Well, it sounds like fans hoping for a Hollywood reunion between Seth Rogen and James Franco shouldn’t hold their breath!
The longtime friends and collaborators once seemed inseparable on-screen and behind the scenes, building an empire together through beloved projects that helped define an era of comedy. But years after their relationship appeared to cool dramatically, Rogen is making it clear that nothing has changed when it comes to where things stand today.
Related: Pamela Anderson Can’t Even Sit Near Seth Rogen Without Feeling ‘Yucky’ — Here’s Why!
In a new interview with the New York Times published on Saturday, the actor and creator opened up — at least as much as he was willing to — about his current relationship with Franco. And in fact, according to Rogen, there isn’t much of a relationship to speak of these days.
Addressing the topic directly, the star acknowledged that he has not spoken with his former friend in quite some time AND indicated that a professional reunion is not on the horizon:
“I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing. There’s the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had, and I think the proof is in the pudding — I have not worked with him in years.”
Welp, that’s about as definitive as it gets.
While Rogen stopped short of diving into the deeper details of their fractured friendship, he explained that there are personal aspects of the situation involving other people that he doesn’t feel comfortable discussing publicly. As a result, he chose not to elaborate on exactly how things changed between them over the years. Hmmm…
Still, he left little (er, no) room for speculation about whether a reconciliation or future collaboration is in the works:
“Nothing has changed since the last time I talked about all this. I haven’t worked with him in a really long time and I have no plans to.”
Ouch.
Of course, the breakdown of their relationship has frequently been linked to the controversies that engulfed Franco’s career following allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior that surfaced publicly in 2018. A subsequent sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by former acting students was settled in 2021, with court records showing Franco agreed to pay more than $2 million as part of the resolution.
Rogen has previously made it clear that those developments had a major impact on their dynamic. Back in 2021, he acknowledged that the changes in their relationship were not accidental and emphasized his opposition to abuse and harassment. And the latest comments come after Franco himself spoke publicly about the end of their friendship last year.
For fans who remember the pair’s iconic run together through projects like Freaks and Geeks, Pineapple Express, and The Disaster Artist, the latest update serves as another reminder that some Hollywood partnerships simply don’t get a sequel.
At least for now, Rogen appears completely at peace with keeping that chapter of his life firmly in the past. Reactions, y’all?? Share ’em (below).
[Image via FayesVision/Brian To/WENN]
