James Franco has taken on just as many things in recent years off-screen, but now the Golden Globe winner is stepping into the role of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
On Thursday, Deadline reported that Franco would play the highly controversial figure in Miguel Bardem’s Alina de Cuba. The film will center around the life of Alina Fernandez (Ana Villafañe), who was Castro’s daughter with Cuban socialite Natalia “Naty” Revuelta (Mía Maestro) and a critic of her father’s rule.
The casting comes a month after Franco landed a role in Bille August’s upcoming post-World War II film Me, You, his first public announcement of the role since a proposed $2.2 million deal between Franco and and two of his former students to settle. allegations of sexual exploitation and fraud in 2021.
Currently, neither film has a release date.
The roles are a comeback of sorts for the actor, who hasn’t appeared on screen since 2019.
His casting as Castro was controversial due to allegations of sexual misconduct by the actor and the fact that Franco is not of Cuban or Latino descent.
In 2018, five women accused Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior. Four of the women were his students at the film school he founded, and the fifth referred to him as a “mentor.”
One of the women, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, told The Times that in a nude orgy scene she filmed with Franco and several women, he removed the plastic shields covering other actors’ vaginas while simulating oral sex on them.
“I feel like there was an abuse of power and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women and a culture of replaceable women,” Tither-Kaplan told The Times in 2018.
Two other student actresses also recalled negative experiences on set, saying that Franco became angry when no woman on set would agree to go topless.
“He just took advantage of our desire to work and be part of something bigger,” said Natalie Chmiel, a former student of the actor. “We were all these up-and-coming actors who were so hopeful.”
In an interview with Jess Cagle on SiriusXM in December 2021, The Disaster Artist actor admitted to “sleeping with students” in his film classes.
“Of course, I knew … that’s probably not a cool thing,” Franco said. “I think it just depends on my criteria, [which] it was like, ‘If this is consensual, I think it’s good. We’re all adults, so…”
John Martinez O’Felan, one of the producers of “Alina of Cuba,” shed light on the casting decision in a recent statement to Deadline.
“Finding and convincing James Franco to play Castro was a fun and challenging process and has been the collaborative work of the universe because our director’s initial brief was to find an actor who has a close physical resemblance to the real Castro to build , together. by finding someone Alina Fernandez would strongly support.”
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Martinez O’Felan also spoke about the decision to go with Franco despite not having a Latino background.
“[W]used Fidel Castro’s ancient Gallic heraldry as our central compass, and then searched the entire ranks of Latino actors in Hollywood to find someone with a similar facial structure,” the producer said in a statement.
“In conducting a close search into our hopes through the lens of the Spanish and Portuguese genealogy carried by the Galicians, we found that James, by far, had the closest facial resemblance of our industry’s leading actors, meaning that the focus it would be building the emphasis of his character and we would have a stunning match on screen to intrigue the audience and bring the story to life with true visual integrity.”
People online had a lot to say about Franco’s new role with actor John Leguizamo expressing his disbelief and disappointment with the casting Friday morning on Instagram.
“How is this still going on? How is Hollywood excluding us but also stealing our narratives? No more appropriation of Hollywood and broadcasters!” wrote the Colombian American actor. “Boycott! This F’d up! Plus seriously hard story to tell without exaggeration that would be wrong! I don’t have a problem with Franco, but he’s not Latino!”
Others on Twitter expressed similar sentiments.
“I’m auditioning for another Latin American generic drug dealer and James Franco is dead set playing Fidel Castro,” he tweeted. @iamJeffTorres. “Latinos are getting dirty here and everywhere. Damn lol.”
“Gordita Chronicles (starring a Latino family was canceled), Batgirl (starring a Latina was canceled), but James Franco will play Fidel Castro in the new movie,” he wrote. @MrRafaelAgustin.
“I am so confused by the disrespect the industry continues to give to Latino artists,” he tweeted. @RuizaJenni. “Now James Franco has taken the role of Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro, everybody.”
