30 colossal James Franco quotes that will make you laugh and think

James Franco does not want to be boxed in and makes a point about it. He has a PHD from Yale, works as an actor, writes poetry, debuted on Broadway and is an Academy Award nominee. Let him inspire you to unlock your full potential. Here are 30 James Franco quotes to make you laugh and think.

1. If I'm working on a film, I'll do sit-ups before I shoot. Like, 100 in the morning or something.
2. It feels really sad, to me, to go to a dark bedroom. It's like surrendering to the night or something.
3. I become kind of obsessive about research.
4. If the work is good, what does it matter? I'm doing it because I love it. Why not do as many things I love as I can? As long as the work is good.
5. My name is James Edward Franco. Ted is a nickname for Edward. That's what my parents called me. I also got 'Teddy Ruxpin' a lot. It just got to a point where I got sick of it, so when a teacher called out 'James Franco' my junior year of high school, I didn't correct her.
6. I don't even like to sleep - I feel as if there's too much to do.
7. I'm a big cardigan sweater guy.
8. My style is casual-chic? Casual-messy?
9. The first piece of art that I ever bought-when I could afford it-was a Warhol sketch from the period when he was just getting out of doing commercial work and more into art. It's a sketch of a young guy's face. I guess the gallery that I bought it from thought I would like it because the young guy kind of looked like James Dean.
10. Of course there are some actors that are better than others and performances that are better than others, but they're always embedded in the greater film. They are mediated through the work of so many other people: the director directs, the lighter sets the scene, the editors edit, the music gets put to it.
11. There's a tacit belief that actors shouldn't write books, they're sort of allowed to direct movies but there will be a lot of skepticism, and they shouldn't do artwork or music. There are these invisible roadblocks to gain entree to these areas for actors, and you kind of have to crash through those invisible barriers.
12. I might have to stumble a little bit more in public than others, but that's fine, I don't mind, I've developed a thick skin.
13. I love to bring humour into my work. Because comedy is not a huge part of the art world. And big-business film takes itself very seriously.
14. Not having any real direction, one writer would lead me to another.
15. I view filmmaking as a director's medium.
16. I still don't like going to bed alone.
17. There's a tendency, when you're directing yourself, not to give the performance as much care, because you feel like there's too much focus on yourself, or that all these people are just standing around setting everything up, waiting for you.
18. Directing, editing, and everything about filmmaking has definitely changed me as an actor.
19. I used to read a lot about myself and the projects I was doing. When I was only acting, I wouldn't read any reviews because I didn't find them to be very helpful.
20. I am not going to be the guy who's not pulling his weight.
21. The new critique you're gonna start hearing about James Franco, is 'He's spreading himself too thin.'
22. When I research a role it does get a little crazy and maybe even a little stupid.
23. I worked the drive-through at McDonald's and tried out different accents - Italian, Russian, Irish.
24. I get like six or so hours of sleep a night.
25. I'm going to try to not let anyone put me in a box, and that certainly applies to the things I do outside of acting.
26. I don't cast somebody that I think is like my younger self.
27. My job is what I love. I don't need an escape from it.
28. I guess what I enjoy most is directing, because it incorporates all aspects of filmmaking. Directing is in the same line as acting - both are popularity contests, and in both you're trying to tell a story through the film as a medium.
29. I don't need a vacation in the traditional sense, like I would if I had a job I hated.
30. A lot of the people in San Francisco think of themselves as healers - not just as people delivering this base service, but giving their clients spiritual help. It's almost like being an actor, playing a different part for each trick.

Conclusion

I like James Franco’s approach to critique which comes with trying new things. Michael Jordan and he got a lot of negative feedback for doing what they wanted to do but did not deter. If you are an actor or generally want to say “Fuck it”, take a leave out of James Franco’s book and get going. Have a look around marathon-crossfit to run faster, lift stronger and think deeper. Start with your body and move on to your mind to shape your better future.

Further reading

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