Busy Philipps claims 'bully' James Franco threw her to the floor on 'Freaks and Geeks'

Actress Busy Philipps has claimed that James Franco assaulted her on the set of cult TV show Freaks and Geeks.

In a new memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little, she also said Franco behaved like a ‘f**king bully’ on the series.

An excerpt of the book seen by Radar Online (and verified by Yahoo in the US) reveals the details of the incident, in which Philipps was directed to hit Franco gently on the chest while delivering her line.

However, when she did so, she claims that he lost his temper.

“He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, ‘DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!’” she writes.

“And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me.”

She adds that everyone on the set at the time was shocked, and that she broke down with her co-star Linda Cardellini, who in turn advised her to call her manager.

Philipps goes on to say that Franco later apologised for the incident at the behest of the director and producers of the show, but was not punished.

Franco is yet to comment on the matter.

The show was the breakthrough for producer Judd Apatow and director Paul Feig, and also launched the careers of Seth Rogen and Jason Segel.

Franco has been accused previously of sexual misconduct by several women, including former acting students of his, but he has denied the claims.

Speaking to Seth Myers this summer following the allegations, he said: “I think what I really learned, like I said, there are stories that need to get out, people that need to be heard.

“I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much.

“If I have to take a knock because I am not going to try and actively refute things then I will, because I believe in it that much.”

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