When James Franco was roasted for Comedy Central earlier this year, many people noted the number of homophobic jokes that were made, riffing on the actor’s interest in sexuality and LGBT characters. Many went far beyong simply noting it with good-natured humour and instead headed for lowest common denomination homophobia.
Aziz Ansari even noted on-stage how surprised he was by both the quantity and meanness of they gay jokes, while sounding singularly unimpressed.
Now Franco himself has added his voice to those who wish those roasting him could have done a bit better, telling The Independent, “It’s weird. I was a little shocked, I didn’t write those jokes [at the roast], they did. I didn’t make any gay jokes. There is still a little bit of homophobia. I think part of it, when I do films with Seth [Rogen], it’s more playing on straight male anxiety about any sort of same-sex interaction. To me that is really a comment on a larger anxiety and not really anything about denigrating or criticising anything about the gay community.”
Although Franco is straight, as both as actor and director he’s shown a fascination with homosexuality through films like Milk, Sal, Howl, The Broken Tower, Interior Leather Bar and the upcoming I Am Michael.
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