News & Features » March 2013 » Literary Lions: 13 Questions with James Franco

Literary Lions: 13 Questions with James Franco

Johnny Temple: Who’s the first person who encouraged you to be a writer?

James Franco: Ian R. Wilson. He was my first college-level creative writing teacher. I met him through UCLA Extension.

JT: What book has given you nightmares, or otherwise appeared to you in dreams?

JF: True crime stuff.

JT: What book(s) are you reading right now?

JF: The Sound and the Fury and David Robbins’s Concrete Comedy.

JT: What is the worst film adaptation of a great book that you have ever seen?

JF: I hate to mention it.

JT: Who’s your favorite author (or what’s your favorite book) that no one’s ever heard of?

JF: Stephen Dobyns.

JT: Who’s your favorite author that everyone’s heard of?

JF: Denis Johnson.

JT: If you could invite one deceased person to dinner, who would it be?

JF: Marlon Brando.

JT: If you could invite one living person to dinner, who would it be?

JF: Obama.

JT: What was the best movie made in the 1970s?

JF: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

JT: What is your biggest pet peeve?

JF: Shit heads.

JT: What’s your favorite single syllable word?

JF: Honey.

JT: If you could make up a word, what would it be? No definitions permitted.

JF: Cuntstuff.

JT: What existing word would you prefer had a different definition? State word and redefine.

JF:  The Atlantic Blog: A bunch of faceless cunts that can suck my dick.

JAMES FRANCO is an acclaimed actor, director, artist, and writer. His film appearances include 127 Hours, Howl, Milk, Pineapple Express, and the Spider-Man trilogy. On television, he starred in the critically acclaimed series Freaks and Geeks. Franco has written and directed several short films, and his visual art was featured in a solo show at the Clocktower Gallery in New York. His writing has appeared in The Speed Chronicles, Esquire, the Wall Street Journal, McSweeney’s, and other publications. Franco has an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College, and is enrolled in the PhD program in literature at Yale University.

Posted: Mar 28, 2013

Category: Literary Lions | Tags: James Franco, Johnny Temple, Literary Lions