James Franco admits sleeping with students, says he had sex addiction
CTV
Oscar-nominated actor James Franco has acknowledged sleeping with students of an acting school he previously ran, saying he struggled with a sex addiction and has been working to improve his behavior in recent years.
In excerpts from The Jess Cagle Podcast made public on Wednesday, Franco, 43, said that while teaching, he "did sleep with students, and that was wrong."
He said he did not start the school to lure women for sexual purposes.
"I suppose at the time, my thinking was if it's consensual, okay," he added in the SiriusXM podcast. "At the time I was not clearheaded."
The remarks were Franco's first extended comments about accusations leveled against him nearly four years ago when the Los Angeles Times reported that five women had accused Franco of conduct they considered inappropriate.