Paul Rust Recalls James Franco’s Meltdown After Oscars Backlash

Comedian and actor Paul Rust recently shared an unforgettable behind-the-scenes story about working with James Franco shortly after James’ widely criticized 2011 Oscars hosting gig with Anne Hathaway. On the December 27 episode of his With Gourley and Rust podcast, Paul recalled a tense encounter while filming a comedy sketch with James for the promotion of the movie Your Highness.

Paul explained that the sketch, produced by CollegeHumor, featured him as one of a group of nerds playing Dungeons & Dragons alongside James and co-star Danny McBride. While Danny was described as “very cool, no surprise,” James demeanor was noticeably different.

According to Paul, it was “literally two days after” James hosted the Oscars. 

“He was in a bad mood,” Paul recalled, adding that James “had his head down, mumbling his lines, and it’s unusable.”

As the shoot progressed, James’ frustration grew. The sketch’s premise required James to play an exaggerated version of himself, poking fun at his public image as a so-called Renaissance man. But instead of leaning into the joke, Franco reportedly went off-script, muttering lines like, “James Franco was high on heroin when he was hosting the Oscars last night.”

Paul clarified that he doesn’t believe James was actually using drugs, despite public speculation at the time. “I don’t know if they were saying he was high on heroin, and for the record, I don’t think he was high. James Franco, I don’t think, lives his life in a way that he would be doing drugs,” he stated. 

Tensions reached a boiling point when James lashed out at the other actors in the sketch, calling them “you f—- nerds,” while staying in character. The moment escalated when James abruptly kicked a chair, stormed off set, and never returned.

The sketch, according to Paul, was likely never released.

Reflecting on the experience, Paul noted that stories like these often remain untold in Hollywood out of fear of repercussions. As he stated: “I’ve been on different sets where people go a little nutty, and you go, ‘Okay, I’m not going to talk about that in public,’ but I’m willing to stick my chin out for the canceled James Franco telling that story.'” 

James’ career hit a major setback in the late 2010s after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, including claims from former acting students. While he settled a lawsuit with two of his accusers in 2021, the scandal significantly impacted his reputation and career.

In 2024, James made a return to acting, appearing in three films — his first projects since 2019. In an interview with Variety earlier this year, he said he had “moved past” the controversy and was focused on his future.

“I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change. So that’s it, it’s over,” he said in the interview.