According to a new interview with InStyle, Spring Breakers star Vanessa Hudgens believes her co-star James Franco's statements about his sexual misconduct allegations.
The #MeToo movement has helped many people speak out against sexual misconduct, particularly within the entertainment industry. Not long after James Franco was seen at the Golden Globes standing with the Time's Up initiative, several women came forward about Franco's alleged past with sexual misconduct.
Women who spoke out included Franco's former acting students, who alleged that the Disaster Artist star removed the plastic guard protecting their vaginal area during simulated oral sex, as well as a woman who alleged the actor pressured her into a sex act. Franco denied the allegations via his attorney, and spoke publicly about them on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
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"The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out...because they didn’t have a voice for so long," Franco told the talk show host. "I don’t want to shut them down in anyway. It’s, I think, a good thing and I support it."
When asked about the allegations against Franco, Hudgens said that she believed his statement to Colbert.
"I support what he said... He's saying that the allegations are false but he supports all the women speaking up because they didn't have a voice before, and the fact that that they do now is an amazing thing," Hudgens told InStyle. "He supports that. I just know that I loved working with him. He was always very respectful."
The former High School Musical star wasn't the only person with a relationship to Franco to be asked about the allegations. Alison Brie, who is married to Franco's brother and Disaster Artist co-star Dave, was asked about Franco's alleged sexual misconduct on the red carpet at the SAG Awards. Brie told E!'s Giuliana Rancic:
"I think above all what we've always said is that it remains vital that anyone who feels victimized should and does have the right to speak out and come forward," she said. "I obviously support my family and not everything that's been reported is fully accurate so I think we're waiting to get all the information. But of course now is a time for listening, and that's what we're all trying to do."
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Refinery29 has reached out to representatives for Hudgens and Franco. We will update this post should they have additional statement.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).