James Franco fuses acting and learning
On Sunday afternoon, Oscar-nominated actor James Franco strode onto the stage of Irvine Auditorium as over a thousand Penn students greeted him with enthusiastic cheers.
The Social Planning and Events Committee brought the prominent film star to Penn as this year’s annual Connaissance fall speaker, with Cinema Studies lecturer Meta Mazaj moderating the talk. Franco, who has starred in movies such as Spiderman, Pineapple Express and 127 Hours, spoke about his devotion to both the acting craft and his enthusiasm for learning.
“I have a lot of interests,” Franco explained as he revealed his passions for not just acting, but also for writing, literature, painting and filmmaking.
After taking a hiatus from his acting career, Franco graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles as an English major. He went on to simultaneously study at Columbia and New York universities and Brooklyn College. Currently, Franco is also earning his Ph.D. in English at Yale University and teaching a course at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts.
“I wanted to go back and really give my other interests as much consideration as the acting,” he said about his decision to return to academia.



Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)
Lovelace (2012)
Cherry (2012)
The Broken Tower (2011)
The Stare (2012)
Maladies (2011)
Rise of the Apes (2011)
Rebel (2011)
As I Lay Dying (2012)
Sal (2011)



















