Five women have accused actor James Franco of sexually inappropriate or exploitative behavior in new interviews with the “L. A. Times.”
One of the women who spoke about the Disaster Artist star is Sarah Tither-Kaplan, a former acting student at the film school Franco founded, Studio 4 in North Hollywood. She was one of several women who used Twitter to accuse the movie star of sexual misconduct amid his Golden Globe win.
Franco, who earned best actor for his portrayal of Tommy Wiseau, was one of many nominees to wear Time’s Up pin in support of sexual harassment and assault awareness at the awards ceremony.
But in Franco’s case, the show of support sparked criticism online from a number of women who claimed Franco had sexually harassed them.
“I feel there was an abuse of power, and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women, and a culture of women being replaceable” Tither-Kaplan told the Times.
One instance was from a “bonus” nude orgy scene with Franco and several women that she was asked to film for the yet-to-be released Franco-starring movie The Long Home in 2015.
She says Franco removed the protective guards that are used to cover female genitals during the scene and that Franco simulated oral sex on them without protection.