James Franco Explains Why He Skipped Jose Angel Santanta's Class At New York University

From the premier of his latest film “The Broken Tower,” James Franco didn’t shy from telling reporters why he made “127 Hours” instead of attending his acting class at New York University.

He said the professor was awful.

“I’ve been in eight years of acting class. I didn’t feel like I needed to waste my time with a bad teacher and that I should go and work with Danny Boyle. I felt like that was the right decision.”

Franco shook off the “D” Professor Jose Angel Santana gave him in “Directing the Actor II” and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for “127 Hours.”

Santana hasn’t fared so well. He claims he was fired for giving Franco a low grade, which Franco denies.

“No teacher will ever be fired from NYU for giving a student a D,” Franco says from a Q+A session for “Broken Tower. “He wasn’t fired, he was asked not to come back after three years because they didn’t think he was a good teacher.

Regardless of what Franco thinks, Santana is still suing NYU, alleging wrongful termination. He told the New York Post that NYU “has done everything in its power to curry favor with James Franco.”

“I did not care one bit about the grade, I knew I was going to get the grade,” he said. “I don’t even know what my grades are in NYU because grades don’t matter, what matters is the films that you make. Anybody coming out of film school is not going to go to Sony or Warner Bros. and say ‘Hey, I got an A in acting class, give me a job.’”

Franco directs and stars in “Broken Tower” -- a biopic of American poet Hart Crane. Franco has played poets before. He starred in Rob Epstein’s “Howl” in 2010.

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• UCLA

  Franco first enrolled at UCLA in 1996, but dropped out after his freshman year to act. He re-enrolled in 2006, taking anywhere from <a href="http://magazine.ucla.edu/features/smart_set/" target="_hplink">20-62</a> credits per semester. The regular course load is 19 credits.

• Columbia University

  Franco enrolled in <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/12/franco200812" target="_hplink">Columbia's MFA program</a> in 2008 and graduated in 2010.

• NYU

  While at Columbia, Franco also decided to attend a filmmaking program at NYU. "The new critique you're gonna start hearing about James Franco," he told <a href="http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/67284/index3.html" target="_hplink"><em>New York Magazine</em></a> "is 'He's spreading himself too thin.' "

• Brooklyn College

  At the same time, Franco attended <a href="http://magazine.ucla.edu/features/smart_set/" target="_hplink">Brooklyn College</a> for more instruction in creative writing.

• Warren Wilson College

  While he was enrolled in three New York-based MFA programs, Franco <a href="http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/67284/" target="_hplink">frequented</a> Warren Wilson College in North Carolina for extra poetry training.

• Yale University

  In 2010, Franco was accepted into Yale's English Ph.D program.

• RISD

  "Is it art?" James Franco once asked at the end of a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704107104574570313372878136.html" target="_hplink">Wall Street Journal</a> editorial addressing his appearance on General Hospital. It was hard to know, of course, but we do know that Franco sought a technical background in the aforementioned subject, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/arts/design/20franco.html?_r=1&src=tptw&pagewanted=all" target="_hplink">attending</a> RISD.

• University of Houston

  Another doctoral degree, because why not? Franco was accepted to the University of Houston's literature and creative writing program this month.

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Comments

[spensierata]

11:46 AM on 09/06/2012

The saddest thing about this, is that it isn't really a surprise if you think about it. This isn't the first instance where a student with a sub-par/awful performance is permitted to continue their education and, even worse, are allowed to progress and receive additional academic opportunities (College football, anyone?)

The bottom line: Universities are a business; factories, more accurately. That's it.

[see-ellen2001]

02:56 PM on 04/28/2012

Seems he decided to cut the class and go work. If you stop showing up, yah, you don't get a decent grade.

[FrancoFarce]

09:18 AM on 04/24/2012

What a joke. Thanks for ruining my degree, you pretentious egomaniac. I love that he thinks his little films get into all the big festivals because of his talent, not his name. He has his assistants take the classes and work on the student sets, and he teaches with Skype. The guy couldn't brush his teeth without paid help. I am rooting for Professor Sanatana. This whole mess is just cruel.

[Penn Reed]

03:12 AM on 04/19/2012

I'm sure his professor might have been awful, but you just don't get a 'D' at NYU. I mean, I don't know if I'm just a nerd, but I feel like you have to go out of your way to do that in a college...or you have to be severely overextended...or you have to not really care in the first place.

[Cali Vasaturo]

05:21 PM on 04/18/2012

HOW do you take 62 credits a semester? JUST... HOW.

[WestCoastLib]

04:53 PM on 04/17/2012

No way he took that many units at UCLA all by himself. Its not possible for one human being to do...unless you are rich and have a team to help you. They aren't a semester school btw, its by quarter, 10 extremely tough weeks with midterms coming at you at week 3....so 62 units a quarter...not happening, not even 32. You need special permission to even sign up for more than 26 units because they know its almost certainly a waste of time to even try.

[theschneider92]

06:45 PM on 04/17/2012

Their talking about one class...at NYU...I don't know what article you read

[theschneider92]

06:47 PM on 04/17/2012

nvm just saw the pictures

[madcityy]

11:41 AM on 04/17/2012

james u did the right thing,most of us cant./...........

[blackdublin2006]

10:31 AM on 04/17/2012

an acting teacher looses his job because a working actor failed i his class ... teacher seeks retribution and launches a media attack and claims the university is kissing up to the popular actor ... i would bet a $billion this plot will end up in at least 100 student film projects for the end of the year finals ... maybe james could play the displaced prof!

[jghilty]

08:42 AM on 04/17/2012

It looks like that administration pays attention to student's term ending written evaluations of instructors.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

08:02 AM on 04/17/2012

Probably has less to do with James or Jose than it does with Jose's superiors star gazing and office politics.

[SANTANAFAN]

07:51 AM on 04/17/2012

Dear Mr. Franco. Pick any 7:28 minutes of any one of your movies (or put a reel together you might have to). Post the link here so we can compare your acting to that of Professor Santana whose work as a teacher or as an actor you will never hold a candle to. As Dr. Santana always taught us about working with actors,"nothing replaces talent." That's the good news. (I realize you missed that class.) Here's the bad news, money will never buy you talent James Franco. Don't you wish? Here's professor Santana's work: http://youtu.be/tDKkNrJ0AZM. Let's see yours.

[SANTANAFAN]

08:06 AM on 04/17/2012

You have to copy and past the above link without the period. Or use this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKkNrJ0AZM&feature=youtu.be

[SANTANAFAN]

08:16 AM on 04/17/2012

To view the above link you have to cut and past the url without the period. You can click through with this on though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKkNrJ0AZM&feature=youtu.be

[Vis]

05:39 PM on 04/16/2012

jeez, whether you ilk Franco or hate him the anti Franco comments are hysterical. 1. The prof wasn't fired. He just was not asked back. Unless you are a tenured Professor you have no guarantee of coming back. There are many consideration and if you have repeated crappy evaluations, you probably are done. 2. Franco isn't making this a media event. The guy suing the University named Franco and the D as the reason he was fired. 3. Electives don't mean you don't have to take a course. Most degree programs require some elective credits and many programs decide what disciplines they must come from. Maybe this was one or one that fit his schedule. 4. There is a grade appeal process, and from the sounds of it Franco accepted the D without appealing... sounds the the prof is using Franco's name to gain attention for a fruitless lawsuit for a job he wasn't guaranteed anyway.

I am a prof at a local university who signs a new contract every semester. A contract, which by the way.. the university can sever anytime with or without cause. ONE student is not going to get me fired for doing my job nor is just a few bad course evaluations... but if i have several and consistently have poor evaluations ... I will be out the door in short order.

[Randi Grogan]

05:33 PM on 04/16/2012

NYU didn't fire a professor because he gave a student a D, if the student never showed up it should have been an F, however, the Professor must have many complaints to have the University terminate him. He'll lose if this goes to trial, no doubt.

[Vis]

05:43 PM on 04/16/2012

If attendance was part of the grade then yes he should have been failed. Not all profs have attendance policies though. Perhaps he went a few times and turned in some work.. enough that he got a D.

[suemg]

04:24 PM on 04/16/2012

Why did he stay in the class? Why didn't he drop it? Instead he chose to stay in the class and when talking to the media re his upcoming film he took the time to slander this professor. I have seen Franco in various TV interviews and he is no where as great as he thinks he is. Franco you could sure use some humility ar at least act like you have some. What that saying your a legend in your own mind...

[Tigerclaw]

04:36 PM on 04/16/2012

So, "suemg", how much are you suing NYU for?

[suemg]

10:33 PM on 04/16/2012

I'm not but I hope the Professor follows through and goes after Franco for slander and lost wages. Franco is not the be all and end all to anyones career....

[smjonz]

04:08 PM on 04/16/2012

James Franco should be ashamed of himself. I believe what the professor said was true, and even if it isn't, what Franco stated about him gives the perception of it being true. Seems like Franco's personality is a bit too close to some of the creeps he portrays.