Ever wish you could get one of your teachers fired? Well, if you're a famous actor named James Franco, you can. At least that's what one NYU professor claims.
Jose Angel Santana gave the Golden Globe-winner a "D" in his "Directing the Actor II" class after Franco missed 12 of his 14 sessions while pursuing his masters in fine arts. (OK, even we have to admit that's kind of a lot of absences.)
So did Franco retake the class? Uh. No.
Santana asserts that Franco publicly ridiculed him — claiming the prof had a problem with having a celebrity in class — and then had him fired.
"The school has bent over backwards to create a Franco-friendly environment, that's for sure," Santana told The New York Post. "The university has done everything in its power to curry favor with James Franco."
Specifically, Santana claims that in exchange for the good grades, Franco hired one of his other professors, Jay Anania to write and direct the film "William Vincent" (which Franco starred in, btw) that was featured at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Oh, and he also gave John Tintori, the film department chairman, a cameo in a film he financed that also happened to be written and directed by Anania. Hmm...
Now Santana is suing NYU in Manhattan Supreme Court for his job back. No word yet from Anania, Tintori or the NYU camp, though at one point Franco addressed the accusations stating, "I did the work. I did well in everything else."
Only time will tell whether the "127 Hours" star will prevail, although we have to admit, it seems a teensy bit difficult to claim he did all the work if he missed every class but two... going to class is still part of the the work, right?
