Here's How James Franco's Method Acting Hurt His Co-Star Tyrese Gibson
While many have applauded some of James Franco's roles in movies, it also appears that the actor has been labeled as a magnet for controversy and as someone who isn't particularly easy to work with. As Glamour highlighted when detailing the disastrous 2011 Oscars, Anne Hathaway wishes she'd never co-hosted the event with Franco. He was apparently a little too laid back about the whole thing.
But even when he's taking his work seriously, Franco can still manage to make things difficult for those on set. He starred in the 2006 film Annapolis, which was directed by Justin Lin, and said he wasn't a fan of the movie or the time he spent shooting it (via Huffington Post). His co-star in that movie, Tyrese Gibson, didn't join Franco in trashing the film. Gibson did have some things to say about Franco's method acting, though, revealing a pretty surprising detail about the filming of Annapolis in an interview.
James Franco actually punched Tyrese several times
In a 2007 interview with Elle, Tyrese Gibson recalled how the action scenes with his Annapolis co-star James Franco got a little too real. Gibson noted that, despite telling Franco to lighten up with his hits while practicing for their fight scene, the actor didn't pull any punches and really slugged him in the face several times. According to UPROXX, this got Gibson heated enough for the actor to say in a 2007 Playboy interview, "I never want to work with him again, and I'm sure he feels the same way. It felt very personal."
Franco has tried to own up to the incident and even apologized to Gibson through various interviews. He has blamed himself for perhaps being too into his role in the film, but, via Hollywood.com, stated that it was nothing personal with Gibson.
"Maybe I was too into that role. I don't try to be mean to anybody on a movie," Franco said. "In the past, I've tended to isolate (myself), and maybe people take that as me being rude or me not liking them, but it's really a way for me to stay in my character."