Franco attempts to put The Interview behind him
Busy actor’s appearances at Sundance, Slamdance overshadowed by controversial Sony hack
PARK CITY, Utah — Almost two months after the hack heard ’round the world, James Franco is trying and ready to move past The Interview.
The restless, multi-hyphenate artist has made a noble attempt to refocus his attentions. Franco had three movies playing in Park City this week — two at the Sundance Film Festival and one at Slamdance, the even indie-er festival just up the street — but the dramatic circumstances surrounding The Interview remained the only thing people wanted to talk about even if he insists “it’s kind of over.”
Sundance might seem worlds away from the Sony hack and Hollywood intrigue, but The Interview loomed large throughout the week. On the red carpet for the True Story premiere on Saturday, reporters were even told that the actor would be pulled away if questions went “off topic.”
“There was a lot of attention put on it,” Franco said of the hack-addled film following the first showing of Yosemite at Slamdance, Thursday.
“It was really out of my hands. There was nothing for me to do. I wasn’t making any decisions. Sony was making the decisions so I was just kind of sitting around and hoping the movie got out in some way or another,” he said, when asked what the experience was like.
The Interview, which depicts an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was caught in the crossfire when hackers threatened violence against moviegoers on the eve of its Christmas release.
The Interview debacle only strengthened his friendship with his director, co-star and longtime collaborator Seth Rogen.
“At one point he texted me and said ‘I’m glad it’s you I’m going through this with,’” Franco said with a big smile.
But at Sundance, the actor focused on the surroundings and his three projects. It isn’t even a record for the prolific Franco, a regular at the fest. At a Q&A Thursday he said it could have been more — he was in seven or eight projects angling for a Sundance slot.
The ones that made the cut are as diverse as Franco’s career, with two fact-based, but wildly different dramas about slippery identities, True Story and I am Michael, and one, Yosemite, that’s based on his short stories and at least partly informed by his own Palo Alto childhood. All three projects are from first time feature directors, too.