After "Pineapple Express" was released last year, critics praised James Franco for stepping outside his typical dramatic, brooding roles to try his hand at some comedy (a return back to his Freaks and Geeks roots, which if you haven't seen yet, you definitely should). Even if you didn't like the stoner flick, it was hard not to have your heart melt for James' loveable drug dealer who called his nana every day.
So it seems James has decided to take the idea of moving outside his typical genre to the next level by signing on for a guest arc on "General Hospital"? According to Entertainment Weekly, James is set to start filming on the episodes on October 30 and the arc will beginning running on November 20. An ABC rep told EW his storyline would be on the show for several months.
Jori Peterson of ABC Daytime told the site, "I'd to like add that there's an open invitation to any of his A-list costars to come on GH and try their chops in the soap world."
Doesn't this seem a little backward to anyone? Celebrities usually get their start on daytime soaps and from there shift to the big screen, not the other way around. James Franco is a household name. He is part of the pivotal threesome in the "Spiderman" franchise, for goodness sake! What could he possibly want to do on "General Hospital"? (I have never seen an episode, so please feel free to enlighten me.)
One possible explanation comes from the character James will be playing. Jori said, "The only thing I can tell you about his character right now is he is playing a mysterious person who comes to Port Charles who will be Jason Morgan's worst nightmare." According to EW, James and Steve Burton, who plays Jason, both share the same manager.
But still, I don't know how I feel about my favorite stars making the shift back to daytime soaps. Don't they have more important things to do, like teaming up with Seth Rogen again to make more funny movies? Besides, I have work during the day, and its much harder to stalk my favorite celebrity filmographies if their episode arcs are playing then.
What do you think about this news: awfully awesome or god awful?
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