Actor James Franco is at the centre of a row after a New York University professor claims he was fired after giving the 127 Hours star a 'D' grade for skipping classes.
Jose Angel Santana has launched a lawsuit against NYU, hoping to be reinstated as a professor of fine arts, after claiming the university "bent over backwards" to create a "Franco-friendly environment". Franco, 33, apparently missed 12 of his 14 "Directing the Actor II" classes which resulted in Santana awarding him the dreaded D mark, the New York Post reports.
"In my opinion, they’ve turned the NYU graduate film degree into swag for James Franco’s purposes, a possession, something you can buy,” Santana told The Post.
The ubiquitous D grade, which has dogged Franco for more than a year, is not disputed by the star. In fact, celebrity website Showbiz411 interviewed the actor who freely admitted he got the D.
So why the fuss, then?
Santan claims he was fired because he didn't give Franco the special celebrity treatment.
"The university has done everything in its power to curry favour with James Franco," he added.
NYU has so far failed to contest his claim, so we'll just have to sit tight and see.