Acting is not easy; it requires great dedication and intense practice. To be able to enact the character and bring out the traits is something most people cannot master easily. James Franco is an exception in that case. He is an amazing actor who has been dominating the screen for two decades. From winning several accolades for movies to writing his own books, he has already mastered the art of changing forms through different characters. However, is her only an actor to be praised? No, James Franco is much more than that. If you do not already know what has contributed to James Franco’s net worth apart from being a celebrity, it is time his true roles are revealed.
Is he an actor? CHECK!
Is he a director? CHECK!
Is he a screenwriter? CHECK!
Is he a comedian? CHECK!
Is he a film producer? CHECK!
Is he a television producer? CHECK!
Is he an academic? CHECK!
Is he a writer? CHECK!
That was quite a long list and for a man like James Franco, balancing all these roles in real life is a piece of cake. Thus, for a man who excels in so many fields, is it not justified that he will be able to earn a lot? His fans have not stopped guessing if his net worth is a myth or a reality. Hence, we hope we can justify his net worth of $35 million through this article.
How did James Franco’s Net Worth Increase?
The story of the success of James Franco cannot be written in one sentence. It is a story that has its own ups and downs. Thus, narrating the story from the very beginning will be a better resolution. Palo Alto in California had no idea that on 19 April 1978, a star was born. This star named James Edward Franco grew up in comfort surrounded by both artistic and business exposures. When James Franco was a child, he saw his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, a man of Portuguese and Swedish ancestry, run one of the strong businesses in Silicon Valley. James Franco was exposed to business from an early age but it seems destiny had other plans for him. James Franco liked spending more time with his mother, Betsy Lou, as a child and that is where he developed a fascination for literature and acting. This little James Franco saw his mother writing children’s books and taking part in acting occasionally. This exposed him to creativity and pushed him to work hard to reveal his talents.
It appeared that James Franco had a head for Mathematics and maintained good grades throughout his schooling days in Palto High School. And, James did not shun his creative abilities just to get his grades up. James was a learner and was very enthusiastic. He took part in school plays and wrote his own pieces to improve his writing skills. After graduating from Palto High School, James was in a dilemma because he had to choose from pursuing a career either in the field of creativity or in the technical field. In the end, James Franco’s passion for creativity won and he joined CSSSA for pursuing theatre studies.
During his college days, James Franco was caught doing misdeeds like underage drinking, stealing designer fragrances, and more. He was about to be sent into the custody of juvenile hall but the judge gave him a second chance. Franco realized his mistakes and took this opportunity to turn things around. He started taking acting lessons at the Playhouse West. He was trained by Robert Carnegie and he started working towards his expressions and accents. Because of his nuisance behaviour before, his parents had stopped paying for his expenses. Thus, James Franco sought to meet his expenses by working night shifts at McDonald’s. While working, he came across people from different origin who spoke different accents. He used this opportunity to practice his accent and get more comfortable with the theatre skills that he was picking up.
James Franco trained at the Playhouse West for fifteen months. After gaining enough confidence and the necessary skills, he left the Playhouse West and moved to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, he started his struggle and went on auditioning until he landed his first opportunity. It was a commercial he shot for Pizza Hut. Though it was of negligible significance, it gave him the confidence to not give up. Very soon, James Franco landed with his first significant role. He was cast in “Freaks and Geeks”, a television show, that aired eighteen episodes. However, as the TRP was low, this show was cancelled and James Franco had no choice but to look for other opportunities.
Major Breakthrough of James Franco
“Freaks and Geeks” was not a hit initially. However, it later became popular and that is when James Franco received the fame that was due. His character was appreciated and his skills found a way to his debut film, “Never Been Kissed”. His next movie was “Whatever It Takes” in which he played the role of a jock. The movie had a modern twist to the classic play “Cyrano de Bergerac” from 1897. James Franco got to show the world his real talent in the biographical movie, “James Dean”. Playing the protagonist was never easy and playing the character of the person Franco admired was very challenging. James Franco admitted that he wanted to be as perfect as possible. Because of chasing perfection, he isolated himself and began imbibing the qualities of James Dean. After the movie was released, he stunned the world with his breathtaking performance and won laurels including the Golden Globe Award. With this success, there was no looking back for James Franco. He sailed through Hollywood and was cast in promising movies like the trilogy of “Spiderman”, “Sonny”, “City by the Sea”, “The Company”, “The Ape”, “The Holiday”, “Pineapple Express”, “Eat Pray Love”, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and many more. Today, he is a well-known actor and his contribution to the world of films is immense.
The Academic Progress of James Franco
James Franco is not just a talented actor but an intelligent student. Prior to joining CSSSA, Franco was accepted by UCLA and he had taken up English as his major. However, his love for theatre made him drop out of UCLA after a year and this affected his relationship with his parents in a negative way. In 2006, James Franco realized that being an actor was not the only thing he wanted in life. He knew he had the potential to write good literary pieces. So, he re-enrolled at UCLA and continued his course stressing upon creative writing. After graduating in 2008, he continued further studies at Columbia University School of the Arts where he improved his writing skills. He also went to Tisch School of the Arts at New York University to study filmmaking. In the same university, he enrolled in Brooklyn College to master the art of writing poetry. Hence, it can be perceived that James Franco took writing seriously and he is indeed a learned man.
James Franco requires no further praise because his talents speak for his achievements. A flexible and versatile celebrity like him is surely expected to earn a lot. Thus, James Franco’s net worth of $35 million should not be a surprise to his fans and foes. It is great that James Franco uses that money to help the underprivileged. And, another aspect of him that the media constantly gossips about is the amount of help and support he offers to the LGBT community. Whether he is straight himself or not is a question yet unanswered. However, despite these sexual misconceptions about James Franco, the world acknowledges his potential, credits his abilities, and gives him the respect he truly deserves.