When we were doing ‘Freaks and Geeks’, I didn’t quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn’t on me. I thought I was helping the other actors by keeping them on their toes, but nobody appreciated it when I would trip them up. So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way.

If the work is good, what does it matter? I’m doing it because I love it. Why not do as many things I love as I can? As long as the work is good.

I am not going to be the guy who’s not pulling his weight.

I was kind of scared of failing at acting.

When I research a role it does get a little crazy and maybe even a little stupid.

I worked the drive-through at McDonald’s and tried out different accents – Italian, Russian, Irish.

The first piece of art that I ever bought-when I could afford it-was a Warhol sketch from the period when he was just getting out of doing commercial work and more into art. It’s a sketch of a young guy’s face. I guess the gallery that I bought it from thought I would like it because the young guy kind of looked like James Dean.

A lot of the people in San Francisco think of themselves as healers – not just as people delivering this base service, but giving their clients spiritual help. It’s almost like being an actor, playing a different part for each trick.

When we were doing ‘Freaks and Geeks’, I didn’t quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn’t on me. I thought I was helping the other actors by keeping them on their toes, but nobody appreciated it when I would trip them up. So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way.

Did you ever see Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke? That’s what happens if you really smoke weed and make a movie. You get two guys and no plot and it’s basically like, ‘Yeah! Let’s drive a van made of weed!’ And that’s pretty much the movie.

Acting is an art form and you want to take roles that are challenged and it’s more of a challenge I think to play dark characters. Not that I want to always play those, but it is a challenge and challenges are rewarding and fun.

I become kind of obsessive about research.

But I don’t want to die! I have so much to do!

When I was a child, I wanted to be an actor, but I had really bad buckteeth. I didn’t want to get braces, but my mom said I couldn’t be an actor if I didn’t get the braces. So, I got the braces.

The new critique you’re gonna start hearing about James Franco, is ‘He’s spreading himself too thin.’

I don’t even like to sleep – I feel as if there’s too much to do.

My name is James Edward Franco. Ted is a nickname for Edward. That’s what my parents called me. I also got ‘Teddy Ruxpin’ a lot. It just got to a point where I got sick of it, so when a teacher called out ‘James Franco’ my junior year of high school, I didn’t correct her.

I needed an outlet in high school and came across painting. I’ve actually been painting longer than I’ve been acting. A movie is a collaborative effort, and with painting you just have yourself.

It’s hard when you’re doing a film based on a true story to really figure out what all those relationships were.