As if the 2011 Oscars couldn’t be worse, James Franco would have been rude to Anne Hathaway during their much-maligned co-host gig ten years ago.
On Wednesday (April 14), The Ringer posted an interview with Oscar writer David Wild, who featured the infamous Hathaway and Franco co-host. Wild compared the pair’s interactions to “the world’s most uncomfortable blind date between the cool young stoner rocker and the adorable drama camp cheerleader.”
Wild recalled a moment during rehearsals when their friction started. “Again, it’s a memory, but [she] was like ‘Maybe you should try this,’ and he said, ‘Don’t tell me how to be funny,’ ”Wild said.
Writer Jordan Rubin added, “I think he wanted to play it as a boyfriend-cop movie with two opposing characters.” He shared that Hathaway made herself “readily available” during the months-long preparation period. “I went to her house and worked on the script and she was on a lot of conference calls and answered emails and was a great contributor.”
During this time, Franco was extremely busy making films, taking doctoral courses, and even teaching a class at Columbia College Hollywood. “He always seemed to be on a flight and it was very difficult for me to reach him. It was a red flag,” said Rubin.
According to Rubin, Hathaway was “ready to play and 110% committed.” On the other hand, Franco “was a great guy, but it often seemed like he had just woken up from a nap.” “It’s almost like you show up on a tennis court and one person decided to play in the US Open and the other wanted to play in jeans and just hit a few balls. “
There was one case where Wild thought Hathaway and Franco were finally going to be on their own, but he sadly got it wrong: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, they finally broke through and he’s looking at her!’ It turned out that Hathaway was in his dressing room and Franco was actually smiling at his replacement.
