Actors Anonymous is a novel by American author and actor James Franco. [1] [2] [3] Published in 2013 by Little A/New Harvest, the novel is a series of connected short stories about actors in Los Angeles. [4] The chapters follow the 12 Steps and the 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. [5]
On 11 October 2013, James Franco appeared in a book trailer along with actors Jim Parrack, Scott Haze, Stacey Miller and Mia Serafino to promote the release of the book. [6] [7] [8]
Reception to Actors Anonymous was mixed. Critics complained that the otherwise interesting and well-written stories were marred by name dropping and references to the author's own career and personal philosophy. [9] [10]
In 2017, Franco's book was adapted into a feature film, Actors Anonymous , starring James Franco, Eric Roberts, Emma Rigby, Scott Haze, Jake Robbins, Carmen Argenziano, and Horatio Sanz. [11] [12] The film was produced by Rabbit Bandini Productions in collaboration with USC's School of Cinematic Arts and screened at the Cinequest [13] and Newport Beach Film Festival. [14] [15]
The film had an unconventional development process, crafted by a collective of eight writers (Elizabeth Eccher, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Halla, Kaela Rae Jensen, Josh Litman, Theodore Martland, Alex Parslow, Osahon Tongo) and twelve directors (Melanie Aitkenhead, Abi Damaris Corbin, Shaun Duffy, Justin S. Lee, Kelly Luu, Kevin Luu, Jess Maldaner, Leandro Tadashi, Juel Taylor, Jay Wolff, Kerry Yang, Julio Vincent Gambuto), all graduate students at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. [16]
The project was supervised by John Watson, with James Franco playing a pivotal role not only as a cast member but also in a mentorship capacity. [17]
James Edward Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat Pray Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen, having appeared in eight films and one television series with him, examples being Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), Sausage Party (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. For his role in 127 Hours (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Kenneth Turan is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. He was a film critic for the Los Angeles Times from 1991 until 2020 and was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "arguably the most widely read film critic in the town most associated with the making of movies".
Damascus High School (DHS) is a public high school in Damascus, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system.
Alison Brie Schermerhorn is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of Trudy Campbell in the drama series Mad Men (2007–2015), which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She gained recognition for her role as Annie Edison in the sitcom Community (2009–2015) and voicing Diane Nguyen in the animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020). For playing Ruth Wilder in the comedy-drama series GLOW (2017–2019), she received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards.
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical survival drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, and Clémence Poésy. In the film, canyoneer Aron Ralston must find a way to escape after he gets trapped by a boulder in an isolated slot canyon in Bluejohn Canyon, southeastern Utah, in April 2003. It is a British and American venture produced by Pathé, Everest Entertainment, Film4 Productions, HandMade Films and Cloud Eight Films.
Carl Weyant is an American actor, writer, producer, model and musician who has appeared in Karma: Crime, Passion and Reincarnation, Elle: A Modern Cinderella TaleThe Young and the Restless and recently worked with Danny Glover, Michael Rooker, and famed actor Martin Landau in the psychological thriller Mysteria
11.22.63 is an American science fiction thriller television miniseries based on the 2011 novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and consisting of eight episodes, in which a time traveler attempts to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The series is executive-produced by J. J. Abrams, King, Bridget Carpenter, and Bryan Burk, and produced by James Franco, who also starred in the main role. It premiered on Hulu on February 15, 2016, and was received positively by critics.
Scott Haze is an American actor. He is known for his role in the 2013 film Child of God, as well as Thank You for Your Service (2017), the 2021 western Old Henry, and others. He also directed Mully (2015), a documentary on the African humanitarian Charles Mully.
James Franco is an American actor, filmmaker, and college instructor. He began acting on television, guest-starring in Pacific Blue (1997). He landed his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). After his film debut in Never Been Kissed (1999), Franco won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award in the same categories for playing the eponymous actor in the 2001 television biopic James Dean. He went on to play Harry Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), and reprised the role in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). For the last of the three, he garnered a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. His only screen appearance of 2003 was in the ballet film The Company. Franco directed and starred in the comedy The Ape (2005).
Chase Williamson is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for portraying David Wong in John Dies at the End (2012).
The Sound and the Fury is an American drama film directed by James Franco. It is the second film version of the 1929 novel of the same name by William Faulkner. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on October 23, 2015, by New Films International.
The Long Home is an American indie drama film directed by and starring James Franco, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by William Gay. It also stars Josh Hutcherson, Tim Blake Nelson, Courtney Love, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Ashton Kutcher, Josh Hartnett, Zoe Levin, Lio Tipton, Scott Haze, and Robin Lord Taylor. Principal photography began on May 1, 2015. The film was completed, but no official release has ever been announced.
Goat is a 2016 American drama film directed by Andrew Neel and written by David Gordon Green, Neel, and Mike Roberts; it is based on the book Goat: A Memoir by Brad Land. It stars Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper, Daniel Flaherty, Jake Picking, Virginia Gardner and James Franco. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2016. The film was released on September 23, 2016, by The Film Arcade and Paramount Home Video with a limited theatrical release and a same day video on demand distribution.
Rabbit Bandini Productions is a film and television production company founded in 2003 by actors/filmmakers James Franco and Vince Jolivette. The name comes from combining the titular hero from John Updike's Rabbit tetralogy with the hero of John Fante's Ask the Dust, Arturo Bandini.
Studio 4 was an acting and filmmaking school located in New York City and Los Angeles, founded by James Franco in 2014. Franco opened the school after studying at Playhouse West in Los Angeles.
The Mad Whale is a 2017 American drama-thriller film directed by 9 different directors, which was produced by James Franco's Elysium Bandini Studios and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The film stars Camilla Belle, Dominic Rains, Summer Phoenix and James Franco. The film was premiered on 19 October 2017 at the Heartland Film Festival.
Andrew Jenkins is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur.
Hard Miles is a 2023 American sports drama film written by Christian Sander and R.J. Daniel Hanna and directed by Hanna It stars Matthew Modine, Cynthia McWilliams, Jahking Guillory, Jackson Kelly, Damien Diaz, Zach Robbins, Leslie David Baker, and Sean Astin.
Juel Taylor is a director and screenwriter. He wrote Creed II (2018) and Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) with his writing partner Tony Rettenmaier. Taylor and Rettenmaier wrote the movie They Cloned Tyrone (2023), which is also Taylor's first feature film as a director. He has also directed several TV episodes and a short film.
Actors Anonymous is a 2017 feature film adaptation of James Franco's novel of the same name. The film explores the complex lives of two young actors pursuing stardom in Hollywood while struggling to escape their past. The ensemble cast includes James Franco, Eric Roberts, Emma Rigby, Scott Haze, Jake Robbins, Carmen Argenziano, and Horatio Sanz.