A Look Into James Franco And Tyrese Gibson's Beef
From Bill Murray and Lucy Liu's on-set fisticuffs to Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan's not-so "Charmed" Twitter shade, there are just too many surprising celebrity spats to count. Truly, truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to Hollywood feuds. And another odd couple to add to the list is James Franco and Tyrese Gibson.
Franco has been lauded ever since winning a Golden Globe for 2017's The Disaster Artist, featuring his portrayal of The Room filmmaker Tommy Wiseau. But much like that elusive figure, Franco is clearly just a weird guy. Around the time of his Golden Globe win, the actor was hit with multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women, more specifically underaged girls (which he denied). More serious allegations aside, he comes off as eccentric. He once head-butted a photographer, took Anne Hathaway down with him in his infamous 2011 Oscars-hosting nosedive, and compared to his more straight-and-narrow brother Dave Franco, rarely makes headlines for great reasons.
Meanwhile, Gibson is no angel himself. The outspoken star has gotten into it with his Fast & Furious co-star Dwayne Johnson (who fights with The Rock?), had some shockingly derogatory things to say about "promiscuous" women, and was investigated over child abuse claims (via TMZ) regarding his then-10-year-old daughter, though he seems to care about her. Oy.
Well, clearly both James Franco and Tyrese Gibson are... tall orders. Scroll down to discover the beef between them — that began in an actual boxing ring, no less — years ago.
Tyrese Gibson claimed James Franco was 'full-on hitting' him during an on-set fight scene
So, what's the deal with Tyrese Gibson and James Franco? Apparently, Gibson was not happy with the commitment Franco — who famously gets really into it on set — gave when they co-starred in Annapolis in 2006. The Naval drama sees Franco's character struggling through training, with the climax being a boxing tournament with his superior, played by Gibson. But apparently Franco did not hold back.
"James Franco is a Method actor," Gibson said in an interview with Elle in 2007. "I respect Method actors, but he never snapped out of character. Whenever we'd have to get in the ring for boxing scenes, and even during practice, the dude was full-on hitting me." He added, "I was always like, 'James, lighten up, man. We're just practicing.' He never lightened up." Yikes.
Franco later apologized for his behavior, telling GQ in 2008, "I was probably a jerk. I was not purposely cruel to him, but I was probably so wrapped up in my performance that I was not as friendly as I could have been. This is such a stupid issue... when I'm asked about it in the press it makes it seem as if it's still an issue. I think Tyrese is a sweet guy."
Meanwhile, Gibson wasn't ready to take the gloves off. He told Playboy (via Uproxx), "I never want to work with him again... It felt very personal. It was f**ked up." They haven't worked together since.