James Franco seduces a teenager in the trailer for his latest film ‘Palo Alto’, on exactly the same day that pictures of messages where he allegedly tried to seduce a Scottish teen have emerged online.
The ‘Palo Alto’ trailer shows Franco’s teacher character seducing a high school student (Emma Roberts), sparking speculation that the Instagram pictures and text messages which appears to show James booking a hotel room for himself and a British teenage girl could be an elaborate publicity stunt.
James Franco in New York
In their conversation, Franco appears to ask the teen where she's from, if she's single and if she wants to meet up if he gets a hotel room, after being told she's a few days shy of her 18th birthday. Franco and the teenage girl seem to have first crossed paths while the 35-year-old was signing autographs outside the Longacre Theatre, where he's currently performing. 17 is above the age of consent in New York State.
In the trailer, Roberts’ character is having a tough time at high school when her teacher (Franco) makes his move, telling her, “I’m older and I know that there aren’t a lot of good things around around.”
Even if the messages are part of a huge publicity stunt, it might not have been the best idea because people will be remembering the details of the strange encounter long after they’ve forgotten the name of the film.
The movie is based on James’s own book of short stories, which was published in 2010 and is directed by Gia Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter.
It’s already been praised by critics at a number of film festivals, so it’s not like the flick needs any extra publicity.
‘Palo Alto’ is due for release in cinemas in the USA in May 2014.
To see the entire alleged conversation, check out this slideshow:
