Actor, filmmaker, artist and writer James Franco will discuss his diverse career in the arts during the third event of the annual President’s Speaker Series for the Arts, held April 17 at 4 p.m. in the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena.
Franco will join UVA Vice Provost for the Arts Jody Kielbasa for a moderated conversation sharing what the arts have meant to him and will answer questions submitted by students.
“James Franco is a cultural icon for his generation,” Kielbasa said. “While he is known to millions by his celebrated work as a film actor, director and producer, he continues to fashion a career that is devoid of limitations, and one that finds him creating, teaching and learning across the entire arts spectrum, from visual art to creative writing to the Broadway stage, the world of music and more.”
Franco, who has continued to teach and study art in the midst of a successful film career, is the latest major artist attracted by the President’s Speaker Series for the Arts, which previously featured award-winning actor, director and producer Kevin Spacey and renowned comedian Tina Fey, a UVA alumna. The series is supported by the offices of the President and the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Vice Provost for the Arts and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
“James Franco’s noteworthy work as an actor, writer and filmmaker, his involvement in the arts community and his appreciation for the importance of education and lifelong learning make him an ideal choice to be this year’s Presidential Speaker for the Arts,” UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan said. “We look forward to welcoming him to Grounds and to hearing his remarks.”
Kielbasa added, “Perhaps most important to his selection for this series is that he is equally tireless in his commitment to learning, both through his teaching at UCLA and his own continuing studies. His ever-evolving career sends the clear message that for a true artist, the learning never stops, and we look forward to what we know will be an entertaining, enlightening and memorable evening.”
General admission tickets to “The President’s Speaker Series for the Arts: A Conversation with James Franco” are free to students and the public. Tickets will be available in person starting Tuesday, March 15 at the UVA Arts Box Office, the John Paul Jones Arena Box Office and the ID Card Office at Observatory Hill Dining Hall. Starting Wednesday, tickets will be available online via the John Paul Jones Arena page on ticketmaster.com, with site fees applied.
About James Franco
Franco is an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, teacher, artist and author. He began his career on “Freaks and Geeks” and received a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the biographical film “James Dean.” Notable film credits include “Oz the Great and Powerful”; “Spring Breakers”; Harry Osborn in the “Spiderman” trilogy; “Milk,” “This is the End”; “Pineapple Express,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor; and “127 Hours,” for which he received Academy Award, SAG and Golden Globe nominations for best actor.
He has directed several features, including “Child of God,” “As I Lay Dying,” “Zeroville,” “Saturday Night” and “In Dubious Battle.”
He has been published several times in magazines and through his own books and is currently teaching college courses at UCLA, University of Southern California and Cal Arts and acting classes at Studio 4. He made his Broadway debut in “Of Mice & Men,” to rave reviews, and directed the off-Broadway play “The Long Shrift.”
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