At the Writers Guilds Awards ceremony in New York City on Sunday, writer Megan Abbott confirmed that the Oscar-winning actor would be returning for the sophomore season of the HBO series.
- Feb 12, 2018
AceShowbiz - Sexual harassment allegations apparently don't stop James Franco. The Oscar-winning actor is expected to return for the second season of HBO's "The Deuce" despite multiple accusations of sexual exploitation.
Writer Megan Abbott revealed at the Writers Guild Awards ceremony at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Sunday, February 11 that "The Disaster Artist" actor would "of course" be joining the series for its sophomore season.
Franco is playing twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino on the series, which is set in the 1970s of Times Square. Also starring on the series are Maggie Gyllenhaal and Margarita Levieva.
Previously, five women came with claims that Franco had done inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior toward them. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Violet Paley, who previously brought up Franco's alleged sexual misconduct on Twitter after his Golden Globe win, detailed their experiences with the 39-year-old actor in an interview with Los Angeles Times.
Following the allegations, "The Deuce" co-creator and executive producer David Simon said in a statement, "I'm still reading it the same as everyone else, trying to discern what is or isn't there. Personally I can only speak knowledgeably to 'The Deuce'. I've checked with all my fellow producers and other personnel. We have no complainant or complaint or any awareness of any incident of concern involving Mr. Franco. Nor has HBO been approached with any complaint."
Via his attorney Michael Plonsker, Franco denied each of the women's allegations. The actor himself personally shut down the claims during his appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" last month. "In my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I've done. I have to do that to maintain my well-being," he told Stephen Colbert. "I do it whenever I know that there's something wrong or needs to be changed. I make it a point to do it."
"The things that I heard were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice, because they didn't have a voice for so long," he added. "So I don't want to shut them down in any way. I think it's a good thing and I support it."
