The 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' actor gets called out by his former students for blaming his inappropriate behaviors on sex addiction in a recent interview.

• Dec 26, 2021

AceShowbiz - James Franco came under fire. The women who accused the actor of sexual misconducts called him out for seemingly blaming sex addiction for his inappropriate behaviors. They also warned public not to take his remarks as an apology for what happened.

"Nobody should confuse this interview with Franco taking accountability for his actions or expressing remorse over what happened," stated his two accusers who reached a $2 million settlement with the Hollywood star earlier this year.

"It is unbelievable that even after agreeing to a settlement he continues to downplay the survivors' experiences and ignore their pain, despite acknowledging he had no business starting such a school in the first place," they said in a joint statement.

"In addition to being blind about power dynamics, Franco is completely insensitive to, and still apparently does not care about, the immense pain and suffering he put his victims through with this sham of an acting school," the women criticized the actor.

Back in 2018, James Franco was hit with sexual misconduct allegations by his former students at the acting school he co-founded.

In a recent interview, he explained why it took him a long time to address the matter, "Did not seem like the right time to say anything. There were people that were upset with me and I needed to listen."

He admitted sleeping with his students was "wrong" but he insisted they were all consensual. He also said looking for hookups was not the reason why he started the school, "It wasn't a master plan on my part."

He claimed he was really not "a one-night-stand guy." "People that I got together with or dated, I'd see them for a long time, years," he said although admitting he found it hard to maintain a monogamous relationship.

He blamed "substance abuse" and "some issues" related to addiction for his penchant for "cheating on everyone." "The behavior spun out to a point where it was like I was hurting everybody," he said.

In 2014, four years before he was accused of misconduct by his former students, James Franco was once exposed for inviting a young girl to his hotel room after she told him she was few days shy of her 18th birthday.

Back then, the actor said he was "embarrassed" and "awkward." Insisting he "learned [his] lesson," he claimed, "Not only do I have to go through the embarrassing rituals of meeting someone, but if I do that, then it gets published for the world so it's doubly embarrassing."