James Franco digitally scrubbed from Vanity Fair cover
Vanity Fair expunged scandal-plagued actor James Franco from the star-studded cover of its new Hollywood issue amid multiple sexual misconduct accusations against him.
Franco had posed for photographs for the magazine and was included in the initial version of its cover — which features 12 other Hollywood stars — but he was ultimately removed before the cover was put out, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him,” a rep for the magazine told THR.
Five women came forward to accuse Franco of inappropriate behaviour in a story published by the Los Angeles Times earlier this month.
One of the accusers, an actress named Violet Paley, claims she was in a consensual relationship with Franco when he exposed himself to her and pressured her to perform oral sex. Another woman, Sarah Tither Kaplan, claims Franco was filming an orgy scene when he removed the protective coverings the women had over their genitals and did not stop simulating oral sex. Franco, 39, denies the accusations. The actor won the award for best actor at the Golden Globes earlier this month for his performance in “The Disaster Artist,” but was not nominated for any of the acting or directing awards at the Oscars. His film, meanwhile, is not one of the nine candidates for Best Picture.
Vanity Fair unveiled the cover online Thursday. It features major stars such as Nicole Kidman, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Robert De Niro and Oprah Winfrey.
The physical magazine is available on Feb. 6.