The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
James Franco accused of assault by Freaks and Geeks actor Busy Philipps
'He threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Busy Philipps has claimed James Franco physically assaulted her on the set of Freaks and Geeks, labelling him a "f**king bully".
Phillips made the allegation in her upcoming memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, a passage from which has been obtained by Radar Online and Yahoo Entertainment.
The actor describes filming a scene for the cult TV series in which her character, Kim Kelly, hits Franco's Daniel Desario gently across the chest. Franco was caught off guard and apparently got aggressively upset.
“He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, ‘DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!’” she writes. “And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me.”
Phillips claims that everyone who witnessed the incident was horrified and that co-star Linda Cardellini advised her to call her manager.
She writes that Franco apologised the next day after being ordered by the director and producers, but no disciplinary action was taken.
The assault claims come months after Franco was accused of sexually exploitative behaviour by five women. He previously said of allegations made against him: "I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long. So I don’t want to shut them down in any way.”
Franco's representatives have been contacted by The Independent for comment on Phillips's allegations.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments