James Franco won the best actor in a comedy award Thursday night at the Critics’ Choice Awards for his role in “The Disaster Artist,” but he wasn’t there to receive it.
The actor is in the midst of controversy after several women accused him of sexual misconduct in postings on social media.
Franco addressed the allegations on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” this week.
“I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much,” he told Meyers.
Hours after his appearance Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published a story in which five women who had worked with Franco alleged that they experienced inappropriate and sometimes sexually exploitative behavior by him.
Sarah Tither-Kaplan, Violet Paley, Hilary Dusome, Natalie Chmiel and Katie Ryan shared their allegations with the publication.
Dusome told the publication she took an acting class with Franco in 2012 at Playhouse West in North Hollywood, California.
She and fellow student Natalie Chmiel alleged that they experienced “an unprofessional and hostile shoot at a strip club,” while working on what they believed to be an art film or a commercial by Franco.
“I felt like I was selected for something based on my hard work and my merit, and when I realized it was because I have nice [breasts], it was pretty clear that was not the case,” Dusome said. “I don’t think he started teaching with bad intentions, but he went down a bad path and damaged a lot of people in the process.”
CNN has reached out to the women but not confirmed their accounts. When contacted by CNN, a representative for Dusome declined to offer further comment.
Franco’s attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed the women’s allegations to The Times and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
When contacted by CNN, a spokesperson for Franco pointed to the actor’s comments on the late-night shows and provided statements from some of his supporters.
Projects with women at the forefront also won on Thursday night.
HBO’s “Big Little Lies” earned four trophies, including best limited series and best actress in a movie made for TV or limited series for Nicole Kidman.
The drama’s co-stars, Alexander Skarsgård and Laura Dern, were named best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a limited series.
Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” won best drama series, as well as best actress in a drama for Elisabeth Moss and best supporting actress for Ann Dowd.
Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” took home best comedy series and best actress in a comedy series for star Rachel Brosnahan.
“The Shape of Water,” was the most nominated film of the evening and won four categories, including best picture and best director for Guillermo del Toro.
FILM
BEST PICTURE — “The Shape of Water”
BEST ACTOR — Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
BEST ACTRESS — Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR — Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS — Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS — Brooklynn Prince, “The Florida Project”
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE — “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
BEST DIRECTOR — Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY — Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY — James Ivory, “Call Me By Your Name”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY — Roger Deakins, “Blade Runner 2049”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN — Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau, Jeff Melvin, “The Shape of Water”
BEST EDITING (TIE) — Paul Machliss, Jonathan Amos, “Baby Driver”
BEST EDITING (TIE) — Lee Smith, “Dunkirk”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN — Mark Bridges, “Phantom Thread”
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP — “Darkest Hour”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS — “War for the Planet of the Apes”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE — “Coco”
BEST ACTION MOVIE — “Wonder Woman”
BEST COMEDY — “The Big Sick”
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY — James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY — Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE — “Get Out”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM — “In The Fade”
BEST SONG — “Remember Me” from “Coco”
BEST SCORE — Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water”
TELEVISION
BEST COMEDY SERIES — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amazon
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES — Ted Danson, “The Good Place,” NBC
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES — Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amazon
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES — Walton Goggins, “Vice Principals,” HBO
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES — Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS
BEST DRAMA SERIES — “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES — Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us,” NBC
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES — Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES — David Harbour, “Stranger Things,” Netflix
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES — Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu
BEST LIMITED SERIES — “Big Little Lies,” HBO
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TV — “The Wizard of Lies,” HBO
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES — Ewan McGregor, “Fargo,” FX
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES — Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies,” HBO
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES — Alexander Skarsgård, “Big Little Lies,” HBO
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TV OR LIMITED SERIES — Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies,” HBO
BEST TALK SHOW — “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” ABC
BEST ANIMATED SERIES — “Rick and Morty,” Adult Swim
BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SERIES — “Born This Way,” A&E
BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SERIES — “Shark Tank,” ABC
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES — “The Voice,” NBC
BEST REALITY SHOW HOST — RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” VH1
