Dave Franco acknowledges that he did benefit from a nepo-sibling situation when it came to his career, but that it wasn’t the only reason for his success in Hollywood.
While the actor has gone on to make a name for himself, he recalls having some help from his older brother and fellow actor, James Franco, earlier in his career, especially when it came to finding an agent and getting his foot in the door.
However, Dave recently told Bustle, “No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother. If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly.”
With the brothers being seven years apart in age, James got his start as an actor first, gaining recognition with his breakthrough role in the TV series Freaks and Geeks from 1999 to 2000, and then for playing Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire. He’s also earned a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in 127 Hours, as well as three Emmy noms for other projects.
As for Dave, he had recurring roles in some TV shows early in his career, including Greek, Privileged and Scrubs, but he really caught audiences’ attention with his role in 2012’s 21 Jump Street, with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. He went on to find more success with Now You See Me, Neighbors, Now You See Me 2, Nerve, Love Lies Bleeding, Together, Regretting You and The Studio, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination. Dave also previously received an Emmy nom for his work as an executive producer on Pam & Tommy.
“At this point, I think he’s excited just to see me trying new things and to see me grow,” Dave says of his current relationship with his older brother.
Dave next stars in the third Now You See Me film, titled Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, which hits theaters on Nov. 14. As for Franco, he has several projects in the works after returning to acting last year following a nearly five-year hiatus. In 2018, he was accused of sexual harassment and discrimination in a class-action lawsuit filed by former students. The lawsuit was settled for $2.2 million in 2021.
