James Franco explains 'gratitude' for being cancelled

James Franco has insisted he is grateful for the lessons a career-damaging lawsuit gave him.

The 46-year-old Spider-Man actor saw his career come off the rails due to a since-settled 2019 lawsuit which alleged he sexually exploited young women who attended his acting classes.

Speaking to Variety on Friday, he said, "Being told you're bad is painful. But ultimately, that's kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going."

Discussing his difficulties further, the star said, "I did go through a lawsuit, and during that lawsuit I wasn't working. But then COVID hit so everybody wasn't working. So, I don't know, it was all... I mean, we were all kind of in it. So it was sort of like, 'I don't know what I am'."

He added, "I did certainly use the time to, I hope, good purpose. And whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life.

"So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn't working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was."

Franco will soon appear in Italian film Hey Joe but admits other projects he has already completed including the films Castro's Daughter and The Policeman are stuck in limbo.

He told the outlet of the film in which he plays Fidel Castro, "I honestly don't know what's happening with that release."