Franco-philes may recall the actor costarring with Rogen once before — in a much earlier Apatow project. In fact, it's Apatow who is to blame for interrupting his education; he plucked the Palo Alto-born college kid out of classes for a part in his short-lived 1999-2000 NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks (he'd found Rogen on the Los Angeles comedy-club circuit). But Franco discovered an even better reason to stay out of school when he landed the lead in the 2001 cable-TV biopic James Dean. His masterful mumbling and impeccable slouching in that role earned him a Golden Globe, SAG and Emmy nominations, and a part in a major new franchise based on that arachnid-obsessed superhero. Just not the one he was hoping for. ''I was auditioning for Peter Parker,'' he says. ''But it wasn't like the role of a lifetime for me. I was never a big comic-book fan. And the part I got'' — playing Harry Osborn, Parker's childhood chum and son of the Green Goblin — ''had a lot more psychological push and pull than you would normally expect. So it worked out really well in the end.''
There was, it turns out, also a role reversal on Pineapple Express. Originally, Apatow wrote the script (with Evan Goldberg, who also co-scribed Superbad) thinking Rogen would play Saul, a dopey pot dealer so perpetually toasted he can barely work the intercom on his door, and Franco would be Dale, the customer who witnesses the murder that sets the two scrambling out of town after grabbing critical supplies like Fruit Roll-Ups. When Franco turned up for rehearsals, though, it was obvious who was best equipped to play the Brad Pitt character. ''I remember James during his first table read — it was just astounding how comfortable he was with the comedy,'' Apatow says. ''That's the thing about Franco. You tell him, 'Okay, you're going to play a pot dealer,' and he comes back with a three-dimensional character you totally believe exists. He takes it very seriously, even when it's comedy.''
Naturally, Franco did his homework. ''I looked at some stoner movies before we started,'' he says. ''Not the ones with a bunch of teenagers sitting around getting high. But performances like Sean Penn as Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Or Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. Performances with some reality to them.'' For the record, when filming Pineapple, no actual illegal substances were toked in front of the cameras. ''They had this pot with the THC removed,'' says Franco of the joints puffed during the film. ''Sort of like near beer. Or decaffeinated coffee.''
NEXT PAGE: ''I was doing leading-man roles, but in mediocre movies. People would tell me they were classic Hollywood roles in good popular movies, but they weren't. They were boring and stupid.''
You Might Also Like
- Movie Review Pineapple Express (Aug 08, 2008) | Owen Gleiberman
- Music News M.I.A.'s 'Pineapple Express' tune | Clark Collis
- Movie Commentary A shorter sweeter 'Pineapple Express' (Aug 08, 2008) | Gregory Kirschling
- Movie News Danny McBride's bit parts (Aug 08, 2008) | Josh Rottenberg
- Music Commentary Huey Lewis' favorite music in films | Mandi Bierly
- Movie Review Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Oct 31, 2008) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
