James Franco’s Method Acting Led to On-Set Tension With Tyrese Gibson

Actor James Franco rose to popularity in the early 2000s when he starred in movies, such as Spider-Man. He has explored other career paths besides acting. He once directed an off-Broadway play and published a series of short stories. 

Fans have heard about how some of their favorite actors have gotten into fights with people on set. Franco and Tyrese Gibson have had some beef a while back. Gibson made his comments about the whole affair, but what did Franco have to say in response? 

Who is James Franco?

Franco was born in California in 1978. He became an actor and had his TV debut in NBC’s Freaks and Geeks. His first film role was in the 1999 film Never Been Kissed. The actor would soon land bigger roles that would make him more well-known to audiences. 

Many superhero fans may recognize Franco from his starring role in Spider-Man in 2002. He played the role of Harry Osborne, who is Peter Parker’s friend. The actor portrayed James Dean in James Dean, which earned him a Golden Globe. 

In 2009, Franco joined the cast of General Hospital. He signed up for 20 episodes, and the show credited him as a guest star. He would come back to appear in more episodes a couple of times before leaving the show in 2012. 

James Franco starred in ‘Annapolis’

One film that Franco had worked on was Annapolis, and his co-star was none other than Gibson. The film was released in 2006 and received negative reviews from critics. The plot revolves around a man named Jake Huard, someone who dreams about attending the United States Naval Academy. 

Jake gets accepted to the academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Things do not turn out as well as he had hoped when he experiences failure after failure. Later, Jake trains for the midshipman boxing tournament. He starts to earn the respect of his peers throughout his training.  

In the movie, Franco plays the main character, Jake. Gibson plays the role of Midshipman Lieutenant Cole. Cole is responsible for kicking out anyone that he deems unfit. He is Jake’s final opponent in the tournament. 

The two actors fought on set

In the film and TV business, actors are no stranger to developing feuds with those they work with. While on the set of Annapolis, Franco and Gibson formed some tension. According to Vanity Fair, the two had different approaches to their performance during physical scenes. 

It would seem that Franco was method acting when doing his fight scenes. During an interview, Gibson mentioned that his co-star was actually hitting him. He told Franco to ease on his punches and that they were only practicing. 

“I respect method actors, but he never snapped out of character. Whenever we’d have to get in the ring for boxing scenes, and even during practice, the dude was full-on hitting me,” Gibson said. 

James Franco’s response

While Gibson may have been offended with how Franco approached their scenes, Franco saw things differently. In response to Gibson’s comments, he denied hitting his co-star for real. However, the actor did apologize for any problems on set. 

Franco admitted that he was likely a jerk while filming. Even though he got really into character, he was not trying to be mean on purpose. His method acting may have made him come across as less friendly. 

A year after the film’s release, Gibson made further comments about the situation. He said in an interview that he never wanted to work with Franco again and was sure the feeling was mutual. It felt personal to him. 

“We’ve made up, or I tried to make up with him. Maybe I was too into that role. I don’t try to be mean to anybody on a movie,” Franco said.