AceShowbiz - James Franco finds it ironic his mother has followed him into performing - because she withdrew funding when he dropped out of college to take acting classes. The "127 Hours" star, who was up for a Best Actor Oscar at Sunday's Academy Awards, which he co-hosted, was studying English at UCLA when he decided to turn his back on academia to become an actor.

His parents vowed not to fund his new passion and refused to help him pay for classes. And Franco, who subsequently returned to university after finding fame, insists it is funny his mother was so disapproving of her son's career choice - because she has trained as an actress for the last three years.

He tells Britain's Guardian Weekend magazine, "It's not like they (parents) were mad at me, but basically they said, 'You can make this decision, we're not going to disown you, we're still going to love you, but it has to be something you do on your own, and you'll have to start supporting yourself."

"Because what I did is remove me from needing their approval or anyone else's approval for what I did. And it's kind of the same with everything now. The ironic thing is my mother is now an actor - has gone to acting class for three years and has just been in this film I directed. My brother's an actor, too. Everyone's getting in on the act."