New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley was not the biggest fan of the latest stage incarnation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, which stars James Franco and Chris O’Dowd. (Vulture’s theater critic Jesse Green, on the other hand, was.) And James Franco is not a fan of New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley, calling him a “little bitchâ€Â and suggesting an alternate job in an Instagram post that was later edited to remove the insult. Here is a screenshot of the orginal:
What part could have gotten Franco so angry? Was it this: “Though he sports a Yosemite Sam accent, Mr. Franco is often understated to the point of near invisibility.â€
Was it this: “Neither actor overplays, which is considerate, but they do remain largely monolithic.â€
Or was it this: “Though Mr. Franco musters a single, perfect tear for the play’s tragic climax, I only came close to shedding one. That was in the first act, when a dog (a real one) is led offstage to be shot because it stinks. That dog seemed to have true fear and bewilderment in its eyes. It felt, well, human, in a way none of the people did, and my heart sank when I knew it wouldn’t be coming back.â€