Charlyne Yi has spoken out about her experience working with James Franco and Seth Rogen on The Disaster Artist.
On Thursday (April 8), the 35-year-old actress revealed on Instagram that she tried to quit the 2017 film and break her contract after learning of accusations of sexual assault against Franco. Franco, who directed the film, played Tommy Wiseau in the film, while Rogen served as a producer and also starred in the film.
“When I tried to break legal contract and quit Disaster Artist because James Franco is a sexual predator, they tried to bribe me with a bigger acting role,” she shared. “I cried and told them that that was the exact opposite of what I wanted, that I didn’t feel safe working with a f–king sexual predator.”
“They minimized and said Franco being a predator was so last year and that he changed… when I literally heard of him abusing new women that week,” Yi added. “Predators will perform empathy, gaslight, and say they will do better — all in order to protect themselves and continue to harm others. Enablers are just as toxic and are abusers too.”
Yi said she was wanted to share her story as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is observed in April to raise awareness and educate individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.
“Why aren’t any of James Franco’s white male ‘feminist’ peers holding him accountable for abusing women then using his power and platform to gaslight them?” she asked in an additional post. “Seth Rogen literally gave a statement saying that men’s opinions don’t matter about a men’s issue, but went on SNL using his white male voice and power to do a sketch with Franco, normalizing preying on underage girls. Which is dehumanization and patriarchal violence.”
“Waiting for men (esp white men) to show up and do the work,” Yi added.
Franco has faced accusations of sexual misconduct dating as far back as 2014, when an underage girl shared screenshots of messages exchanged between her and Franco, who was 35 at the time, that showed him trying to get her to meet him in a hotel room. Franco confirmed that he had sent those messages but has denied all other allegations.
Neither Franco nor Rogen has responded to Yi’s allegations.