James Franco on sexual misconduct allegations: 'I did sleep with students'

The actor, director and producer explained that "one of the stupidest things" from that time was his decision to name a class at the school "A Master Class: Sex Scenes." Franco claimed that the class, however, "was not about sex scenes" and did not involve him teaching students "how to do sex scenes or intimate scenes or anything of that nature."

Instead, he said, the class title was simply an attempt at being provocative.

"It should have been called 'Contemporary Romance' or something like that," Franco said. "It was a class where they did scenes about whatever—their romances and what they go through as young people. So, meeting people on dating apps or breakups or just a bad date. Stuff like that. That's what was being done in that class."

Cagle then cited the 2019 lawsuit filed against him by two former students, which was settled this summer, that listed the plaintiffs attorneys as stating, "[Franco] was looking to create a pipeline of young women who would be subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education."

"Look, I'll admit, I did sleep with students," Franco responded, after Cagle specifically asked how someone would perceive him of sexual misconduct and accuse him of sexually exploitative behavior. "I didn't sleep with anybody in that particular class, but over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students. And that was wrong. But it's not why I started the school."

"I wasn't the person that selected the people to be in the class," he continued. "So, it wasn't a master plan on my part. But yes, there were certain instances where, you know what, I was in a consensual thing with a student, and I shouldn't have been."

Below, watch Franco discuss his sex addiction, his relationship with Isabel Pakzad, his estranged friendship with Seth Rogen, and more.