He was a celebrity I looked up to, woman who accused James Franco of forced oral sex says in TV interview

Two of the women accusing actor James Franco of sexual misconduct say that they don’t necessarily consider him to be a monster like Harvey Weinstein.

Two of the women accusing actor James Franco of sexual misconduct say that they don’t necessarily consider him to be a monster like Harvey Weinstein.

This image released by A24 shows James Franco in a scene from The Disaster Artist. Franco failed to receive an Oscar nomination for best actor on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. (AP)

Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of the women who accused the Golden Globe award-winning actor of sexual harassment, insisted that Franco’s behaviour was markedly different to that of the disgraced Hollywood producer, reports Contactmusic.com.

While giving an interview to a leading US entertainment show, Kaplan said, “James is absolutely not a Harvey Weinstein. He’s not an unfeeling monster who has no sense of reality.”

However, Tither-Kaplan, 26, does believe that Franco, 39, abused his power and influence when teaching at his Studio 4 film school, which made her and four other women who accused the actor of sexual harassment afraid to speak out for years.

Fellow accuser Violet Paley, who was in a consensual relationship with Franco when she claimed he pressured her to perform oral sex on him, detailed the alleged incident.

“He kinda like, pushed my head down and was saying, like, ‘C’mon,’” she said, adding that she knows her relationship with the actor complicates her story.

She added, “I am regretful. I was young. He was a celebrity I looked up to.”

Though Franco did not comment on the allegations, he denied all of them earlier this month.

However, Tither-Kaplan and Paley want more than that.

Tither-Kaplan would like to see Franco use his platform to give opportunities to valuable women. Paley is simply asking for an apology.

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