Franco’s film award

JAMES Franco won best actor in a comedy at the Critics’ Choice Awards, but the under-fire actor did not appear in person to collect the accolade.

Franco was awarded the honour for his role in The Disaster Artist, hours after the Los Angeles Times had published claims by five women that he had been sexually inappropriate. Organisers had billed the Santa Monica event as featuring Franco, but after announcing him as the winner, actor Walton Goggins said: “James couldn’t be here.”