phelps told TV Guide. Franco had even requested for a longer story-arc.
"He was happy to do it and requested that we use the appearance to plug his next story," Phelps continued. "He's also expressed an interest in directing at GH. He's been really, really good to us. Whatever James wants, we'd love to make it happen!"
There's no clue yet how Franco, his character's name in the soap, would return. Phelps would only say, "Franco will remind Jason and the audience that he's still out there. We just haven't seen or heard from him because he's been terribly busy."
