For some reason, Fame Pictures is trying to start something with these photos of James Franco doing press for his new film Saturday Night. According to the photo agency, Franco was looking “sweaty and unfocused” and he had what appeared to be “questionable marks” on his arms. They don’t come right out and say “heroin” but that is the subtext, and they even blew up close-ups of his arm. Like this:
“Pineapple Express” actor James Franco’s appearance at the “Saturday Night” premiere in New York City, New York on May 2, 2010 stirred up quite a few questions concerning the star’s well being. The usually strapping young performer showed up to the event looking sweaty, unfocused and could hardly keep his eyes open. Franco has always been an advocate of recreational marijuana use, but his thin frame and frighteningly questionable marks on his middle arm makes one wonder if he hasn’t started dabbling in something harder.
[From Fame Pictures]
Now, I’m not extremely knowledgeable about heroin or shooting up or anything like that. But I’m almost positive track marks don’t look like faint burn marks. I have a similar scar on one arm, and it’s from the oven. I think Franco was probably high, and he decided to bake something and he accidentally burned himself. Of course, my other possibility is that he’s self-harming, and these are old cutting scars. But I doubt James is a cutter. I like my “baking victim” theory.
That being said, Franco does not really look like the picture of health in these photos. Perhaps it’s a combination of drugs and being stretched too thin – he is finishing his Master’s and about to go in to a PhD program at Yale, all while being an in-demand actor. He needs a vacation.
UPDATE: Commenter Carrie just wrote in with a much more plausible explanation for Franco’s bruising/burns/whatever. According to Carrie, “There is actually a pretty simple explanation for those bruises – Franco has been out in Utah the last 2 months shooting Danny Boyle’s 127 hours – the story of Aron Ralston, the hiker who got trapped under a rock and saw his own arm off after 5 days! It’s the same arm & exact place where you can see those marks on his arm. (Ralston tied a tourniquet around his arm before sawing it off right at the elbow).” That does make sense!
James on May 2, 2010. Credit: Fame/RAM.
