James Franco believes his friendship with Seth Rogen is over following a sexual misconduct lawsuit

James Franco is making films again – just not with his old colleagues.

Three years after settling a sexual misconduct lawsuit from former students at his drama school, Franco stars in the upcoming Italian film Hello Joe. But in a new interview to mark the film's premiere at the ongoing Rome Film Festival, Franco revealed that he is no longer in touch with his old friend Seth Rogen.

“I haven’t spoken to Seth,” Franco said diversity when asked about the status of their relationship. “I love Seth, we had 20 great years together but I think it's over. And not for lack of trying. I told him how much he meant to me.”

Representatives for Rogen did not immediately respond Weekly entertainmentPlease comment.

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Franco first worked with Rogen on the short-lived TV series Freaks and geeksin which they played high school best friends Daniel Desario and Ken Miller. They then worked together on several films including Pineapple Express (in which they played the role of a stoner and his marijuana dealer who find themselves on the run after accidentally witnessing a murder), This is the end (in which they portrayed caricatured versions of themselves facing an unexpected apocalypse), Sausage party (the adult cartoon in which Rogen played a talking sausage and Franco played a drug addict who discovers anthropomorphic food), and The Disaster Artist. The last of these films was directed by Franco as a dramatization of the making of the cult classic The room; Franco also starred as The room Director Tommy Wiseau, while Rogen portrayed script supervisor Sandy Schklair.

From now on, The Disaster Artist is their last collaboration. Franco won the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a musical or comedy for his performance as Wiseau, but when he wore a pin supporting the Time's Up movement at the ceremony, five women came forward and accused him of sexual misconduct . One of these women, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, along with her former acting student Toni Gaal, filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Franco a year later.

After the lawsuit was settled in 2021, Rogen said in an interview with The London Times that “I abhor abuse and harassment and would never cover up or conceal the actions of anyone who does it or knowingly place someone in a situation where they are in proximity to such a person” and that “I have no intention of doing so. “ [work with Franco again] at the moment.” In an interview with Howard Stern a few months later, Franco confirmed Rogen's comments: “What he said is true. You know, we are not working together at the moment and have no plans to work together…it was hurtful in context, but I understand. He had to answer for me because I remained silent. He had to answer for me and I don't want that.

In addition to Hello JoeFranco also recently starred in the French thriller The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure. None of the films currently have a US distributor or release date.