You know James Franco as the Green Goblin's son in the Spider-Man movies, but in SP3, he steps up to wreak some serious havoc his damn self. Chillin' like a villain? Undoubtedly.

STORY BY NATE DENVER; PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANTHONY MANDLER

What’s your major?

James Franco: Creative writing.

How long will it take to get your degree?

James Franco: I’ve been going quickly. I’ve been back a year. I could be done by the end of summer, but because of this movie and the press, I’m not gonna be able to take as many classes as necessary. Maybe by the end of the year.

Are your parents happy you went back to school?

James Franco: Yeah, they’re happy. When I left to pursue acting they were very upset. It wasn’t a great move to go from UCLA to McDonald’s. But now that I can support myself they’re pretty happy with whatever I do, and if getting a degree makes me happy, then they’re happy.

Are you sweated at UCLA?

James Franco: Not sweated. I don’t know if I blend in, but for the most part it’s not a big deal. I’ve made friends in my classes and I have study groups and everything. I feel like a regular student.

Do you have enough pull to convince Spider-Man director Sam Raimi to make another Evil Dead movie?

James Franco: Maybe. I could ask him. You think?

Have you seen the Evil Dead films?

James Franco: Of course! It’s amazing that Raimi did the first Evil Dead when he was like 21 or something.

If you could make another one happen, a lot of people would appreciate it.

James Franco: I don’t know what he wants to do next. Spider-Man is such a huge project that the post-production of one movie bleeds into the pre-production of the next movie. He’s been in Spider-Man world for seven years without a break. Then on top of that he’s got all these other side movies that he produces.

Have you learned a lot about directing from watching him?

James Franco: The special effects and stuff are beyond me. If I ever tried to do that kind of stuff I’d have to do a lot of studying. What I pick up from him is just how he brings a sense of fun to the set. It’s genuine fun, and he includes everyone from the crew to the PAs to the actors. He’s extremely collaborative, and sometimes maybe too much. He’s fortunate that we’re [working] on Spider-Man and they have the money to go at a slow pace. We would talk forever about scenes—sometimes it would halt production just to get the scene right.

You slept on the street to prepare for City by the Sea?

James Franco: [Laughs.] Yeah, a couple nights. Well, we didn’t spend the night on the street. My friend and I got dirty clothes and poured beer on ourselves so we were really dirty and we went and stayed in [a downtown mission] for the night. I was a young actor into doing anything I could think of to get into a role—short of doing heroin.

Could people tell you were an actor?

James Franco: I had tried to go down there before without a costume. Somebody walked up and they were like, “Hey, Hollywood, what are you doing here?” Not that they knew I was an actor, but they knew I wasn’t from there.

You also tried panhandling?

James Franco: We went out to Santa Monica for a weekend and we said, “We’ll survive the weekend with no money. The only money we can have is the money we panhandle.” Home // CELEBRITIES // COVER STORY // James Franco