Facts About Movies
James Section
Annapolis
   Before shooting began, Franco entered boot camp for a second time (the first was for summer's The Great Raid), which emphasized the experience of attending a rigorous academy program.

Spiderman
   He took field trips to three New England boarding schools to get a feel for Harry's posh upbringing.

City By The Sea
   Franco was quite nervous to meet De Niro, whom he calls 'a hero of mine.'

Freaks And Geeks
   Franco was the bad-boy babe of the show, Daniel Desario.
   Unbeknownst to anyone else, he tracked down the Minnesota high school of Paul Feig, the show's creator, and flew out there to do a little spy work.

James Dean
   Franco studied and admired Dean long before the role came along.
   To better understand the talented but troubled Dean, he spent hours with Martin Landau, a good friend of Dean's, and Leonard Rosenman, Dean's onetime roommate and the composer on Dean's films East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. He read books on the actor and studied his movies.
   Having read that Dean was called 'the human ashtray' because he'd purposely burn his arms with cigarettes, Franco says he tried that, too.
   For the part, Franco, whose own mannerisms are a blend of quirky and cool much like Dean's, watched all the films and TV appearances. He took up smoking and emulated 'his physicality -- his slouch, hand gestures and facial expressions.'
   He went from being a non-smoker to inhaling two packs a day (he's since quit), dyed his dark-brown bushy locks blond, and learned to ride a motorcycle, play guitar and the bongos.
   The performance earned Franco a Golden Globe, an Emmy nomination and the attention of every studio in Hollywood.