James Franco Talks About Being Homeless

[AshleysDad]

While searching his role for City By The Sea, James Franco pretended to be a homeless man and insisted it wasn't all that bad.

"I stayed a whole weekend on the street, we panhandled, we made a sign. "We made at least $20 in half an hour, so, if you’re ever out of work… make a sign - `Homeless, Please Help’."


A whole weekend huh? I guess he really went that extra mile for the role. Why would anyone work for a fast food joint if they could panhandle and pull in $20 an hour? I remember when I lived in LA some of those homeless people had some funny signs. I always gave money to the ones that made me laugh.

[fooknasty]

Franco is the man...'nuff said.

[Cosimo]

i guess being homeless for a weekend is great fun when your james franco but when your a broke smack fiend with no friends or family i'm thinking it aint such a blast

[Cop No. 633]

I'm sure everybody who gave him bills were young hot women in their late 20's. I bet he just smiled and everybody formed a line to give that guy money.

[Tonkuro]

While I think it's pretty cool that he decided to try something like that out, he should attempt it for at least a week and see how hard it can really be. In certain areas, if you're panhandling, the cops will give you a hard time (here in Austin, they're actually trying to outlaw it, which is bullcrap, since the city's well known for its awesome bums). 20 bucks an hour is a good day and rare. You're stuck under the overpasses and sleeping while risking getting hit by a car on the freeway. I'm sure it can get pretty shitty after experiencing all that.

[Tweek]

Is there a link hidden somewhere?

[NuclearMisfit]

http://www.prosoundweb.com/fun/Photofun/21-beer-money.jpg

http://image59.webshots.com/659/2/65/90/2654265900089564964sYZedU_ph.jpg

Id give these guys 20 everytime I read their signs.

[axel2k8]

One funny sign I keep seeing is "Visions of a Cheeseburger."

[JJFlamingo]

i guess being homeless for a weekend is great fun when your james franco but when your a broke smack fiend with no friends or family i'm thinking it aint such a blast

.

[Bonham]

Outside Yankee Stadium theres always a guy collecting money for the "United Negro Pizza Fund". He always seems to get a lot of money.

[eljefe15]

He's an idiot if he thinks that being homeless "isn't all bad." That's just fucking stupid. Plus he's a shitty actor, almost unwatchable.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8398/a145h3eg2.jpg

[toast4u]

so what is that then, one saturday night? Well I guess I have been homeless in Vegas then. James Franco blows.

[FLAME_ON]

I love how this small, interesting story is getting blasted.
Franco didn't have to do that. And it might have been a "fun" experience... I can imagine Franco walking up to a couple of bums, telling them his plan, and having them embrace him like he's one of their own.
These people have nothing and having James Franco (a charismatic, good looking, fun guy) hang out with them with the thought in their head they are hanging out with a big movie star was probably a bit of a joy in their worthless lives.
Franco probably gave those bums a good time and vise-versa.

[dellamorte dellamore]

Wow , he really saved them from their life of misery by putting them to sleep with his monotone delivery and tales of his homoerotic relationship Peter Parker .

This guy doesn't get it , someone can't possibly know what a certain situation is like if they aren't actually in it but only pretending to be , because they can get out of it at anytime , unlike the people who actually are in this situation , the ones who see no way out . I'm sure he was dreaming of his mansion , the vip niteclubs and all his riches when he was sleeping on the street , it's not the same thing as the people who were dreaming of their next meal .

Yeah , he brightened up their lives for a weekend , so what , they are probably still in the same shiite hole existence , or did his performance in SM 3 inspire them to improve their situation , if anything it would have driven them further into the abyss of despair :D

[BadCoverVersion]

i guess being homeless for a weekend is great fun when your james franco but when your a broke smack fiend with no friends or family i'm thinking it aint such a blast

too true.

but anyway...

BEING HOMELESS IS FUCKING AWESOME, ROFL ROFL, LOL/// l|mao, FUNNY SHIT/.

[FLAME_ON]

He also said:
"I got a sense of what it was like to be on the street, being separate from society,” he told Movies.ign.com. “You really become a shunned human being, and kind of withdraw into yourself. This is a part about isolation and not having anyone you can rely on."

Franco hasn't said anything about it being awesome, fun, or cool. He just talked about what he went through during that weekend. I really doubt he means homelessness in general isn't "all that bad"...

I'm sure the interview went something like this:
Interviewer: So what was that like, living on the streets for a weekend? (expecting to hear a horror story)
Franco: It wasn't all the bad... etc...

[adamjohnson]

Man, you guys are harsh. No, it wasnt the 'real' experience of being homeless (because most homeless people have either had horrid luck or are addicted/sick)

But, man, how many actors do YOU know that would do this>?

[xseanymacx]

I love when people quote only what they want.

[Preston_79]

One funny sign I keep seeing is "Visions of a Cheeseburger."


I saw that one about a month ago. Bums must share secrets as to what messages get you more money. "This is what's hot right now."

I have sympathy for a vet living on the street, but no love for lazy people. There's a place they can all go to get three meals a day and a place to sleep in my city and they all know it. What really pisses me off is a bum with a dog. I would buy the dog food, but not the perfectly capable person. Every year I make donations to groups, but the closest a bum will ever get to it is through the Salvation Army.

Franco wasn't truly a bum unless he was drunk for most of the weekend. Maybe get thrown out of a bar, or refused entry to a restroom. A black eye, missing teeth, bad grammar. I wonder just how far he went in one weekend?

[LordSimen]

I like how when someone doesn't like someone's artistic work it somehow means they don't like the person as a person and feel the need to bash and destroy everything he says and does while also blowing it out of proportion at the same time.

It's amazing.

[AshleysDad]

I like how when someone doesn't like someone's artistic work it somehow means they don't like the person as a person and feel the need to bash and destroy everything he says and does while also blowing it out of proportion at the same time.

It's amazing.

Very true. I blame the media. Remember when Mel Gibson was a good guy?

[jolanar]

For the record I fucking loved City by the Sea...

Such an overlooked film.

[The Postmaster General]

He mispoke. Panhandling isn't all that bad, but being homeless is. Don't get me wrong, I can't panhandle, but once you get to the point where you do, you can make money - I think that's all Franco was saying, but just kind of oversimplified it.

Years back the local news did a video investigation on panhandlers and found a lot of them weren't really homeless like they said, and in one case, this dude parked his rather nice car blocks away from where he'd go and panhandle.

Wouldn't it have been funny if that story crossed with the James Franco one, and they are like "In fact, this man who was just moments ago begging for money, is actually in some of the highest grossing motion pictures of all time!"

[Cosimo]

BEING HOMELESS IS FUCKING AWESOME, ROFL ROFL, LOL/// l|mao, FUNNY SHIT/.

sure we have all been there, strung out begging for leftover munch and yup it may not be so funny at the time having to do bad things for crack monies and all but i often look back on those days and laugh for a few minutes then cry for hours and hours. pot noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner kinda bites!

"al you stink like shit, get a job al"

"you are a kind man"

hehe