The This Is The End' star has been notorious for odd and artsy career choices for a while. But how has he been balancing that with the mainstream career of an A-list movie star? We charted his career from year-to-year to see how he's doing.
1999-2000:
Franco's relatively brief teen period would have him for really the only time in his career being far more mainstream in the movies than on TV. His starring role in the Paul Feig/Judd Apatow cult classic Freaks and Geeks placed him in the good graces of many TV fans, in a way that his appearances in teen-comedy films like Never Been Kissed and Whatever It Takes couldn't erode. Still, Freaks was ignominiously cancelled, so it was the movie career that remained. Advantage: THEM
2001-02:
Franco's next breakthrough would also come on TV, as his 2001 Golden Globe-winning performance in James Dean immediately shot him up to leading-man status. The following year, he would enter the blockbuster realm as Harry Osborn in Spider-Man. Yet almost immediately, Franco began using his newfound Hollywood capital to make a mark in the indie world, albeit indies with starry pedigrees. He toplined Nicolas Cage's directorial debut Sonny, for example, before joining Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand in City By the Sea. Advantage: HIM
2003-04:
Another, somehow even bigger Spider-Man landed in 2004, though Franco's character didn't ascend to the role of main antagonist as many anticipated. On the arthouse side, he signed on to the Robert Altman ballet film The Company, because if you're going to do one indie movie to counterbalance your huge superhero blockbuster, why not make it an Altman film. Advantage: HIM
2006:
These were the first real bumps in the career road for Franco, as nearly everything that was intended to be a popular or at least crossover hit didn't not catch on, from military dramas Annapolis and Flyboys to the classical romance Tristan & Isolde, which was aggressively sold to teens as their new Romeo and Juliet and was not at all received that way. On the truly indie side, he made the well-regarded The Dead Girl, but was too embedded in the ensemble to claim any credit for himself. Advantage: THEM
2007:
Another Spider-Man, this time with Harry finally ascending to Green Goblin status, although by this point in the series, fan (and certainly critic) fatigue had set in. A supporting turn in In the Valley of Elah wasn't really hefty enough to offset Spidey, and since Spider-Man 3 was the biggest box-office earner of the year, despite the reviews, this was surely a mainstream kind of year. Advantage: THEM
2008:
This was the big breakthrough year, as it seemed that finally all phases of Franco's career were converging into a pair of huge hits. The stoner comedy Pineapple Express earned Franco a Globe nomination and reminded everybody of his roots in Apatow comedy, while a featured supporting performance in Gus Van Sant's Milk put some polish on his serious-actor cred, and would presage his subsequent avid interest in gay-related subjects. Advantage: HIM
2009-10:
As Franco's interests would continue to vary and his educational pursuits would begin to push his art into more student-y directions Franco continued to show off all the weapons at his disposal, from serious leading-man work in mainstream dramas (his Oscar-nominated performance in Gus Van Sant's 127 Hours) to more independent, passion-project work (as Allen Ginsberg in Howl) to mainstream check-cashing (opposite Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love), to sharply comedic cameos in solid mainstream comedies (Date Night), to bizarre performance-art guest-starring work on daytime soaps (General Hospital). Quite the eclectic couple of years, during which no one could say that Franco wasn't doing exactly what he wanted to do. Advantage: HIM
2011-12:
Yet another eclectic period for Franco, complete with mainstream action blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes to a spotlight cameo in The Green Hornet. A reunion with Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green on Your Highness was something of a bomb, but it allowed him the freedom to indulge in any number of film-student-adjacent projects, whether his own or by NYU classmates/faculty (The Broken Tower; Tar; The Letter). The student films didn't really have any kind of life outside the collegiate circuit, but once again, this was a guy following his own particular muse. Advantage: HIM
2013:
If the previous few years had been characterized (at least somewhat) by idle noodling, 2013 marked a return to serious career-building from Franco. As far as big-studio paydays go, the title role in a phenomenally successful Sam Raimi film like Oz the Great and Powerful isn't too shabby. Particularly when that's followed by the indie cause celebre Spring Breakers, which in some corners drew career best! plaudits for his performance. And in the year to come, further auteurist work is on the way, from his Cruising reworking Interior: Leather Bar to writing and directing an adaptation of As I Lay Dying, to playing Hugh Hefner in Lovelace. All that, plus a stoner-comedy meta-reunion in this weekend's This Is The End, which is getting way better reviews than you might have expected. Any way you slice it, this is an actor charting his own course. Advantage: ???
Previously: The Sofia Coppola Mixtape
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
The This Is The End' star has been notorious for odd and artsy career choices for a while. But how has he been balancing that with the mainstream career of an A-list movie star? We charted his career from year-to-year to see how he's doing. 
