Actor James Franco gave an interview to the North American magazine "Playboy", where he spoke again about his sexuality and the rumors that he was gay.
"Between World War I and World War II, straight men who had sex with other men were still considered straight and maintained their masculinity," Franco said in one of his statements to the publication.
The actor criticized the website Gawker, which named him as the gay actor who allegedly raped an ex-boyfriend and then gave half a million dollars to hush up the story. The "New York Post" released the news in 2008 and Gawker carried out a poll to find out who the actor in question would be, with Franco being chosen.
James said that while rumors that he is gay are simply rumors, the rape allegations were unsettling because he has friends who have been raped.
When asked about his interest in writing and playing gay characters – his upcoming projects include actor Sal Mineo and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe – Franco replied that what interests him about these roles is the ambiguity of sexuality.
"From the 50s onwards, gay and straight people began to be defined by their sexual partners. Because of these labels, if you have (sex with another man) just once, you are gay. It seems that I am defending an ambiguity , but I'm just interested in the way that each person's perception can change their behavior", philosophizes the actor.
