Pressed with the same questions that Stephen Colbert didn’t shy away from earlier in the week, James Franco repeated to Seth Meyers on Wednesday night that allegations about his sexual misconduct that surfaced after his Golden Globes win are “not accurate.†However, he tells Meyers that he won’t “actively refute†these stories so that his voice does not speak over those of the women telling them:
“There are stories that need to get out. There are people that need to be heard. I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much. And if I have to take a knock because I’m not gonna try and actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much.
“This is a conversation that obviously needs to be had,†he explained of his decision to wear the Time’s Up pin at the Globes. “There are people, women and others, who have not been a part of this conversation and I truly believe that they need to be. So I support that.†Asked if he’s contacted actress Ally Sheedy, who alluded to a bad experience she had when he directed her in an Off Broadway play, to let her tell him her story firsthand, Franco shook his head. “Not curious enough to reach out to her to try to understand why she would have done that?†Meyers asked again. After a deep sigh, Franco responded, “I don’t know. I … It was so shocking. I don’t know. I just … I guess I’m just letting it be.†On Thursday, five more women accused Franco of inappropriate and “sexually exploitative†behavior, which he has disputed.